Galena suggestions
 

I'm in the very early stages of planning a reunion with eight girlfriends from college (all in our early 30s)for next May or June. I've thought of Galena as a possible location, but haven't been there in years, so am not sure what all the possibilities might be. We would probably plan on meeting on a Friday night and just hanging out, spend Saturday shopping or some other activity, and maybe some sort of an "event" on Saturday night. Some of us may be bringing spouses and young children (ages 6 mos-4 years), but others in the group are single and some are married but coming solo. We probably wouldn't plan to include the spouses/kids in all activities, but would want for there to be things for them to do without us. Any suggestions for lodging, activities, etc? I'm mainly looking for some ideas to get the ball rolling.

My husband and I go to Galena every year for our Anniversary. Not much comes to mind for kid friendly activities. For the husbands there are some golf courses. Its mostly a shopping town. I would suggest staying in Dubuque, Ia which is aprox. 15 miles from Galena. It's close enough that you would still be able to do your shopping trip. Dubuque has the new Grand Harbor Resort and Waterpark which the kids would enjoy. Also, the Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium are well done. A ride on the Fenlon Place Elevator is fun. It's a cable car type elevator that takes you to the top of a bluff with views of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. There is the Diamond Jo Casino if your feeling lucky :) The Spirit of Dubuque has a dinner cruise. Don't know how that is though, we've never tried it. For a nice dinner out I suggest Dempsey's.

lake geneva, wi is the best place to go-i recommend staying at the grand geneva lodge-there is an indoor waterpark for the kids--excellent spa for the ladies---golf, sailing, fishing for the guys, great shopping village--the beach is great for kids--and, if you stay at the grand geneva lodge--it is the old playboy mansion of the 70--there is a dance bar, piano bar, great seafood restaurant, heated outdoor pool, plus indoorpool. the waterpark is indoor and outdoor so no matter the weather--the kids are covered. galena in not for kids! you can even rent a pontoon boat for day--approx 300.00 for 4 hours but you can get up to 10 people on it and its fun to sail the lake!! lots of sights. good luck also--alpine village is close and they have big name concerts throughout the summer.

This would be a wonderful place to have a reunion.

The husbands could play golf and the girls would be free to shop and run around Galena or get spa treatments at the resort. They also have day camps for kids, but the kids in your group are little too young. There is also horseback riding, tennis, boating.


Here is the link:

<b>http://www.eagleridge.com/</b>

Yes, good suggestion on Eagle Ridge. I'm sure they have a pool and other facilities to keep kids entertained, onsite restaurants, etc. It's a few miles out of town but an easy drive in for shopping, dining, etc. Just be aware that on a busy weekend, the parking in central Galena fills up early. We were there last November. It was below freezing, but parking was difficult by mid-day.

There are some nice B&amp;Bs in the center of Galena -- great if it's just you and your girlfriends, but I think you'd find that there are not many facilities for kids. We found that many will not even allow kids. The only sizeable hotel in the center of Galena is the DeSoto House, which does accept kids, but there really isn't much there to entertain them.