A Peek Behind the Scenes at West Baden (And How You Can See More)

You’re probably familiar with the West Baden Springs Hotel atrium, the French Lick Springs Hotel lobby, the amazing view at The Pete Dye Course and some of the other spectacular public places at French Lick Resort.

Those are all must-sees, but today we’re introducing you to more cool spots that you rarely get to lay eyes on.

We’re giving a behind-the-scenes taste today. But only a taste, because we can’t spoil too much for Indiana Landmarks’ new Behind the Scenes Tours that offer an exclusive peek behind the curtain at some of these same spots.

First up: Let’s settle into the Presidential Suite.

This grand living space wasn’t an original feature of the hotel when it was built in 1902, but the Behind the Scenes Tour will explain how this grand new suite with its stately arched windows actually played an important role in the hotel’s mid-2000s restoration. There’s plenty of history in here, too. This floor of the hotel housed an Army hospital in 1918-19, which explains why the floor leading into one room of the President Suite is sloped; it was made that way so gurneys could be wheeled in.

While we’re on the sixth floor, we’ll go inside one of the guestrooms with a balcony overlooking the atrium. This is a truly special perspective — only 18 rooms in the entire hotel have this top-floor view. The Behind the Scenes Tour takes you inside one of them. The pictures are nice, but they don’t quite do it justice. Seeing this in person gives you a fuller appreciation of the expanse of the building, and also gets you up close with the network of steel that supports the dome.

Next up: a look inside Table One. If booking the private dining room for yourself isn’t in the cards, the tour will give you a glimpse. It’s brimming with modern glitz from the décor to the dishware to the frosted glass that allows guests to either dine privately or open it up to observe the kitchen staff. It also features an original piece of the past: the long trestle table is believed to be a remnant from the original days of the hotel from a century ago.

The tour also goes behind the scenes to areas that served the hotel’s first guests – such as the kitchen, ice house (where they also produced their own ice cream) and printing office, which have been repurposed for new hotel operations today. Another one of these areas is the old garage. It always blows the mind a little to see these places today – today the old garage has become a meeting room – and think about what these places were like 100 years ago.

We won’t give out any spoilers from the Behind the Scenes Tour about one of the hotel’s most unique areas – the couple guestrooms that feature vintage décor true to the hotel’s early days. And, since trekking to the top of the atrium for a peek at the Angel Room would be a cumbersome climb, the Behind the Scenes Tour doesn’t go all the way up there. (Though you can go inside the Angel Room either here or near the end of this video.) Another prime spot at the resort to go behind the scenes is The Mansion at Pete Dye, where you can get a peek of the upstairs living quarters if you have a few extra minutes before a round of golf or lunch.

There’s nine more opportunities in 2019 to go on one of the Behind the Scenes Tours. If you thought you’ve seen and experiences everything that West Baden has to offer, it’s a whole different way to enjoy more of the hotel’s treasures.