Goldmoor Inn: Romantic Galena Getaway

Connie Illinois March 10, 2017April 2, 2018bed & breakfast, bed and breakfast, bed and breakfast galena il, best vacation spots, chestnut mountain resort, galena bed and breakfast, galena hotels, Galena IL, galena il bed and breakfast, galena il hotels, galena il resorts, galena ill, Galena Illinois, galena illinois hotesl, goldmoor galena, goldmoor inn galena, goldmoore inn, hotels galena il, hotels in galena il, romantic getaways, romantic weekend getaways, the goldmoor inn, weekend getaways 2 Comments

Historic Galena, tucked away in the northwest Illinois rolling hills, is the quintessential romantic getaway. During the day, guests visit historic sites or browse small shops housed in Main Street’s nineteenth century buildings. In the evening, after dining in one of Galena’s trendy restaurants, they retreat to romantic B&Bs and inns. We were recently invited to the Goldmoor Inn, located just minutes from downtown, to experience the inn’s first Artists in Residents program. One look at the inn, and I fell in love.

Haunted DeSoto House Hotel, Galena IL

Connie Illinois October 15, 2013March 21, 2024de soto hotel, desoto galena, desoto hotel, desoto hotel galena, desoto house, desoto house galena, DeSoto House Hotel, desoto house hotel galena, desoto house hotel galena il, galena hotels, Galena IL, galena il hotels, galena il lodging, galena ill, Galena Illinois, galena illinois hotels, galena lodging, haunted desoto hotel, haunted desoto house, haunted desoto house hotel, haunted Galena hotel, haunted hotel in galena, Haunted hotels, hotels galena il, hotels in galena il, hotels in illiois, hotels near galena il, illinois hotel, lodging in galena il, places to stay in galena il 49 Comments

You picture Abraham Lincoln descending the sweeping curved staircase, stovepipe hat in hand, following his speech orated from the hotel balcony in 1856. Or perhaps you imagine townspeople greeting General Ulysses S. Grant at Grant’s welcome home reception following the Civil War. The DeSoto House Hotel in Galena, Illinois, was truly a grand establishment in the mid-1800s. The five story hotel was the center of both social and political events. Then with a fire and a boiler explosion ten years apart and an economic decline when railroads replaced steamboats, the DeSoto House fell into disrepair.

Fast forward to today. The hotel is fully restored. The top two floors were removed years ago and private baths added to all rooms. But reminders of the hotel’s glory days remain, like the sweeping lobby staircase and some of the guests who apparently never completely left.