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ORANGE COUNTY, INDIANAFrench Lick | Paoli | Patoka Lake | Orleans

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F or well over a century and a half, French Lick and West Baden have been

almost synonymous with one other - and have become especially well known for their individual luxury hotels. Since 1850, these “sister” hotels have spurred each other to greatness. Together they have of-fered their guests the finest resort experi-ence possible for generations.

Today, both the French Lick and West Baden hotels have been restored

to their maximum glamor and opulence. While their histories are inextricably inter-twined, each has always had its own dis-tinct personality.

This unique resort has always catered to the wellness and pampering of their

guest - a tradition that happily continues today. Both hotels also exchange privileges with on other - including championship golf courses, a casino, and an array of dining opportunities, plus a shuttle service between the two hotels.

Throughout the year, the grand hotels host a calendar full of events, including art fairs, outdoor concerts,

and holiday activities.

R eaching beyond the Resort itself, visitors can enjoy unique shopping, historic

train rides, an indoor water park, his-toric tours of both hotels, horseback trail rides, more than nine miles of mountain bike trails, carriage rides, nature trails, bicycle rentals and much more.

French Lick | West Baden

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T here are places to walk in Paoli where you my be touching the foot-steps of prehistoric man. Deep in the

forest known as the “Pio-neer Mothers Memorial Forest” there is an archeo-logical find that had once been a settlement of natives who thrived there between 1000 and 1500 A.D. known as the Oliver Phase people. And the forest itself is the last old growth forest of its size in the entire state of In-diana. Huge walnut trees and oaks and others sti l l growing there are massive n size and inspi-ration.

A nd yet, this remarkable nat-ural landmark is just one of

the places on the National Reg-ister of Historic Places n Paoli . In the center of town stands the Paoli Courthouse, a Greek Revival beauty that was built in 1850 and has recently been restored to its original grandeur while stil l operating in its original function.

A ll around the area the re-mains of glaciers can also sti l l

be found in the form of hil ls and valleys that they left as they came to rest on their long slide into oblivion.

M ore modern era thril l seekers can find some of the state’s

finest snowboarding and skiing at Paoli Peaks.

Paoli

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P erfect hometowns are supposed to be made up of parades and festivals, old Car-negie Libraries sti l l filled with books, and main thoroughfares

named “Maple Street.”

T hese sorts of storybook towns are also supposed to have town

squares with splashing fountains and outdoor concerts, plus streets l ined with old houses that have always been lived in and Amish buggies belong to nearby neighbors.

T he best such places have won-derful old architecture and

war memorials, restaurants with home-cooked meals, laughing children and friendly people everywhere you turn.

O rleans not only has all of these offerings, it ’s host to an an-

nual music “reunion” in the center of town, and a Farmer’s Market from May through October with arts and crafts, cooking demonstrations, home-baked goodness and home-grown freshness.

I n the Spring of each year, it bursts into bloom with an annual Dog-

wood Festival held at the end of April when thousands of blossoms bring the town alive with soft, milky, pastel color - the perfect backdrop to all the activities taking place . . . the queen contest, the bands, the floats, and the memories just waiting to be made.

I t’s rather l ike going home again, no matter where you actually grew up.

Orleans

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W ith its Native American name, Patoka Lake should have been here long before modern man. But what nature somehow overlooked, civil ization

eventually brought into being in the form of almost 26,000 acres of peace and in-spiration. All around the 9,000-acre lake’s edges there are a myriad of surfaces; a beach of soft, thick sand, tangles of forest that reach right up to its edge, and rocky ledges that let wildlife peer down on their visitors.

W ildflowers wave from the shore as hikers walk along the woodlands;

fish and otters ripple along the water’s sur-face; birds swoop and call .

V isitors can choose from a vast array of options for entertainment and

accommodations - houseboats, pontoons, power or sail boats. There is fishing, water skiing, or simply watching nature at its best. After dark, stars fill every inch of the sky and night sounds tri l l and whisper all around. Nearby, there are quaint cottages and lo-cal restaurants.

I t’s a bit of a world unto

itself , where you can al-most put time away in your pocket.

Patoka Lake

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This eMagazine is a product of WTVW and WEHT TV Evansville, IN and Henderson, KY. It is produced by the eMedia Department of TriStateHomePage.com which is a part of Nexstar Broadcast Co. We wish to acknowledge the assistance of the Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau of French Lick, IN. We also wish to acknowl-edge the assistance of the French Lick and West Baden Indiana Chamber of Com-merce. Photos provided by Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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