Galena Spa Retreat: Mississippi Bluffs & Starved Rock Lodge

The 30-minute drive west from Dubuque on US-20 through the Driftless Area's ridges and valleys is a visual shock after the flat Illinois prairie — Galena sits in a limestone gorge carved by the Galena River, and the town's Main Street rises 80 feet in three blocks through an unchanged Italianate commercial streetscape. The river walk below connects the 1855 train depot (still standing) to the Public Landing where steamboats unloaded lead ore from the surrounding mines. Galena was Illinois's most important city before the railroads bypassed it.

Illinois's most prominent winery has its tasting room on Galena's main street — a converted historic storefront serving 30+ wines including estate Illinois-grown varietals and fruit wines made from local production. The fruit wine program (cherry, apple, elderberry from surrounding Jo Daviess County orchards) is distinctive to this corner of Illinois; the Frontenac and Marquette cold-climate reds are serious. The tasting flight with local cheese pairings is the best midday stop in Galena.

A 45-minute narrated trolley tour of Galena's residential historic district — the hilltop neighborhoods above Main Street contain 80+ homes on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Belvedere Mansion (1857, 22 rooms), the Dowling House (1826, oldest building in Galena), and the Italianate and Greek Revival cottages of the lead-mining and river-trade families. The trolley is the most efficient way to cover the residential district's steep terrain.

A Galena institution for hearty Midwest breakfast before a long drive day — eggs, pancakes, and the kind of substantial morning meal that sustains a canyon-hiking afternoon. The log cabin interior is appropriate to Galena's architectural character; the kitchen opens early enough to eat and still arrive at Starved Rock for the morning canyon light.

The 1939 Civilian Conservation Corps-built lodge is one of Illinois's three National Historic Landmarks for its log construction — the hand-hewn timbers, river-stone fireplace (14 feet wide, 8 feet tall), and hickory-twig furniture were built by CCC enrollees from surrounding Illinois communities during the Depression. The grounds walk on the bluff above the Illinois River is 15 minutes; the Illinois River valley view from the east terrace is the best reason to arrive before the hiking crowds peak.

Weekend brunch in the historic dining room — the lodge's kitchen produces reliable comfort food that tastes better in the CCC-era log interior than it would anywhere else. The brunch buffet runs on weekend mornings; the dining room's floor-to-ceiling windows facing the Illinois River valley make window seats worth the wait.

Starved Rock's most dramatic canyon accessible via a short, mostly level half-mile boardwalk trail. French Canyon's sandstone walls tower 60 feet, carved by glacial meltwater, and support hanging moss gardens and occasional waterfalls. The paved path is appropriate for all visitors and delivers one of Illinois's most striking geological spectacles without strenuous climbing.

Ottawa's beloved craft brewery and restaurant in a restored downtown building, serving wood-fired pizzas, sandwiches, and a rotating lineup of Illinois-brewed ales — the ideal refuel before the drive back to Chicago.