Dowling House — Attraction in Galena

Disappointing. The door to the gift shop was locked, so I tried calling the phone listed but got no response. When my wife and I walked to the house proper and tried the door it was unlocked and there were chairs in what appeared to be a waiting area. We stood waiting, confused and unsure if we were in the right spot. The tour guide said hello and she’d be with us in a minute. She came around the corner a moment after, confused as to why we were there. We explained that we’d like to go on the tour. She began to berate us for trespassing (while the door was UNLOCKED, and the gift shop was locked and unattended). After some snide remarks to myself and my wife (“well I’d RATHER NOT give you the tour”) we opted to leave and not pay for a tour. Incredibly disappointing as we’d been looking forward to it and love local history. By far the worst experience I’ve had in Galena. Galling unprofessionalism and customer service on behalf of the tour guide. Do yourself a favor and enjoy the house from the OUTSIDE. While there are no longer gruff miners within, there is still a walking lump of...

This attraction has very limited hours, and it's a very short tour. I thought the house was very interesting, the history behind it was something I've been interested in for a couple of years now. The tour was pretty bland and the tour guide was less than entertaining.

I don't usually give bad reviews, I always look for a silver lining. I'm hard pressed to find one here though.

No pictures because the flash could damage the antiques? I don't think so. We weren't allowed to investigate any of the structure, and the tour guide is weird. The entire tour lasted perhaps 20 minutes, and I have a strange feeling there was much more history to that place than we...

This is the oldest building in Galena IL and actually one of the oldest structures in Illinois. This building is made completely of limestone and was built into the side of a large hill. The house is just cool to stop by and admire but, there are guided tours. I highly suggest paying for the guided tour, it's $10 per person and it's about a 30 minute tour of the outside the ground level and the top floor. The guides are very knowledgeable and know everything about the house and all of the items in the house. The guides know all the back stories of the people who lived in the house and what they did day to day. Don't miss this one. It's one of the more fascinating...