FOUNDRY ART CENTRE WEEKEND BUS TOUR TO INDIANA
INDIANA
God crowned her hills with beauty,
Gave her lakes and winding streams,
Then he edged them all with woodlands
As the setting for our dreams.
Lovely are her moonlit rivers,
Shadowed by the sycamores,
Where the fragrant winds of fall
Play along the willowed shores.
Excerpt of the Indiana State Poem by Arthur Mapes
September 19 – 20, 2015
The Foundry Art Centre is hosting a weekend bus tour to the beautiful rolling hills of southern
Indiana. On Saturday, we’ll head to Spring Mill State Park in Mitchell, Indiana where we’ll pay
a short visit to the Gus Grissom Memorial and Museum. Next, the bus will wind its way
through the park to an idyllic setting – the Pioneer Village at Spring Mill Park. We’ll tour this
once functional 1800’s village consisting of businesses, residences, and a huge grist mill. Later
in the afternoon, we’ll convene at an in-park shelter, complete with fireplace, for a catered
evening cookout. (Contingent on weather and shelter availability) (Cocktails, anyone?) We are
excited that St. Charles’ Buckhannon Brothers are coming with us to provide a concert of
Blue-grass music for the evening’s entertainment. A short trip back to West Baden, Indiana
and a late check-in at the Comfort Inn Suites will complete the day.
After a complimentary continental breakfast on Sunday, we’ll take a guided tour of what some
have called the Eighth Wonder of the World, the West Baden Springs Hotel at the French Lick
Resort. A National Historic Landmark, this hotel dates back to the 1840’s, boasts a 200 foot
glass dome, a glazed ceramic tile fireplace from the Rookwood Pottery Company; one that can
accommodate logs as long as 14 feet, and a mosaic terrazzo tile floor composed of two million,
one-inch squares of marble. You’ll have ample time to shop at the hotel before lunching on your own.
The resort of French Lick consists of two hotels, both historic and they are connected by a
shuttle. A self-guided tour of the French Lick Springs Hotel is recommended. It is listed on
the National Historic Register. A casino and seven shops are in the hotel. Across the street
from the French Lick Springs Hotel, is the Downtown area’s Block Bash, conveniently
happening on the weekend of our visit. Food vendors, a marketplace, music, a classic car
show, and a Chainsaw Carving Competition are all a part of the Block Bash. Plus, the
downtown has antique stores, a circus museum, restaurants, and other various places to
explore. You’ll have the afternoon to yourself before boarding the bus at 3pm for the return to
St. Charles. We’ll arrive back around 7:30pm Sunday night.
Each participant will be responsible for lunch on Saturday and Sunday and their snacks.
Here is a website you can visit that will be sure to peak your interest in this trip.