I’m a road tripping tourist from northwest Illinois. I’m well aware that Galena is a prime tourism destination not far from where I live. 

But how well do I really know Galena? Let’s rephrase that: How well do you know Galena?

Those who know about it but haven’t explored it real well likely know two things: 1) Ulysses S. Grant lived here, and 2) It has a real large and historic downtown. 

There’s a lot more to Galena than that – as you would probably expect. So you look online to find things to do, places to eat, and history to soak in. But here’s the thing: You are simply looking online. I could share with you everything I know about Galena, but because I’m not from there, it’s not quite accurate to say that I know all that’s there, as much as I try with this website.

If I don’t know an answer, I’ll point people to the right direction. So …

When I tell people about places to go, I always refer them to the town’s visitor center. Whether it’s Galena, New Glarus, Gatlinburg, or even a city as big as Chicago, the visitor center is going to be the source for the most accurate first-hand information on places to go to in their area. 

A visitor center gathers everything that’s even remotely interesting about their area and promotes it. Tourists come from all sorts of backgrounds and have their own particular interests. Flyers, pamphlets and a person behind a front counter who knows it all are your most valuable assets when wanting to properly explore a town. 

The guides at visitor centers are like quick-thinking travel agents, only their scope is limited to the local area. Think of the things that you are interested in, and they’ll have spots for you to explore – including places that you may have missed when you were putting your trip together using internet resources. It’s worth a stop to find these surprises. Guides often are long-time residents, part-time museum docents, and those whose primary job is to promote the area’s tourism and economy. 

Another interesting aspect of visitors centers is that some don’t just limit themselves to the town they’re in. At Galena’s, for example, there are some flyers about things in nearby Elizabeth and other towns in Jo Daviess County. Also be sure to pick up a catalog and a map of the town.

You come visit town expecting one thing, then you wind up knowing about many more things. THAT is the fun about making a trip to a town’s visitor center. With those new places you learn about, you can find ways to squeeze them in, or find a reason to make a return trip in the future.

If there’s a pamphlet or brochure there that interests you, go ahead and take them. You may feel like it’s one more thing to carry around, but it’s a way for visitor centers to know what is interesting to people. I used to simply scan a QR code or take screenshots of information from them instead, but half-filled flyer slots is a measure of data for them. 

Galena’s visitor center is on the south side of the Galena River (the Grant Home side) from downtown. It is located inside an old two-story brick Illinois Central railroad station. It’s a neat piece of Illinois railroading history: The line was originally known as the “Gruber Line,” which went from Dubuque to Centralia toward southern Illinois, a way to get coal from the mines near Galena to elsewhere in the nation. Currently, the railroad line that goes through Galena is owned by Canadian National; and it now goes to Chicago instead of Centralia (the line south of Freeport was abandoned in the mid-1980s). 

The visitor center is near a large riverfront park with views of the Galena River and its historic downtown. Otto’s Place, a breakfast and lunch place inside a late 1890s building, is across the street from the visitor center. 

It all goes to show that you may think you know everywhere to visit in town – wherever it may be – but you’ll plant the seed for additional stops and additional trips back with simply making a visit to a place with the most reliable information that exists. Visitor centers are first-hand, primary sources for travel. 

Galena Country Visitor Center
101 Bouthillier St, Galena, IL 61036
Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday
Online: http://www.visitgalena.org/