She Magazine

Galena, Ill.

Quiet Illinois town offers elegant accommodations, unique activities and more

Published:

By Mary Bergin

Time for a confession: When getting away with my dearest women friends, finding a comfortable place to sleep, stretch, graze and gab is as important as the destination’s diversions.

We see each other rarely, so much time is spent playing catch-up and plucking memories from our youth, regardless of where we roam. That made the rental of a homelike and roomy villa at Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa, six miles from Galena, Ill., ideal. We had the option to save money by cooking and easily could divide into subsets to pursue our varied interests.

Accommodations range from nicely appointed hotel rooms at the main lodge to eight-bedroom homes. Our three-level, three-bedroom house could handle six to eight people comfortably and rents for around $350 to $450 per night, depending on the time of year.

Golf courses (63 holes) turn into cross-country ski trails during winter. Hiking trails skirt other parts of the resort’s 6,800 acres, which include a 225-acre, manmade lake. Overnight guests gain free access to canoes and paddleboats, ice skates, skis and toboggans.

Also available are pontoon, horseback and hot air balloon rides, masseuses who knead aching muscles and cooks who prepare private meals.

Our big meal out, at Spikes Bar & Grill, was fine dining in a casual resort setting, overlooking golf greens and many hills. For a hands-on or demonstration cooking class, head into town for small-group instruction at The Great Galena Cookery, where chef Patricia Lehnhardt’s menus tend to take on an international flair. Or sign up for Glaze and Graze, where master potter Charles Fach teaches how to create one-of-a-kind dinnerware, one day before the cooking lessons begin.

Roughly five miles into the countryside sits Galena Cellars Vineyard & Winery, whose products include two Illinois Governor’s Cup winners: Oktoberfest, a semi-dry German-style white, and the oak-aged Eric the Red. Expect to pay $3 to sample six of the company’s three dozen wines.

Look for the winery’s other tasting room downtown, where dozens of fun and unusual boutiques fill Main Street, parallel to the Galena River. Particularly imaginative are the Galena Artisan Center and Lulu’s clothing/gift shop. Stamping, quilting and scrapbooking outlets are plentiful.

Galena Beads offers finished products from local artisans, kits to make accessories and classes to design unique outfit trimmings. Galena Candle & Bath Co. operates in a similar fashion: Buy ready-made products or invent your own set of scents.

And if boutique prices don’t match your budget, head to Savvy Scavengers, which sells overstocks of clothing/accessories at hefty discounts, and Clothes Closet, a selective resale clothing shop operated by volunteers from local churches.

For odd lawn art to wooden snowshoes, head to Red’s Antiques & Wholesale (until the snow flies). Antique stores are numerous but no longer define Galena, although residents remain proud of their rich lead mining heritage and include Ulysses S. Grant among former residents.

Take a one-hour trolley tour to get up to speed on local history, architectural masterpieces and awesome hilltop views. Grant’s home and a few other mansions can be toured or are bed-and-breakfast inns.

Want to ponder the future instead of relive the past? Two Tarot Ladies conduct card readings on Saturday nights at The Irish Cottage library, or they’ll come to wherever you’re staying.

For more information: Contact Galena/Jo Daviess County Convention and Visitors Bureau at 877-GO-GALENA or www.galena.org.