honeymoon

Can you recommend inexpensive yet romantic places to stay in Galena? What is there to do in Galena besides shop, eat, walk? Anything historical? I%26#39;ve never been around that area, so sorry if I sound stupid. ;-)

honeymoon

Grant%26#39;s home is there. There are some other Civil War era places too. I stayed at the Farmers Inn but it was a number of years ago. We stayed in a place on the hillside behind the main building. It was very romantic. Eagle Ridge is very lovely but it is more expensive and a bit out of town.

Dubuque, IA is very close - 14 miles and has a lot to do. There are some historical sites, the 4th Street elevator, Bluff St. for fun shops, 2 casinos if you like gambling, a beautiful park - Eagle Ridge.

honeymoon

I forgot. There is a winery in Galena. Can%26#39;t think of the name but it is right inside the flood walls. There is also a beautiful vineyard outside of Dubuque called Park Farms. It is probably 45 minutes from Galena. The setting is gorgeous. The white wine is good. I didn%26#39;t care for the red wine. You do wine tastings, buy a bottle, sit on the deck and enjoy it. I think you can bring your own food. They must have a web site.

http://www.galena.org/

Thanks everyone...I will pass this along!

Thanks everyone...I will pass this along!

My wife and I got married in Galena in the fall of %26#39;07, and it really is a charming, cute town. We (and the rest of the wedding party) stayed at the DeSoto House Hotel, which is a historic hotel right downtown. I thought it was a nice romantic place, but I can%26#39;t really call it inexpensive. I think we paid $250 a night for a nicer room with a view in the peak of the fall tourist season.

Most of the other places to stay are your typical B%26amp;B types, some of which looked nice, but weren%26#39;t really what we were looking for. The ones we looked closest at were the Cloran Mansion and the Stillman Inn. I thought those were pretty romantic looking, but have no idea on prices.

We were a little busy doing the whole wedding thing :) so I can%26#39;t really recommend what else to do in town that hasn%26#39;t already been mentioned. We spent some time wandering the shops on the main street, and thought a lot of them were fun. The Galena Cellars winery has been recommended, but I%26#39;ve never been there. Have fun, and congrats!

For a romantic stay you should consider some of Galenas beautiful Bed and Breakfasts.

About 1/2 hour south is Mississippi Palasades State Park. There are some beautiful views from the park overlooking the Mississippi River. If you enjoy hiking and picnicing, they have great trails and facilities.

For my money, you can%26#39;t beat The DeSoto House in downtwon Galena (http://www.desotohouse.com/).

The outside isn%26#39;t much to look at, but I stayed there about 1 month after having stayed at the 4-star Palmer House in Chicago and found my room at the DeSoto House to be superior. Depending on season you can get one for around $100.

Yes, there is historical stuff in and around Galena. But even with that, what it really is is just an Illinois version of Macinaw Island.