French Lick, IN

Yes, it's a real place. The tiny little towns of French Lick and West Baden are nestled in the Southern Indiana hills and LOADED with history and Hollywood connections. I've always been fascinated by this place and how close it is to home. To really appreciate this place we need to have a quick little history lesson. Bear with me, it's worth it.

The area is known for its mineral springs, and entrepreneurs have been capitalizing on them for decades. Known as "Pluto water" the water from the springs were thought to have healing powers. In 1845 the French Lick Springs Hotel was built. Since then its had its share of ups and downs, but back in its heyday it was a playground for the rich and famous. In 1931 Franklin D. Roosevelt even announced his candidacy for President in the hotel's grand ballroom. In the 80s and 90s the hotel hit some hard times, but thanks to renovation in 2005, the hotel has been restored to its original grandeur. Today it holds a world-class spa, booming casino, and multiple golf courses...and those are just a few of the possible activities.

The ornate artwork and Italian mosaic floors make you feel like you're in Europe instead of rural Indiana.

Notice the little Plutos in the stonework.

This is the original springhouse built with the hotel. Pluto water was so popular in the early 20th Century that the hotel started bottling it for sale. Back then they would use this water as a treatment for almost everything. That is, until the production of it was banned because it was found to have lithium...oops. Today you can take special mineral water baths in the spa. It may have magical powers but let me warn you, it's stinky.

Right next door to French Lick is the West Baden Springs Hotel and Spa. It's history is just as rich. After the original hotel burned down, a grand domed hotel was built in 1902 to model the spas in Europe. It was advertised as "The 8th Wonder of the World". West Baden has had many jobs since its opening. After the stock market crash in 1929 it was sold and functioned as a Jesuit school. During this time much of its elegant decor was changed or covered up. It also functioned as a culinary school for a while. Sadly, this hotel also hit hard times. In 1989 the building was officially closed down and over the next several years became extremely dilapidated. There's a happy ending though, because when the Cook Group came in to renovate French Lick in 2005, it also began work on saving West Baden. Today it's back to its former glory as well.

The dome is so cool to just sit and admire. In the lobby are some old pictures of the hotel right before its renovation. It's crazy to see the crumbling walls and dirt that used to be but then look around at how lavish it is today.

Mom and I decided to enjoy some lunch and girly drinks under the dome.

This fireplace isn't messing around. Note the little guy in the corner, that's Sprudel. The Pluto water was also sometimes called Sprudel water. I can't decide what exactly he is, a gnome or elf maybe?

A look at the little town of French Lick. On a completely unrelated note, the town has a claim to fame outside of the hotels and mineral springs. It's the hometown of the basketball legend Larry Bird.

It was the perfect morning to have breakfast on the veranda before heading back home.

I'm always amazed with each visit to French Lick. It seems like such a contradiction to have something so opulent and rich in history located in what used to be the poorest county in Indiana. The success of the resorts and casino has provided jobs and income for the area thankfully. While its location might seem a little obscure, the French Lick and West Baden Resorts are definitely worth the effort to get to them. It's a beautiful place and you're sure not to get bored with the countless activities available!

Want to make a visit or get a dose of a little more history? Visit http://www.frenchlick.com/

XO,
Lo

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Cooper Young Festival

Last weekend on a whim I headed out to Midtown with some friends for the Cooper Young Festival. I had no idea what to expect upon arriving but the masses of people on the gorgeous Saturday afternoon was a promising preminition that a stroll down to the intersection of where Cooper meets Young Ave wouldn't be like any other time before. Thank goodness I had my camera handy.

It was a mixture of the creative artsy type huddled under their booths, carnival food wafting in the air, the sound of aspiring artists strumming their guitars, and lots and lots of people. Some of the stuff was less than appealing (for example memorial stones for your hamster) but we were bound and determined to find the diamonds in the rough. If worse came to worse some of our favorite local pubs were not far if we needed to pop in and sip on a brew to cool the jets. 

Freshly squeezed lemonade for the pretty gal. Alex's staple. 

First purchase of the day from an antique booth. A beautiful gold mirror for Alex. Mirror mirror on the wall who's the fairest of them all...is probably what her husband will say ;)

I personally am not an NBA basketball fan, but I can appreciate some catchy marketing.

Serenades from Memphis Opera. Somebody was posing for the camera.

One of my favorite finds of the day was Mo's Bows. This was the cutest little guy known to man and an entrepreneur he was!  Moziah (aka Mo) has become quite the talk of the town in Memphis as he found himself gracing a spread in Oprah Winfrey's O Magazine and has been featured on Forbes. A brilliant idea and some help from his Granny is opening ole Mo up to a world of possibilities.

Here's the story behind Moziah Bridges... being the fashion forward Southern gentlemen in the making that he is, Mo wanted to show off his personality with some fun bow ties. He was less than pleased with the options around town and took it upon himself to use some of his Granny's scrap fabrics to create some to his liking. Needless to say the simple idea sold like gangbusters and he is one of the most talked about 11 year olds in Memphis. The best part about Mo is that the ties are part of his vision to make the world a fun and happier place. That should put a smile on your face.

In living and breathing person. This young man is a gentleman in the making...I mean seriously how cute is he? 

They even look good on Allison.

Mo's Bows are for sale on Etsy. A purchase free of guilt.

Another one of my favorite booths was a little business called ARCH'd. I'm a real sucker for good marketing and they had me enthralled with their chalkboards, calligraphy, typography and well the product spoke for itself.

These two gals are in the business of creating art on salvaged wood. They have a real knack for transferring fine art prints onto the recycled wood creating an incredibly cool rustic piece. There were also some impressive acrylic paintings and typography that I had my eye on. Almost all of their work is Memphis themed, but I am sure with a little convincing they would customize pieces to whatever your heart desires. Check these lovely ladies out on Etsy. They have two different pages. Here is Lindsey's and here is Kristen's.

Last but not least was our friend Holly's booth. She is an Ole Miss grad with a gift for painting watercolors. I mean she makes my peaches look like child's play. Oh and did I mention that she is the sweetest Southern gal you'll ever have the pleasure of meeting?

She has quite the collection of prints covering majority of the Southern schools and some of Memphis' best. She sells original prints, bookmarks, magnets and much more. My personal favorite are the notecards. Every card has a personal touch to it. I am a sucker for watercolor and let me tell ya Holly knows what she is doing. Check her out at Painted by Holly.

I know a few gals who would love this Tri Delta painting. Wink wink EB. And to all you other sorority gals Holly hasn't forgotten about you.

And so we reached the end seeing a little bit of everything. After lots and lots of walking on empty stomachs, we finally took a load off before we made our merry way to barbecue with the boys and watch football the rest of the afternoon.

It was a perfectly unplanned Saturday spent with friends. 

XOXO,

Bee

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