Galena, Illinois

A beautifully preserved 19th-century brick town with Ulysses S. Grant's home and Main Street antique shops; together with the surrounding hills, the Mississippi River and Dubuque, it's a classic Chicago weekend getaway.

Galena sits in Jo Daviess County in the far northwest corner of Illinois, in the Galena River valley about 6 km east of the Mississippi River, bordering Dubuque, Iowa, and the state of Wisconsin. It lies in the Driftless Area, a region the glaciers never covered, so rolling hills, ravines and bluffs make it stand out against the endless Midwestern plains. In the mid-19th century Galena was the center of America's lead-mining industry and a busy river port, at one point more populous than Chicago. When lead mining declined the town stood still for a century, which left a wealth of red-brick storefronts and hillside homes intact; today about 85% of its buildings fall within a National Historic District. Civil War general and 18th U.S. president Ulysses S. Grant once lived here. Sightseeing falls into three areas: the Main Street historic district downtown, with the Grant Home, the Belvedere Mansion and other historic houses; the outskirts, with the Horseshoe Mound overlook, wineries, Eagle Ridge Resort, Chestnut Mountain Resort and the Vinegar Hill Lead Mine; and, 30 minutes' drive west, Dubuque (National Mississippi River Museum, Fenelon Place Elevator), with the Field of Dreams movie site farther on and Mississippi Palisades down the river to the south. The best time to visit is May–Oct; October brings the finest fall color in the hills, and weekend lodging gets tight. In winter you can ski at Chestnut Mountain, and in December the town is decked out in Christmas lights. Getting there: about 260 km from downtown Chicago, roughly a 3-hour drive; the nearest airport is Dubuque Regional Airport. Downtown is walkable, but you'll need a car for the surrounding area. Plan on 2–3 days.

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