Hike Through Galena, Illinois And Discover A Breathtaking Historic Town That Delivers Fresh Surprises
By Ben Jones|Published May 03, 2023
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Ben Jones
Author
Ben Jones is at heart an adventurer who delights in inspiring others. A former reporter and photojournalist, he explored towns large and small as a Wisconsin correspondent for USA Today. He later became a lead photographer and senior copywriter for an award-winning destination marketing agency, before founding Boldland Creative, a company that produces photography, video, and other content for travel destinations. Jones has completed photography and content projects in more than 15 states and when he’s not looking through a camera or at his Macbook you’ll find him exploring the world’s lakes and forests.
In the far northwestern corner of the state, there’s a treasure of a town that beckons travelers. Galena has been around for two centuries, and there’s no place in the world quite like it. Packed with carefully preserved buildings from the 1800s, this old mining town celebrates the past while offering plenty of fresh surprises. It’s arguably the prettiest town in Illinois. I heard there have been some changes in this picturesque little town so I decided to lace up my shoes and hike through the heart of the Galena.
One of the best ways to explore a small town is on foot – it gives you a chance to slow down and take in the beauty of the place. It’s a good way to meet some interesting people and see the small details that tell a town’s story. I spend a lot of time on the road, and once I arrive in a community, I usually leave the car parked as much as I can. That’s exactly what I wanted to do in Galena. I was in for a few surprises.
This stern fellow is the first person I ran into. Elihu B. Washburne was a major power player in the 1800s – over the years he was a Congressman, U.S. Secretary of State, ally to presidents Lincoln and Grant, and he was also an ambassador to France.
This little pocket park is a good example of the Galena experience – a dose of fascinating history that's steps away from some delicious wine and cheese. This is a place where you not only learn about the past but also live that history in a delicious way.
I could not resist the call of that shop that’s just behind the Washburne statue, Galena River Wine & Cheese. Located in a renovated 1845 steamboat provisioning warehouse, it has dozens of domestic and international varieties. I purchased a Wisconsin morel and leek cheese – it was delicious!
You can’t live on cheese alone, so I headed across the street to Galena Bakehouse. I had a chance to chat with the owners, Alex Arroyo and Geoff Karnish. Transplants from New York, they were more than happy to be one part baker, one part guide.
Geoff has a background as a pastry chef. He makes everything here from scratch, and it’s all sublime. I left with a lemon muffin with a citrus glaze, macaroons, granola, and some helpful Galena tips and advice.
If you’re thinking about a picnic, come here – they’ll set you up with everything you need to make it perfect, including a basket and a map with some ideal locations.
The men are more than happy to help travelers – they said they love Galena and their new life here. "It's a dream come true," Arroyo said.
Down the street, I came across a building that's impossible to miss, the storied Desoto House Hotel. President Lincoln actually delivered a speech from the hotel’s balcony and today it’s a place where you can spend the night or enjoy a fine meal.
While stepping into the Desoto House is like traveling back in time, there’s a business inside the building that’s anything but traditional - Root Beer Revelry.
This shrine to soda has more than 60 varieties on hand. You can order a tap of root beer, a root beer float, or as I did, take down a whole flight of root beer. I figured why not; I wasn’t driving!
I rode my sugar buzz out of there to a must-visit place, the Galena & U.S. Grant Museum. The 1858 mansion tells the story of Galena and its famous resident, President Ulysses S. Grant.
Lead mining was the industry that helped build much of what you’ll see in Galena today. During the mining boom of the 1800s, the town’s population was actually three times as large as it is now. In the museum, there’s a mining-related surprise.
During a renovation in the 1920s, workers discovered a lead mine shaft under the back of the building. You can see it from inside the museum - just head to the back and look down!
A few blocks away, I recharged the batteries with a stop at the Trolley Depot Coffee & Tea Co. In many small towns, it’s hard to find a good cup of coffee, but that’s not an issue in Galena.
Located in an old trolley garage, the shop serves the coffee you’re craving. I’m ordinarily a black coffee drinker, but I instead went for a caramel macchiato – it was perfect!
While it’s easy to log a lot of steps in Galena, you don’t have to – just head to Galena Trolley Tours. The vintage trolley tours run an hour and will take you to all the important sights.
Clint Hillary, the owner, told me the tours are a good way to begin a visit to Galena. “They give you a basic overview of Galena and then you can decide what to do from there,” he said.
Still, committed to my walking tour, I left the cheerful trolley station and headed out along the river. Galena is a wonderful place for walkers – there are sidewalks throughout the city and scenic trails along the Galena River.
The first thing I ran into was Grant Park. It’s a pleasant park with imposing cannons pointed at the Galena River. This one was captured from Spain during the Spanish-American War.
History is literally everywhere you look in Galena – the historic district covers about 85 percent of the city and has more than 800 buildings. It’s just part of the fabric of life here.
As I passed the East Galena Town Hall, built in 1872, the husband of a town supervisor was outside, doing some volunteer landscaping work. He let me peek inside – the town hall still holds meetings here, in the same little room that was used in the 1870s.
My guide said the building is in good condition and hopefully will be used for many more years. "Galena is built on history," he said.
My next stop was the Galena Visitor's Center, built in 1857. If you're in Galena, stop inside to get information to plan your trip, including helpful guides and maps.
Hike up the hill behind the depot to visit President Grant's 1860 Italianate mansion. If you don’t have time for a tour, you can head to the gardens and visit with his wife, Julia Dent.
For a look at an even more opulent home, head back downhill to the Belvedere Mansion. It was built in 1857 by J. Russell Jones, a man who made a fortune in Galena’s boom days. It’s an incredible building home to many historic treasures, and it’s considered to be the finest building in Galena.
Galena is a town that grew from the riches of the landscape: the vast ore deposits, fertile farmland, and the confluence of two trade rivers – the Galena and the Mississippi. Driving out of town, I got a spectacular look and the land and water that led people to settle here.
The Casper Bluff Land and Water Reserve has 85 carefully preserved acres that overlook the Mississippi River. There are walking trails that take visitors past sacred effigy mounds. It’s a quiet and peaceful place – I was the only one in the park.
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I finished my time in Galena with a look at the Mississippi River. It was a cool day, and the water was high, but this stretch of the river is a typically a great place for fishing, boating and paddling. You’ll also see commercial boat traffic, just as you would have 150 years ago.
For a closer look at my trip, check out our video about Galena. And be sure to subscribe to the OnlyInYourState YouTube channel for more incredible videos like this.
On this trip, I just scratched the surface of what you can experience in Galena. Plan your own Galena getaway and make your own discoveries with the Galena Country website.
For more insider tips from our team of local travel experts, check out all of the articles in OnlyInYourState’s Everyday Explorers series. What destinations would you like to see featured? Tell us where we should go on our nominations page.
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