Spring Mill Inn

Updated Review!
10/​30/​2015 — 11/​01/​2015
It’s still a great place. This time, we were in room 112, in the updated section of the hotel. Furnishings are the same, however the room felt bigger and the bathroom was a bit nicer. Still a little clinical feeling, but overall, we were still very pleased. Still had a king bed room. We asked for extra towels and pillows and almost instantly they arrived. Room has its own HVAC, so that’s nice, and while not too many wall plugs, they had two power strips, so that was very handy. Would still like to see two bedside tables, not just one.
A couple of suggestions. I wouldn’t call them gripes, though. The wifi is still dodgy. I know that most people go to State Park Inns to get away and disconnect and that’s awesome! We do too! Usually, though, near the end of the day if I’m relaxing, I like to go online or we were going to stream a movie. The wifi connection was very erratic and inconsistent. Also, the breakfast Buffett food could be better tasting. Service this time around though was much improved! Also, I’d like to see the pool area updated and a hot tub installed in place of the changing rooms. Most people just change in their rooms anymore. The pool was heated for this time of year and it actually felt really good! I’d estimate the water temp was about 85°F. We even swam under the divider and, despite it being 45°F outside, the water felt great.
Anyways, that’s my updated review!
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We stayed here Friday night and had a pretty good time. The inn is nice, however, the room was a little dated. Bed was comfortable and had a flatscreen tv with DVD player. You can rent DVD’s for $ 3 at the front desk. Like I said, the room was relatively nice. The bathroom was a little clinical looking, as you can see from the photos. I feel that they take pride in cleanliness in the hotel, because it always smelled clean. Had a pretty nice view. Wifi, even though it showed up on our devices and connected, didn’t actually work.
The pool. The pool is pretty nice however it is small. It was crowded, though, but that comes with the territory. It’s an indoor/​outdoor pool with a wall you swim under. There are also sliding doors that you can walk out. Inside pool was around 3 – 4 feet deep, while outside pool was up to 9 feet deep. Parents with young children please understand that the outside pool is deep and there are NO LIFEGUARDS ON DUTY! Also, other parents and patrons aren’t responsible for your children, so put your Facebook down and be mindful. The pool is heated and felt decent. There are showers/​change rooms and restrooms, as well as sitting areas inside and out.
We had the breakfast buffet and it was mediocre. The service was horrendous. They weren’t that busy, and our waitress basically ignored us. We ran out of drinks and she would walk past and if we motioned for her, it seemed that she ignored us. We ultimately flagged down the hostess for our refills. Also, the food just wasn’t that great. It was ok, though, and it filled us nicely. Overall, we had a really nice time and would stay again. Actually, we are! We were in room 306.

My family and I used to stay at Spring Mill Inn every year while I was growing up. It has been 20 years since I’ve been back. We were there for one night prior to my grandmother’s funeral (she was buried at the Spring Mill State Park graveyard). Suffice it to say, the inn has not changed anything in over 20 yrs. The rooms are musty and old. The TVs are old and you’re lucky to get 10 channels. The wireless is so weak, the only service you can get is in the lobby; no service in your room. When we complained about the wireless, the lady at the front desk apologized and said others are having the same issues, but their bandwidth can’t support everyone at the hotel. The bathroom is very outdated… straight shower curtain rods (most nowadays are at least the curved ones!), old curtains, old soap, no coffee, and no iron/​board in rooms.
The food in the dining room is the same as I remember… much like an old buffet from 1980… lunch/​dinner is all unhealthy… fried chicken, fried tenderloin, meatloaf, green beans, a variety of ready-​made salads covered in mayo and a very slim salad bar w/​limited options. My mom found a long hair in her chili. We looked at the small menu to find any other options other than the old buffet, but it was a list of 5 items and all were fried. Breakfast in the morning was powdered eggs, overcooked bacon, cold pancakes, greasy sausage patties, gravy thick enough to be jello and biscuits hard as a rock. Having said all this, the service was great; hosts and waitresses were nice.
Almost all of the games in the game room were out of order and had been for sometime. The pool looked fun, but we never went.
We would not stay again nor would we recommend it to anyone. For the price we paid for our room, we expected MUCH more and Spring Mill Inn needs to seriously consider updating a few key aspects not the least of which is the «free» wireless… no wonder it’s free… it doesn’t work.

The food is a buffet style and very tasty, there fried chicken is there speciality and is spectacular. The atmosphere is pleasing and comfortable with a fireplace that is nice. The price is surprisingly cheap. 5*stars

Where can you go where absolutely every item on the buffet is delicious. This is the spot. Each item was fresh (it is summer and vegetables abound) interesting flavors and the persimmon pudding a treat. We all ate too much but it was worth it, very memorable. Hope the next time I get a chance to visit the best state park in Indiana I’ll find the buffet filled with all my favorite dishes.

Wow! For an Indiana state park inn this is as good as it gets.
Stopped in on a weekday lunch for an incredible $ 8.49 buffet with our daughter, age 6 free. Wonderful fried chicken and multiple pies in the offering. Its not a health nut’s dream but a delicious lunch in a very pretty setting.

Sometimes things like spas, gourmet cooking and cell phone service aren’t as important as sitting by the fire playing a board game and living a simpler life surrounded by nature. For these times, Spring Mill State Park Inn is a great place to visit!
I visit Spring Mill State Park every March as the overnight stop on a wine trail in Southern Indiana. Located about an hour south of Bloomington, it’s a cute, no frills state park inn. Walking in the main doors into the lobby, you immediately see a lot of sitting areas with a fireplace, and usually a lot of people reading and relaxing in front of the fire. The basement has an indoor pool that is typically overrun with kids, but also another fireplace with plenty of places to sit and chat, board games, and an arcade with air hockey, ping pong tables, and some limited vending machines. If you get hungry late at night, I suggest bringing your own food as the cafeteria closes early, and the only options are vending machines that don’t take credit cards (or if they do, it never seems to work).
I wouldn’t call the kitchen and dining room a restaurant. I think cafeteria is much more fitting. I had Sunday brunch there recently, which was a $ 7 buffet that had all of the staples on it: eggs, meats, fruits, yogurt and granola, pancakes, juices, etc. For $ 7 a person, you couldn’t beat it.
A few notes: Wireless internet is available for free in the rooms and common areas. Parking is free (and half of the structure is covered), but there is NO CELL SERVICE!

My hiking club, the Indianapolis Hiking Club, does an annual weekend ‘retreat’ here in March. Since I am training for a half marathon and needed to get my Saturday morning training run in, I opted to come down here to Southern Indiana for the Saturday afternoon hike with 3 of my hiking friends.
This weekend was dedicated to a long time IHC member who had recently passed away and to celebrate his widow’s 96 birthday which is Monday.
After a 3 hour drive — in the rain — to Spring Mill State Park, we arrived about an hour before the afternoon hike. One of the members who was staying at the Inn graciously allowed us to use her room as our ‘staging’ area to keep our hiking stuff.
We finished our leisurely, sometimes rainy, 6 mile hike in about 2.5 hours. Spring Mill State Park is absolutely gorgeous and very well maintained. This was my first trip to the park and made me ever so grateful that these parks exist for our hiking pleasure and to enjoy being in nature no matter what kind of weather we are experiencing. «We ain’t afraid of no stinkin’ rain!» say IHC members who hike in all kinds of weather… which is a good thing since winter can last a long time. I have to admit, I prefer to hike in snow rather than rain, but it is what it is :-)
After the hike, we went back to our hiking friend’s room and had a great time talking and laughing and ‘cleaning’ up for the evening’s buffet dinner. Our group — 63 opted to stay for the dinner — had the Lakeview Room and the food was surprisingly very good for a buffet. We topped the dinner off with a video taken over the years of past hikes and birthday cake to celebrate the 96 year ‘young’ Nell’s birthday. We then drove the 3 hours back to Indy rain-​free.
My goal this year is to try and visit all of Indiana’s State Parks and really get my annual pass money’s worth :-)
I’ll be back to Spring Mill — I’m betting it is gorgeous in the other seasons!

Very friendly staff and a nice place to stay. Comfortable common areas with lots of places to lounge in the main lodge building. You’re within a 10 minute walk of the Spring Mill Pioneer Village and the Gus Grissom Memorial as well. Good, hearty food in the restaurant and excellent prices. The persimmon pudding for dessert was exceptional! The rooms are a little small and a bit on the institutional side — nothing to write home about. But the cost is very reasonable and the whole package is a great value.