Galena, Illinois is one of those places at first glance that most women love and most men tolerate. It is a small town in the extreme Northwest corner of Illinois. The community has been around for a very long time and is the home town of U. S. Grant, the commanding general of the government troops at the end of the Civil War and our 18th president.
The real draw to Galena is not the Grant focused tourism but the downtown. There are multiple shops along a narrow street that draw the tourists from far and wide. We are visiting for the weekend. The visit is not because of specific items to look for but because Galena is a destination to meet others and to spend time together.
The shops offer the typical tourist things with candy, candles and crafts being the main fare. There are also multiple restaurants and stores that specialize in antiques and in women's clothes. As a typical male, most of these stores hold very little interest. Another couple invited my wife and me to spend the weekend with them. We stayed at a home in Galena that is the second home to friends of the other couple. I mention our accommodations because we were spared one of the most expensive parts of overnight visitors, the cost of a hotel or bed and breakfast.
The area does have a number of hotels and the bed and breakfasts. The sheer number of choices in this small community is evidence that Galena is one popular tourist designation. Parking can be a hassle in this village on a hillside so arrive early in the day to find a spot to leave the car. There are horse drawn carriages and trolley bus like conveyances that adds the quaintness of the downtown. Sidewalk musicians are also a part of ambience.
By far the most popular attraction is the shops. The very old buildings adorned with modern interiors to entice the visitors are full of those things that we all like but very rarely really need. Almost any decoration for the interior of the home and any goofy sign or ornament for the exterior can be bought. We went in late October so the Halloween decorations were everywhere as well as a variety of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The candy and candle stores offer a second reason to shop: the scent of flavored sugar or a variety of other smells seem to draw all that cross the doorway. There are chocolate stores that have multiple flavors of fudge and almost every conceivable combination of chocolate. Other candy stores include jelly beans, gummy bears and many other traditional types of sugar loaded flavors that are sold by the piece or in bulk.
Given the popularity of coffee shops, we were amazed at the scarcity of the venue. Perhaps we misunderstood the importance of power shopping which in turn limits the need for places to relax. When it is time to eat, there is a good selection of very high quality eateries. Reservations are recommended if allowed because they more popular ones are crowded.
There are other reasons to come to Galena. Beautiful golf courses entice tourists during the warmer seasons and a ski hill and lodge nearby is very popular once the snow flies. For Illinois, the ski hill in Galena is a nice challenge if one cannot travel to the mountains. Since Galena is near the Mississippi River basin, the geography of the bluffs in the downtown and surrounding area is really beautiful.
For a bit of history, the home that U. S. Grant owned is open to the public. A nearby park offers some nice views of the town on the hill and provides some examples of cannon used in the past to defend our nation. Several other homes and churches can also be toured for a flavor of the town during its heyday as lead mining town.
Galena is nice place to visit for a relaxing time with friends and family. Many small towns try to imitate the quaintness and quality shopping but fail. You need to visit one of the best.
