Belvedere Mansion
Belvedere Mansion things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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that HOYS main arena feeling, so proud of us! #ShowJumpingPony #hoys23 #arenaofdreams #foxhunterfinal
emilycoxon_eqemilycoxon_eq
19210
Today, my husband and I had such a fun and interesting time on a tour that really brought history to life! I especially enjoyed seeing the servants' quarters—it gave a unique perspective on how life must have been back then. The staff was incredibly friendly and knew so much about the mansion and its history. It's a great way to spend a weekend in Galena, and the history we learned was fascinating. The mansion is filled with beautiful antiques, and even though not everything is original to the house, many pieces have cool stories about who they belonged to and how they were used. Some of the original pieces are still there, too, which makes it even more special. Built in 1857 by Ambassador J. Russell Jones, the mansion has 22 stunning rooms, all decorated to perfection. The guides really made the experience come to life with all the details about the town's history, the families who lived there, and the significance of many of the items inside. It's a must-see if you're ever in the area!
Cindy FloresCindy Flores
00
First of all, this tour is not nearly in the time frame they tell you it is. If you are on a time schedule, plan accordingly. Overall we were there for about an hour. Lucky for us it was a very lovely day to be waiting outside. A guide came out and said, it will only be about 10 more minutes before they would let us in. She collected our money, handed out the tickets and left. Over 20 minutes later and about 10 more people walking up, they FINALLY let us in. Then, we had to wait even longer because they made us all go in, crammed into a small area while they collected the money from the later arrivals. This home is so beautiful but the tour was ruined because of too many people. 20 people all crammed into small areas while the guides just talked on and on about things not relevant to the tour. No offense but when I'm crammed into a room with 19 other strangers, I don't need to know anyone's medical history or why you work at the place or how you know the owners. On top of that, the door bell constantly rings because of the sign out front and that too also plays into the time frame. There are only two things original to the house so, as other reviews have said, it's like being at an antique store. Cool stuff for sure but when odds and ends of different things are pointed out that have nothing to do with the home it takes away from the beauty and charm of the home itself. If you are claustrophobic, don't like being too close to people, don't like standing in one place while someone just likes to hear themselves talk, or have no patience to wait around for long periods of time, I would not recommend this place. Also, they really don't show a lot of the home, which is also disappointing. For such a grand home you only see two floors and even with that you don't see everything.
PumpkinthepuffPumpkinthepuff
00
A woman who proudly announced she was visiting from Texas, one of the states experiencing one of the worst covid outbreaks in the country, was allowed in as a part of our group wearing one of these ridiculous things on her face (see photo) that is NOT a mask and does not adhere to Illinois current mask mandate…speaking of which, our first tour guide, an older man, stood up on the staircase and removed his mask so that he could fully spew his germs onto all of us stuffed into the hot entrance hall, frequently blowing his nose and coughing. The tour was said to be 45 minutes, but after a half hour we were still standing in the front hallway listening to him drone on about the man who built the house’s relationships with Grant and Lincoln with barely any content about the house itself. When we finally moved into the dining room there was nowhere to stand where one wouldn’t be next to the fake mask wearing woman or the now completely maskless tour guide. At this point we decided to leave the way we had come in but the very nice and properly masked blonde tour guide allowed us to take a peak at the rooms upstairs and then led us out through a couple of the back rooms and gave us a nice abridged tour of them before letting us out into the garden and apologized for our experience. She was truly the only redeeming portion of this overpriced tour, would not recommend.
Chadalina McQChadalina McQ
00
Today, my husband and I had such a fun and interesting time on a tour that really brought history to life! I especially enjoyed seeing the servants' quarters—it gave a unique perspective on how life must have been back then. The staff was incredibly friendly and knew so much about the mansion and its history. It's a great way to spend a weekend in Galena, and the history we learned was fascinating. The mansion is filled with beautiful antiques, and even though not everything is original to the house, many pieces have cool stories about who they belonged to and how they were used. Some of the original pieces are still there, too, which makes it even more special. Built in 1857 by Ambassador J. Russell Jones, the mansion has 22 stunning rooms, all decorated to perfection. The guides really made the experience come to life with all the details about the town's history, the families who lived there, and the significance of many of the items inside. It's a must-see if you're ever in the area!
Cindy FloresCindy Flores
00
Nearby Attractions Of Belvedere Mansion
U.S. Grant Home State Historic Site
Irish Cottage Inn & Suites
Grant Park
Best Western Galena Inn & Suites
Aldrich Guest House
P.T. Murphy Magic Theatre
Galena Trolley Tours
Galena Canning Company
Farmers Guest House
Galena's Kandy Kitchen
U.S. Grant Home State Historic Site
4.7
(687)Click for details
Irish Cottage Inn & Suites
4.6
(465)Click for details
Grant Park
4.7
(435)Click for details
Best Western Galena Inn & Suites
4.1
(429)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Belvedere Mansion
Vinny Vanucchi's
Durty Gurt's
Fried Green Tomatoes
Gobbie's Sports Pub & Eatery
Otto's Place
Log Cabin Steakhouse
Frank O'Dowd's Irish Pub & Grill
Bread and Vine Galena
Embe Eatery and Lounge
Green Street Tavern
Vinny Vanucchi's
4.2
(1.2K)Click for details
Durty Gurt's
4.5
(1K)Click for details
Fried Green Tomatoes
4.6
(952)Click for details
Gobbie's Sports Pub & Eatery
4.4
(704)Click for details
Learn more insights from Wanderboat AIBasic Info
Address
1008 Park Ave, Galena, IL 61036
Map
Phone
(815) 777-0747
Call
Website
belvederemansionandgardens.com
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4
(158 reviews)
Ratings & Description
cultural
family friendly
attractions: U.S. Grant Home State Historic Site, Irish Cottage Inn & Suites, Grant Park, Best Western Galena Inn & Suites, Aldrich Guest House, P.T. Murphy Magic Theatre, Galena Trolley Tours, Galena Canning Company, Farmers Guest House, Galena's Kandy Kitchen, restaurants: Vinny Vanucchi's, Durty Gurt's, Fried Green Tomatoes, Gobbie's Sports Pub & Eatery, Otto's Place, Log Cabin Steakhouse, Frank O'Dowd's Irish Pub & Grill, Bread and Vine Galena, Embe Eatery and Lounge, Green Street Tavern
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