Day-Tripper
I am so grateful for a recent day trip to Galena, Illinois. The sun was shining and the sky was a bright blue with nary a cloud in sight. But the best part was seeing my good friend and her daughters. It was a girl's day where we got to indulge in shopping, gourmet food, antiques, chocolate and wine (purchasing, not drinking).
Galena bills itself as the Midwest's Premier Destination Getaway. It has also been recognized by Smithsonian Magazine, Conde Nast Traveler, Fodor's and Forbes' Magazine. It is a quaint town that has done a remarkable job with preserving its historical architecture. Ulysses S. Grant had a home there, and it is currently open for tours. There are many boutique-type of stores for clothing, food and home decor.
The shop owners are engaging and friendly. We bought wine at the Galena Cellars Winery, gourmet pasta at Pasta Perfetta, candy at Galena's Kandy Kitchen, buffalo-ranch flavored popcorn at the Great American Popcorn Co. My daughter and I have visited the All Things Sweet cupcake shop before, but we didn't get there this time.
And in writing this round up, I realized that I only bought food items. Hmmm. We looked at home decorating, clothing and jewelry stores, too, but just didn't buy anything. One thing that caught my eye was these two wire planters that were fastened together to form a globe. Naturally, I thought I can DIY that! I think it would be fun as an outside decoration, and I am keeping it in my files (or brain) until next year.
What's your favorite out of town day trip spot? Nicole
I'm participating in Nester's 31 day series. Click here to access the index of gratitude posts.
Galena bills itself as the Midwest's Premier Destination Getaway. It has also been recognized by Smithsonian Magazine, Conde Nast Traveler, Fodor's and Forbes' Magazine. It is a quaint town that has done a remarkable job with preserving its historical architecture. Ulysses S. Grant had a home there, and it is currently open for tours. There are many boutique-type of stores for clothing, food and home decor.
According to the Galena Historical Society's website, 85% of the buildings are on the National Register of Historical Places.
The city and shop owners have done a tremendous job at preserving many of the original characterstics, including mosaic entry ways:
an original cobblestone street:
and historical houses and buildings:
The shop owners are engaging and friendly. We bought wine at the Galena Cellars Winery, gourmet pasta at Pasta Perfetta, candy at Galena's Kandy Kitchen, buffalo-ranch flavored popcorn at the Great American Popcorn Co. My daughter and I have visited the All Things Sweet cupcake shop before, but we didn't get there this time.
And in writing this round up, I realized that I only bought food items. Hmmm. We looked at home decorating, clothing and jewelry stores, too, but just didn't buy anything. One thing that caught my eye was these two wire planters that were fastened together to form a globe. Naturally, I thought I can DIY that! I think it would be fun as an outside decoration, and I am keeping it in my files (or brain) until next year.
What's your favorite out of town day trip spot? Nicole
I'm participating in Nester's 31 day series. Click here to access the index of gratitude posts.
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