French Lick

We left Indy this morning and headed to French Lick. I had never been to French Lick so my parents thought it would be a nice place for us to go while we were back. For those who aren't familiar with Indiana. French Lick is in southern Indiana basically in the middle of nowhere! I think French Lick is mainly known nationally because it was Larry Bird's hometown.

When we first got to French Lick, we met my parents at the West Baden Springs Hotel, a National Historic Landmark. It was built in 1902. It was known for the mineral springs...which were thought to have healing powers. It has a long history but was renovated in 2006 and is absolutely amazing. The most breathtaking part is the atrium..it is 200 feet in diameter. It really felt like we stepping back in time and it hard to believe that this hotel is in this small town! The rooms cost close to $300 a night..eeks! The hotel even has a Harley Davidson Shop in it. Crazy!!!

After we wondered around the hotel for awhile, we drove over to a new golf course that is being built. The course was designed by Pete Dye-who is a world re-knowned gold course designer. So far the course has cost about 30 million!!! It is basically being carved into the hillside! It is supposed to open in April or May and will host the 2010 PGA golf championship! Again, why in the world is something like this in a small town in southern Indiana?!?!?

We then went to a hotel/casino that is also located in French Lick to try our luck at the slots. Mom and Andy lost, Dad broke even, and I actually walked away with $106...woo hoo! I found a slot machine and we bonded..haha! The funny thing is that Andy had been playing on it and then gave up as he kept losing. Well, I decided to give it a try and within 5 min had turned my $20 into $80. I cashed out, kept 60 of it and decided to play on 20 of it. I turned that 20 into $50 in just a few turns..I played it down to 30 and then cashed out. Keep in mind, this is all on the slot machine that Andy lost on. It seemed like I'd lose a little bit, then win back what I lost, lose a little, and then go up by $20-30. YEAH!!! I decided I was done and didn't want to press my luck any more so I went to watch Dad. He eventually cashed out with $10 and gave me the $10 to take to my favorit machine. 3 spins later the 10 was up to 30...I said "we're done" and cashed out! The scary part is that I really wanted to keep playing, as I could feel the adrenaline from winning just pulsing through my veins! No wonder people get addicted!!!

All in all, French Lick is an amazing town and I know exactly what slot machine to go to in the future. =)