Resorts

Originally published in July/August 2008

1. French Lick, Indiana Sunlight and gasps of surprise pour from a wide doorway into West Baden Springs Hotel's Victorian-opulent lobby--the first hints that you've arrived somewhere amazing. Guests stack up as newcomers wheeling suitcases step through the door and stop, awestruck, staring upward. A 600-foot glass dome--hailed as the eighth wonder of the world when this southern Indiana hotel opened in 1902--arches six stories overhead. Tile mosaics cover the atrium floor, and a stone fireplace dominates one curved wall.

Through the1930s, this hotel and neighboring French Lick Springs Hotel reigned as the fanciest of 40-some resorts built around the area's mineral springs. But 60 years later, West Baden was in ruins, and French Lick stood neglected. Indiana entrepreneur Bill Cook invested $500 million in a two-year restoration of both--and a 1917 course designed by golf legend Donald Ross. Finished in 2007, the renovation also added a spa; bigger, beautifully appointed rooms; restaurants; and a casino.

2. Stout's Island Lodge, Wisconsin This inviting, century-old retreat occupies its own northern Wisconsin island near Rice Lake (60 miles north of Eau Claire). From $179 (715/354-3646; www.stoutslodge.com).

3. Honey Creek Resort, Iowa The state's first state park resort, with a golf course and indoor water park, is along southern Iowa's Rathbun Lake. From $99 (641/724-9600; www.honeycreekresort.com).

4. Nelson's Crane Lake Lodge, Minnesota This classic, up-north cabin resort hides at the west entrance of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. From $100 (800/433-0743; www.nelsonsresort.com).

5. KeyLime Cove, Gurnee, Illinois A new water-park resort in Chicago's north suburbs near Six Flags Great America joins the same league as the biggies in Wisconsin Dells. From $289 (877/360-0403; www.keylimecove.com).

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