Cozy Winter Weekend in Galena

First time spending time in Galena in the Winter!

Galena embodies the timelessness of Midwestern Americana

In somewhat of a departure from my usual bouts of intense outdoor adventures, we decided to take a pleasant weekend in Galena for the holidays. We've been several times during the summer months and spend nearly the entire vacation outside. For this visit, we wanted to do everything we could to enjoy the winter in a relaxing way. So we both took three days off and drove out to our favorite Midwestern small town.

In the past we've stayed at the The Irish Cottage Boutique Hotel and Queen Anne Guest House, both of which are fine choices. We have been curious about the Galena Territory in the past and decided on renting a townhome through VRBO in the Territory. If you don't know, the Galena Territory is about 10 miles or roughly 20 minutes from downtown Galena. Its resort-like in nature though also with a quaint neighborhood mingled with farms and several golf courses. What we really loved however was an opportunity to find a hideaway in the remarkably picturesque rolling hills of Northwestern Illinois. 

Our brief residence was deep in the heart of the territory. In a different season, our place would have been bustling with golfers though in the winter we were the only ones around. It was a welcome respite to be in such a secluded and quiet place for three days. Time flowed at a leisurely pace though we never felt bored or pent up. In the mornings, we enjoys nippy walks with views of the countryside then quickly retreated back to coffee and hot chocolate. Dee spent some time reading and writing while I did mostly writing. Given the time of year, we enjoyed generous helpings of Christmas specials and classics as well. Its funny how such things can be so memorable on a small vacation.

Though we would have loved to have continued simply idling away in our little retreat, we did go to downtown Galena in the afternoons. The town was no less gorgeous in the winter season. Light snowfall made the place feel like we were in a time capsule or snow-globe from a Norman Rockwell painting. The town was gracefully decorated for the season- the luminaries added splendor to nighttime walking. Properly bundled and armed with large coffee/tea we didn't feel at all oppressed walking around in the winter cold. When we needed to warm up, we ducked in to Galena Brewing Company, a place we've unfortunately missed in the past. It was actually packed on a weekday at 11AM! Surely we weren't the only ones enjoying the winter weekend.

It was a fantastic and surprisingly inexpensive weekend. Dee does such a better job of creating holiday spirit and I was glad we were able to appreciate the winter cheer in our little Midwestern hamlet. Now we want to come back for Christmas... or New Years!