It is a fun experience, which that learning about history is never boring after all. The railway is not a museum with displays and glass cases of exhibits. Your amazing rail ride back into history starts from French Lick and runs for about twenty-five miles from Jasper. It is a popular tourist destination and should definitely be at the top of your list of places to see! It was first established in 1961 in Westport. The Scenic Railways is a living part of French Lick’s history. French Lick Scenic Railway JAMES PIERCE / Henry Cross was a painter, and Ferdinand was a stone carver with his amazing Cross columns still famous in the area. It is over 1000 square feet and 150,000 pieces.Īnother popular exhibit is about artists and brothers Henry and Ferdinand Cross, who came to French Lick in the 1800s. The Museum also boasts the world’s biggest circus diorama, which is a magnet to kids. The Museum tells the stories of the fascinating people who owned and ran these casinos. The Museum calls it “Vegas before there was a Vegas.”Įven when gambling was illegal in the state, French Lick town and West Baden Springs still had several documented casinos between 18.

One of the many family-friendly tourist spots this lovely town offers, the French Lick West Baden Museum began as a temporary project in 2007, at the town’s Sesquicentennial celebration.īecause of the amazing responses from the community, it was turned into a permanent museum in 2013.Īmong the many fascinating exhibits is French Lick's casinos' history. Learn about the wild history of this little town! Start planning your activities from the list below:

You can also try fun, family-friendly activities like hiking, zip-lining, skiing, and snowboarding. You can play golf on a course that goes back to 1907 or have a flutter at the historic Casino. The first of these hotels, the French Lick Resort, is a historic area, but it's also a great hotel to check into and enjoy your vacation. Naturally, hotels sprung up for these visitors, and the first golf course came up in the 1900s. It was popularly believed that the mineral springs improved one's health. Around 1845, the place started bustling with tourists. The area was originally a small trading post for the French and was famous for having natural mineral springs. French Lick is a small but bustling town in southern Indiana.įascinatingly, it has been a tourist destination since the middle of the 19th century.

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