Hidden Gems Places To Visit in Galena, Illinois, United States
- 5.0 River Bend Gallery (75 reviews)
-Beautiful Artwork! Worth the time to visit the gallery
Thursday: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM Spent < 1 hour Art Galleries
Exclusive home to Geoffrey Mikol's Nature scape photography. His artwork is stunning, catching elusive light that the eye sees but that cameras often miss. He has a talent for capturing moments in nature that still the soul and quiet your senses. See more..
- 5.0 Washburne House State Historic Site (68 reviews)
-Galena's best kept secret
Thursday: Historic Sites
Volunteer tour guides give a warm welcome and leisurely tours of this authentically restored 1840s mansion where U.S. Grant received the news of his presidential win via a telegraph set up in the home's library. This was a real treat to see a family home from the period and not having it commercialized. Donations are appreciated and go for ongoing restoration projects. A must see while in Galena but it is only open on Friday mornings. Convenient parking. See more..
- 5.0 Galena Spoon Co. (29 reviews)
-Never thought spoons could be so interesting, but....
Thursday: 12:00 PM - 7:00 PM Spent < 1 hour Speciality & Gift Shops • Art Galleries • Lessons & Workshops
Located at the corner of Hill & Main in the heart of historic downtown Galena, Illinois, this quant owner- and artist-operated shop includes hand carved wood spoons (in-store carving demonstrations daily) handcrafted spatulas and assorted woodenware, handcrafted kitchen boards (charcutier, cheese, bread, serving, and cutting), hand turned wood bowls, home decor, and a fine selection of specialty foods. It's worth taking a few short steps off Main to enjoy this gem! See more..
- 5.0 Original Goat Yoga Galena (25 reviews)
-Amazing unique experience
Spent 1-2 hours Farms
Goat Yoga is about making people happy, disconnecting them from stress and focusing on positive vibes. Part Yoga, Part Animal Assisted Therapy! See more..
- 4.5 Old Market House State Historic Site (87 reviews)
-great place
Historic Sites • Architectural Buildings
Vendors peddled their wares at this Greek Revival Market House in the 19th century, which now hosts changing exhibits, meetings and special events. See more..
- 4.5 Galena Welcome Center (84 reviews)
-Stop here first!
Visitor Centers
We rolled into Galena planning to stay the night but had no reservations. While looking at pamphlets I decided to ask about lodging not expecting much more than a map as to locations. Boy was I wrong. The two ladies went into action and actually called some places we thought looked good. Before we knew it we had a place to stay at a great price! This would have been much harder in Summer but being November it worked out. They were so nice and we really appreciated their help! See more..
- 4.5 West Street Sculpture Park (83 reviews)
-Two acres of creative steel
Parks
John Martinson studied art the University of Wisconsin in Madison from 1974 to 1976, moved to Galena in 1979 and opened his art studio in 1986. Located at 620 South West Street, off U.S. Highway 20, off Gear Street, west of downtown Galena, it is lovingly described as "two acres of creative steel." Open from 10 to 6 daily, visitors are free to walk through the wooded property and view more than a dozen large, welded steel sculptures. Maps are available to take a self-guided tour along a wooded path where pieces are identified by title and year. See the on-site studio where John is often working. Spread over two acres of natural outdoor space, this open air park offers an array of funky, whimsical, welded steel sculpture, including two 40-foot towers, a giant tinkertoy and a 9/11 sculpture of a tiny plane and a giant cube. Junk art? Hardly. It's fun to see what an artist can do with a piece of steel. See more..
- 4.5 Casper Bluff Land and Water Reserve (64 reviews)
-Gorgeous views and trails
Nature & Wildlife Areas
We were SO glad we drove the couple miles south of downtown to this beautiful park. We were treated to 100s of American pelicans(we think) floating on the Mississippi River air currents. We walked our leashed dog through the trails of wild flowers. It was just gorgeous. See more..
What's a Hidden gem?
We call places hidden gems that are new, extremely good, but are not that popular yet - you should check them out. The criteria is to have a rating of 4.5 or more and more than 20 reviews and less than 100 reviews.
