French Lick Resort's 50 Days of Lights

**Disclosure: Thank you to French Lick Resort for hosting our visit. No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.

French Lick Resort in Indiana captivated us last weekend with their magical holiday season event: 50 Days of Lights. The spectacular event is full of family merriment and cherished family activities including holiday choirs, story time with Mrs. Claus and cookie making, Santa visits, holiday movies and more. Both French Lick Springs Hotel and West Baden Springs Hotel magically transform into Christmas wonderlands with incredible decorations. French Lick Resort invited us to stay at the West Baden Springs Hotel during the celebration. Immediately upon entering West Baden Springs Hotel, we were caught up in the holiday spirit:

What a stunning tree highlighted by the dome ceiling! After checking in, we visited are rooms which were incredibly spacious and comfortable.

Comfy beds!

A bar area with a fridge.

Lots of space!

On our way downstairs to explore, we caught a glimpse of the tree through a window.

Entirely famished from our trip, we headed to Ballard's which is a nice bistro in the atrium. Ballard's is a nice spot for a restful lunch before an afternoon of exploring. The menu features comfort foods with a twist like the Artisan Grilled Cheese my daughter enjoyed:

I sat back with a tomato bisque and vibrant salad.

My husband fueled up with a delicious Italian meat pizza:

After lunch, it was time to explore! Each hotel has a host of amenities -- more than enough to keep you engaged for an entire weekend! On our first look, we located chess and checkers:

and a library:

plus a sweeping veranda!

After a quick look, we left for French Lick Springs Hotel for a nearby hiking trail in Hoosier National Forest. The trail head is adjacent to the resort golf course. We enjoyed a respite in the forest, hiking through a slightly hilly area. We spotted two deer on the hike adding to the moment.

Next, we returned to French Lick Springs Hotel to board the historic trolley.

The trolley was a fun slice of history. Normally, the trolley runs between the two hotels. However, there is currently construction at West Baden so it cannot stop there. We enjoyed the full ride and learned a bit about the resort's history which I will discuss more in a future post about the French Lick Museum.

Next, we explored the French Lick Hotel. The holiday decor was breathtaking! Families are in really in the spirit during this event and you will even seen tons of kids in their favorite Christmas jammies for their weekend at the resort.

While it was still light out, we explored the outside which was beautiful decked in holiday splendor.

We located the Pluto spring, the source of the therapeutic mineral waters that made French Lick famous starting in the 1800's.

Inside, we discovered incredible holiday decorations in nearly every corner. A true holiday wonderland!

We found Santa's reindeer!

So many incredible trees!

Santa greeting visitors himself!

Santa's chair!

After exploring, we headed to the Power Plant in French Lick Springs Hotel for dinner. Power Plant serves up burgers, pizzas, salads, sandwiches and more! I had the turkey burger topped with mushrooms and a side of mashed potatoes. Great meal and the mashed potatoes were some of the best I have had!

My daughter had the chicken tenders with house made chips. Yum!

My husband enjoyed a club sandwich and fries:

After dinner, we went to decorate cookies with Mrs. Claus. There was a story time but my daughter is a little older -- 12, so not quite in the story time mood. But, we joined just for the decorating which was very festive and fun! Who doesn't love decorating cookies?

Sprinkles and frosting make a fun treat!

My husband decorated a cookie as well:

After, we enjoyed some of the lights both at French Lick and West Baden.

Throughout the 50 Days of Lights, French Lick Resort has plenty of holiday entertainment including choirs:

and a variety of musical entertainment in the evening.

The resort also hosted artwork from local artists. So, a perfect time to pick up something to bring home!

We finished out our last evening playing a little pool. My daughter had never played before, so another fun new experience!

We had such a magical time at French Lick Resort! 50 Days of Lights is an incredible holiday celebration that families of all ages will love. The decor and entertainment definitely sweep you up into the holiday spirit. Magical! The resort has so much to do -- we really just scratched the surface -- so truly a place where you can spend a long family weekend without even leaving the resort. Talk about a getaway! Pools, spas, horseback riding, golf and so many more experiences await. Thank you so much to French Lick Resort for hosting our visit! We had a magical weekend and will be sharing more in future posts.