I have an old soul, but a kid at heart. I am always fascinated with historical structures and archaic surroundings. This small town in Illinois did satiate the yearning of an old soul. I also love to always discover new towns, uncover hidden gems in surprising places and relish the adventure it made me feel exploring yesteryears’ tale.
Galena is a tiny town in northwest Illinois that is recognized for its well-kept 19th-century buildings with many homes and shops still in pristine condition added with a touch of European flavor. My kind of a place yet again. There’s always this alluring charm walking through this small town’s Main Street that is lined with historic design. So far this town has no modern framework to spoil its appeal. Retaining a place in the past and walking through a memory lane of 19th century while browsing more than 100 unique shops is worth a leg stretch.
Far from overwhelming crowds of a metropolis, you get whisked away by different delightful shops, abundance of boutiques, restaurants and antique stores this town has to offer. From clothing, jewelries, collectibles, gifts, gourmet hot chocolate corner and many more, the shopaholic in you will surely get quenched. As you hopped from store to store, you’d notice from some banners posted somewhere that this town also offers entertainment. We haven’t experienced it yet but will surely come back for that.
We finally decided to stop and see this appealing locality. For every time we wheeled up to Chicago, we always pass this area and the neighboring arrangement made me curious. Next thing, I found myself having breakfast in one of their hotels here. Just what curiosity made me.
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We started to sneak into their shops one by one (not all their shops though) after a hearty meal and found some goodies and treasures from one of their boutiques. After some brisk walking and shop probing, we started to enjoy their surrounding, their cityscape, the unified style of their historic establishments and delight in their holiday atmosphere and vibe. The weather was cooperative. It was in the 40’s, no chilling wind and the sun is out. Perfect, right? Their stores are in perfect tune with the holiday and nothing beats the mood of the Yuletide cheer than basking it in the embellished narrative historical place. It was memorable for me.
For a weekend getaway or maybe for just a day breaking your diurnal routine, come visit this area. Experience a tiny European vibe outside Europe and feel a string of historical chronicle of some 19th century narration. You’ll never regret steering yourself here and venturing out finding unique items while sipping some gourmet hot cocoa in hand and savoring the essence of such history.
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