Holiday Shopping in Galena, Illinois

Holiday Shopping and Small Business Exploring in Galena, Illinois

Our weekend holiday getaway to Galena, Illinois was just what we needed to start off the holiday season, revel in small business explorations and event get a little shopping done! Of course, there was time for wine tasting too! My husband and I opted to sneak away to Galena for a weekend in November and it was just the recharge we needed. Immediately upon arrival, one is charmed by Galena's historic main street:

The street and entire town full of 19th century buildings easily beckon for hours of exploration. Even though we only visited for about 24 hours, I feel that the getaway gave us enough time to appreciate the uniqueness of Galena while having a much welcome recharge! With added holiday lights, Galena's extra sparkle put the holiday spirit into our step during our adventure. Take a peek as the day faded into night:

We bobbed in and out of stores for a bit before settling on a slice of black raspberry pie at Myrtle's Pies. First of all, how can you NOT fall in love with all of the old school mixing bowls! Myrtle's has  a roster of 30 pies and there were quite a large number of fresh baked from scratch pies available when we arrived. Hard to choose, but we loved the black raspberry pie we went with. With all the temptations, we have resolved that we must return!

We explored a few more small businesses including Rustic River Finds with locally handcrafted jewelry and Galena Candle & Bath Company with locally made candles, other locally made items and some that are not local but are great artisanal quality. After some perusing, we enjoyed a wine tasting at Massbach Ridge Winery Tasting Room.

Plenty of space to peruse and even sit at Massbach Ridge Winery Tasting Room.

Massbach Ridge Winery Tasting Room was busy while we were there but we still felt that there was room to move around. I am not a fan of feeling packed in while wine tasting. We had a pleasant experience and tried sips of five wines. Massbach Ridge's vineyard is in Elizabeth, Illinois, so I will have to stop there on our way to Galena sometime in the future and check it out!

Wine tasting at Massbach Ridge.

After our wine tasting, we spent some more time bobbing in and out of stores while enjoying the lights. One of the first shops we stopped in was the Great American Popcorn Co. where I was thrilled to pick up some cobs for popping! Great American Popcorn Co. is more than popcorn. The family owned business also sells ice cream, fudge and more. I came home with 6 cobs and can't wait to pop them!

After shopping, we settled in for dinner with a nice glass of wine. I am going to talk a bit more about food in another post. So, you will have to wait......

The next day, we did return for a little more shopping. We started off the day at Galena Canning Company because you, of course, have to start off with sampling. Galena Canning has an enormous -- and I mean enormous -- array of sauces, mustard, dips, preserves and more. It is definitely and ideal location for picking up some gifts and even items for the holiday table.

Galena Canning Company all decked for the holidays and full of gifts!

We also visited Outside the Lines Art Gallery which features local and regional artists. The guitars made with cigar boxes are incredible! There are so many neat pieces inside in addition. We actually bought a tree like the one in the window!

Local and regional art including guitars made with cigar boxes at Outside the Lines!

We also visited Pinder Pottery where you may just see a pottery demo! Pinder has quite an amazing collection of pottery options made right in Galena, so another excellent spot for a souvenir or gift.

Celebrating made in Galena at Pinder Pottery.

After lunch, we visit Galena Cellars Winery. Of course, the winery is a fabulous place for a wine tasting. However, it also has quite a few giftables with some made locally.

Galena Wine Cellars for wine tasting and shopping interesting giftables.

Other small businesses we explored were Pasta Perfetta where you can purchase locally made pasta, Galena Kandy Kitchen for some old school handmade candies and Galena River Wine and Cheese which has incredible selection of cheese to pair with whichever of the many wine selections in Galena you choose!

Of course, while we were in Galena we had to stop by the US Grant Home. We were so lucky to have the opportunity to see it in the snow:

Plus, the grounds gave us a nice perch to see snow kissed Galena:

We had really a lovely visit to start our holiday season in Galena. I am glad that we visited at the beginning of the holiday season because everything was fresh and new. There is nothing like those first bits of sparkle each year! Plus, we enjoyed the snow covering! Beautiful! What a wonderful weekend!

**Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.