Southern Indiana’s shining star, the French Lick Resort, has unveiled the latest additions to its sprawling 3,000-acre complex located in the towns of West Baden Springs and French Lick.

Part of a $17 million expansion, the six-story, 71-room Valley Tower hotel and Valley Bar cover more than 50,000 new square feet and is situated adjacent to the resort’s Event Center and its 51,000 square foot, single-level French Lick Casino. The addition brings the resort’s overall capacity to 757 rooms and will provide guests more variety and options during their stay.

Already home to a pair of nationally historic hotels, the 243-room and suite West Baden Springs Hotel and the 443-room and suite French Lick Springs Hotel, the new hotel debuted in November near the casino’s new, first-ever Sports Book that it hopes will help attract sports fans and golfers to the iconic Southern Indiana casino.

Rush Street:

Operated in association with Chicago-headquartered gaming and sports betting company Rush Street Interactive, the Sports Book is located near the south end of the casino and offers betting on nearly 20 different sports, college to pro, and dozens of different leagues and 18 TV monitors. Customers can wager on everything from NFL, MLB, NBA, golf, soccer to others like bowling, auto racing, mixed martial arts, tennis, hockey and more.

Wagering and lounge:

Wagers can either be placed at betting windows where a live sportsbook ticket writer will take bets during sportsbook operating hours, or at one of eight Novomatic ActionBook self-service kiosks, which can be accessed 24 hours a day. A complement to the new book, the adjacent upscale sports viewing lounge features two state-of-the-art 14×8 LED video walls that anchor the well-designed sportsbook viewing area.

Valley Bar:

Situated just off the Valley Tower lobby, the new Valley Bar is the historic resort’s only 21-and-over eating establishment and in addition to plenty of big-screen TVs offers a menu featuring light fare, along with a drink menu with nearly 20 regional craft beers, and domestic brews, wine and cocktails. A pair of event rooms are also available for larger groups to rent.

Commenting on the new additions, director of golf for the French Lick Resort, Dave Harner, said…

“With as much history and welcoming space as this hotel has had for decades, it’s exciting to open the Valley Tower, Valley Bar along with the new Sports Book and spacious sports viewing area in the French Lick Casino.

“So many of our golfing groups consist of huge sports fans, so we think they’re going to make the Valley Tower and the new Sports Book area, their preferred place to relax and enjoy all the fun French Lick Resort has to offer,” said Horner, according to a recent media report.

Resort amenities:

In addition to three hotels and a casino, the family-friendly resort also features two full-service spas with a combined 36 treatment rooms totaling 42,000 square feet; indoor and outdoor pools, nearly 170,000 square feet of meeting and event space; more than 15 dining and entertainment options, along with the par 70 Donald Ross Course at French Lick, which underwent a $5 million restoration in 2007, and the 18-hole Pete Dye Course at French Lick.

Both courses are ranked among the Top 100 in America’s Greatest Public Courses and boast ranking as the No. 1 and 2 Courses You Can Play in Indiana.

Additionally, the par 36 Valley Links Course is a nine hole-fully walkable course designed specifically for children and beginners and only the second of its kind in the state.

French Lick is located approximately 100 miles south of Indianapolis and is known by many as the town where Hall of Fame basketball player Larry Bird grew up.

The new tower and sports bar are the latest major capital investment French Lick Resort has made over the past 12 years, beginning with the opening of French Lick Casino in 2006 and followed by the 2015 $20 million expansion of the adjacent Event Center, and the nearby Exhibition Hall that recently underwent a significant renovation.

The West Baden Springs Hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, and became a National Historic Landmark in 1987, while the French Lick Springs Hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

Caesars Southern Indiana:

The Southern Indiana gambling landscape got a bit more competitive when on December 12, 2019, the former Horseshoe Southern Indiana relocated on land re-branding as Caesars Southern Indiana. Located along the banks of the Ohio River approximately 14 miles from downtown Louisville, Kentucky, the new casino is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Corporation, which had run the casino from within the world’s largest casino riverboat, Glory of Rome, since 1998 when the vessel was built.

An official closing party was held on December 9 before transferring the casino’s entire collection of 1,300 slots into the new 110,000 square foot onshore facility. The new casino features nearly 1,700 slots, 70 table games and a 30-table poker room, along with a non-smoking area and a full-service Caesars’ branded sportsbook and a new VIP Lounge with outdoor balcony and High Limits gaming areas complimented by a private parlor.

The re-branded 10-story 503-room hotel offers a full-service spa, indoor pool and hot tub, shopping, 24-hour fitness center, 25,500 square feet of updated meeting and event space and 24-hour business center, along with fine dining at Jack Binion’s Steak and another customer favorite, Aroma Café and Bar, as well as The Piazza, a new food hall featuring five quick eats options just steps away from the casino floor.

Florida-based boat brokerage firm Stomar Inc. (Storti Marine Services) currently has the vessel available for purchase at USD$6,000,000.00 on its website.