If you live in or around Chicago and are looking for ideas for a day trip, then Galena is for you!
Located in the unglaciated area of Illinois, Galena is a popular getaway for Illinois and Iowa residents. I recently visited Galena with my husband and I’m sharing all of my tips and experiences along with photos (taken by me) in this post.
Getting there
Galena is roughly about 2 hr 35 min drive from Chicago. The first striking thing about the drive is the change in landscape. Most of Illinois is pretty flat. But as you start nearing the city of Galena, one can see rolling hills and lush valleys, which was a welcome change.
Things to do/Places to see
1. Galena Cellars Vineyard
This family owned business over 3 generations is a great place to stop by and sample over 50 red, white and fruit wines. They usually offer wine tasting experience and tours, but it has been cancelled during COVID time. However, they do currently offer wine flights, which is a great way to sample wine in small quantities with a view of the beautiful vineyards here. We loved their honey mead wine!
2. Thunder Bay Falls
This is a beautiful falls with water rolling over the edge. Best time to visit here is in the morning preferably between June and August. The falls is a short walk over from the parking lot. This is a great place to do fishing as well.
3. Downtown Main Street
The 19th century downtown area in Galena boasts of stunning architectural styles, ranging from French Colonial to Greek Revival. This is a great place to grab some lunch and shop as there are many retail establishments and restaurants, on both sides of the street.
Do visit the Galena Canning Company here, they offer rows and rows of award-winning sauces, spreads, preserves, dressings, seasonings and more.
Presently, the interior streets have been blocked to the traffic using barricades and restaurants have put out tables on the street that are sufficiently distanced from each other. We had the most incredible lunch at Vinny Vanucchi’s, which is an old family-owned Italian restaurant. Highly recommend grabbing lunch here if you are in the area.
4. Ulysses S. Grant Home
This gorgeous Italianate-style brick house was presented as a gift to General Ulysses S. Grant (18th US President) on his victorious return from the Civil War. The original furnishings have been preserved and looks very much as it did in 1865, when it was presented to him. Guided tours are conducted here which are about an hour long.
Sharing some pictures of the city that I clicked around Grant Park -
Touring all of these places took about 4-5 hours and we headed back to Chicago at the end of the day. All in all, it was a perfect little excursion to a historic small town, nestled in rolling hills and an escape from Chicago’s concrete and glass jungle. Do share your experience if you have visited Galena!
