You’ve probably got the social calendar covered for the next
few weeks, maybe even the next month or two.
Now’s the time to fill your schedule even a little further
out.
French Lick Resort will be coming alive with gotta-see,
must-do events in the upcoming holiday season and beyond. Some are events that sell out
early, so now’s the time to plan ahead. Others are new events we’re putting on
for the first time. Here’s 7 things you’ll want to put on your calendar.
Tree Lightings
There’s a big change this year to one of our favorite
traditions. We’re spreading out the cheer of our grand tree lighting
ceremonies, with the tree lightings on separate weekends instead of
back-to-back days. The West
Baden Springs Hotel tree lighting will be Saturday, November 16 with the French Lick Springs Hotel tree
lighting on Friday, November 22.
The holiday hoopla is always a spectacle to behold at both
lightings, with music, visits from Santa and the buildup to the illuminating
of the trees. New for 2019, feast your
eyes on the West Baden Springs Hotel replica gingerbread house during the West
Baden lighting. The French Lick lighting features holiday glitz galore: pony rides, photo ops with a live reindeer, free hot chocolate and candy canes, snow cannons, wall projections
and a fireworks finale. Come back Saturday night (November 23) for the Gaither Vocal Band and Holiday Homecoming Show, and you'll be fully immersed in the holiday spirit.
Currently there’s still plenty of availability for rooms at
both hotels during tree lighting weekend. But these weekends fill up quick.
French Lick Springs Hotel is usually sold out on both nights of tree lighting
weekend by late September or early October. West Baden Springs Hotel typically
fills up about a month in advance of tree lighting weekend.
Polar Express
Speaking of the holidays, The French Lick Scenic Railway
has added more seats per train this year on its most popular attraction. Still,
it’s a tough ticket and it’s advisable to plan ahead.
The Polar Express train leaves the station on select dates
November 8 through December 23, and some dates are already totally sold out —
Thanksgiving weekend was a sellout three months in advance. You can still
find coach-class seats on several dates. (And if you want your pick of
dates for next year, tickets for the 2020 Polar Express go on sale starting
November 8 of this year.)
French Lick’s Polar Express collected Rail Events’ 2018
“Best North Pole” award (selected of all the Polar Express trains globally) —
and for 2019, they’re enhancing the North Pole façade and adding more
characters beyond Santa and his elves, to bring even more magic to the
Christmas tale.
New Year’s Eve
Just like the tree lightings, both French Lick and West Baden give you options
when it comes to ringing in 2020.
Go with French Lick Springs Hotel if you’re ready to “reign
in the new year” at a royal-themed gala (seriously, when will you have a better
opportunity to pull off wearing a cape or crown?), or dress to the nines for
West Baden Springs Hotel’s masquerade-themed, black-tie affair. There’s still
more than 100 packages available for both New Year’s parties. But don’t delay
too much in locking down those New Year’s plans. Once we reach the first day of
fall, New Year’s packages start to go fast.
Something to keep in mind: At French Lick Springs Hotel, rooms
on New Year’s Eve are only available for guests who book the New Year’s package
or comped casino guests. A better bet if you’re looking to book a New Year’s
Eve room (without a package) is to try West Baden Springs Hotel, though you’ll
still want to act fast — currently there are 45 rooms available, and this is
yet another night that always sells out in advance.
This will shock you: A Saturday afternoon where you can
spend three hours sampling more than 50 different chocolate creations tends to
be popular.
Our Chocolate Festival tradition just keeps growing each
year, and the 12th annual installment coming up on February 8 has
more sweet surprises in store. Cash in on the early-bird pricing through September
30. At the very least, you’ll want to grab tickets well in advance
considering the Chocolate Festival was a sellout in 2018.
This year we’re expanding on the Chocolate Festival pregame
experience, opening merchant’s alley at 11 a.m. in the Hoosier Hallway where you can purchase treats, accessories and jewelry. The main event runs
from 1-4 p.m., and it’s more than just a sugar rush. Enjoy live entertainment,
live cooking/mixology demos, and you also have the option to add on a Chocolate
on Canvas experience. Book the "Mon Amour" package for early VIP access at noon and first crack at all the goodies.
Ooh La Love: A Valentine’s Soiree
New for 2020, this is a step up
from the typical Valentine’s night out.
A three-course dinner. Roaming entertainment while you eat —
unique enough to make it a special touch, but subtle enough that it won’t
interrupt your date. Then the dance floor opens for two hours. And did we
mention wine? Either two or three glasses come with dinner, depending on which
package you pick. Everything’s covered in this French-themed romantic evening
Friday, February 7 at French Lick Springs Hotel.
And if you don’t Ooh
La Love, reserve a table for the traditional Valentine’s dinner at Sinclair’s
Restaurant the following week on February 13, 14 and 15.
Murder Mystery
Weekend
You’ll need to be crafty, observant and a bit sly to crack
the code on whodunit. But first, you gotta make sure you have a reservation to
this mystery.
Our next Murder
Mystery Weekend is on tap for March 6-8 at West Baden Springs Hotel, and if
it’s anything like the first two, you’ll want to hustle to book your spot. The
first one in March sold out within two weeks. The most recent one earlier in
August was a sellout a couple months in advance. The old-timey feel of West
Baden Springs Hotel just feels like a
perfect place for a mystery to unfold — and you won’t find a more relaxing place
to test your detective skills.
If you’ve ever attended our Wine Pairings or Craft Beer
Experiences, this is the same idea: a selection of jazzed-up hors d’oeuvres
each paired with select Irish whiskeys. Tullamore D.E.W., Bushmills Black Bush
and a flight of Jameson Original, Caskmates and Black Barrel are the chosen
spirits. Unlike the Wine Pairings and Craft Beer Experience, there’s only one
of these on the calendar at the moment (Friday, March 20), so make reservations
soon for a unique way to experience the St. Paddy’s season.