Happy 4th!

The last couple of winters, we have been working on updating the bathroom in Tower Room. The Tower Room is unique because its bathroom consists of two levels. The lower level has a walk-in shower, sink, and toilet. The upper level -- the tower of the house -- has a double Jacuzzi tub and an electric fireplace to warm things up on those cold winter nights. Last year we stripped the wallpaper off the lower level and did some faux painting. This year we tackled the upper level, again stripping wallpaper, adding some faux painting, adding new wall decor and updating the decor in the tower windows. It really is remarkable to sit in the Jacuzzi tub and look up past the chandelier to the beautiful wood-paneled interior of the tower. The glow from the electric fireplace off the mirrors next to the tub provides a magical atmosphere! Of course, the upper level of the bathroom should not be your first choice if you have knee or hip issues -- the stairs in the bathroom are quite steep. But if that is not an issue for you, we hope you will enjoy the fresh new look in the Tower bathroom!

Thank you to the Dubuque Telegraph Herald for their feature story on the Cloran Mansion Bed & Breakfast in Sunday's business section. We especially appreciate the care reporter Elizabeth Kelsey put into the story and for the time she spent visiting with us. Running a bed and breakfast is not about getting recognized. It's about serving guests. Still, it is always nice to see kind words in print, and we appreciate the honor. Here is a link to the article: https://www.telegraphherald.com/news/business/article_a4d1eb5d-f889-4e61-88f0-107265f816c4.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share

Christmas in Galena is a beautiful time of year. At Cloran Mansion Bed & Breakfast, we are typically decorated for the holidays from the weekend following Thanksgiving until Jan. 7, the feast of the Epiphany, or Eastern Orthodox Christmas. Here is a glimpse into our bed and breakfast as we celebrate Christmas, 2025. We wish you all the peace and joy of this special season!

The Holiday season in Galena is filled with the Christmas spirit. The time between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day offers some of the most anticipated events of the year. If you are looking for some Holiday cheer, look no further than Galena and the Cloran Mansion Bed & Breakfast! Here is a sampling of events in December: First Saturday: Holidaze Festival followed by Fire in the Sky. The Holidaze Festival on Green Street Plaza offers a variety of food vendors, drinks, ice skating, craft shopping and a chance to meet Santa! The festival lasts from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Then at 6:30 is a spectacular fireworks display, shot off from Grant Park behind Main Street. It's a great day, and evening, of Christmas merriment! Second Saturday: Night of the Luminaria & Living Windows. More than 5,000 luminaries line the sidewalks, steps, and streets, creating one of the most magical evenings of the year in Galena. These luminaries are typically glowing between 5 and 9 p.m. From 4 to 7 p.m., shops along Main Street make their windows sing with entertainment of all sorts. It is a wonderfully festive day in Galena. Don't forget also to visit the gazebo in Grant Park to hear carolers belting out Christmas classics! The Hallmark Channel really has nothing on Galena on this memorable day! Third Saturday: Snowflakes and Sweets Stroll. Receive a punch card for 10 treats, then stroll Main Street enjoying some of the best that Galena has to offer. Chocolatiers, bakers and drink mixers will do their best to sweeten your day as Christmas draws near. The stroll lasts from noon to 4 p.m., and naturally there is plenty of Christmas shopping you can do along the way on Main Street! This is of course not an exhaustive list. There are many other ways to get in the Christmas spirit in Galena, including A Tuba Christmas and an Ugly Sweater Food Tour. More information on these events and more are available at www.visitgalena.org. And if relaxing in the beauty of an 1880 Victorian home at Christmas time is really all you are looking for, then the Cloran Mansion Bed & Breakfast is for you! Tasteful holiday decorations, jacuzzi tubs, a tasty breakfast next to the dining room Christmas tree...that and more awaits!

The cemetery walk is back! Galena's Greenwood Cemetery will provide the backdrop on Saturday and Sunday, September 13 & 14, 2025, between 1 and 4 p.m. This the 31st annual cemetery walk, which acts as a major fundraiser for the Jo Daviess County Historical Society. Performers, after extensive research, bring to life 19th century residents of Galena as they experienced prosperity, hardships and intersecting cultures. Tickets are $20, ages 8 and up, and can be purchased at the event. On Friday, September 19, an indoor performance with ADA accessibility will take place at the Galena Center for the Arts, across from Greenwood Cemetery. Tickets are again $20 and can be purchased at the door. Visitors to Galena are often intrigued by its history. This will be a great opportunity to see some of that history brought to life!

Visitors to Galena, IL, will find this QR code very helpful, both before and during their trip. Simply scan the QR code with your phone and you will be taken to a calendar of events in Galena for the current week. The calendar is updated every Monday and is provided by Galena's marketing arm, Galena Country. The link also takes visitors to a City of Galena parking map as well as a host of other resources. Check it out!

Warmer weather makes many of us eager to spend more time outdoors. Galena , Illinois, is one of the best places in the Midwest to enjoy the beauty of nature. With its rolling hills and scenic vistas, Galena offers a wonderful opportunity to breathe and relax. There are too many places in Galena Country to mention in one blog post. Here are three ideas, though, to help make your trip to Galena a memorable one, as well as some links for obtaining more information. Blackjack Road: Horseshoe Mound (pictured above) is about a ten-minute drive from Cloran Mansion and is located off of Blackjack Road. It offers a magnificent birds-eye view of Galena as you look out toward Wisconsin and Iowa. There are two relatively short trails, viewing scopes, and plenty of good bird and butterfly watching. Casper Bluff Nature Preserve is a short drive from Horseshoe Mound, down Blackjack Road. In addition to hiking trails through prairies and bluffs, the Preserve is also the site of Native American burial mounds. Horseshoe Mound and Casper Bluff are free and also dog friendly. Hoof It Goat Treks: This memorable adventure takes visitors on a 1.25 mile hike over land owned by the Goat Trek family for generations. Through wooded lands and prairies, guests are accompanied by one of nature's most sociable animals, the goat. Of course, treats along the way don't hurt in making these goats so sociable. Hoof It is about 15 minutes from Cloran Mansion and offers events besides the walks, such as bonfires and live music. Kayaks and Bikes: The Galena River offers tranquil kayaking opportunities, suitable for the beginner and enjoyable for all. Nuts Outdoors in Galena rents kayaks and is under five minutes from Cloran Mansion. For biking, a great option is the Galena River Trail. It offers a nine-mile journey from downtown Galena to Chestnut Mountain. Because Galena is a hilly place, electric bikes are popular, and Nuts Outdoors rents these as well. To see more information about these places in and near Galena, here are some helpful websites: Horseshoe Mound Casper Bluff Nature Preserve Hoof It Galena River Trail Nuts Outdoors Galena Country We hope that you will make it out to Galena to enjoy all the natural beauty this area of the Midwest offers!

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Over the summer we had a guest from Florida check in named Michael Steighner. We did not know him, but in striking up a conversation with him, we learned that he was on a special journey. His goal was to visit all 50 states, in different stages, over the course of 12 months, the year he was turning 60. He was recording his stops along the way for his YouTube channel. On this portion of his mission, he flew into Chicago and then made Galena his first stop in a visit to the upper Midwest. Here is a link to Episode 28 , in which he features Cloran Mansion. Michael's YouTube channel is called simply Michael Steighner. You can go there to see Episodes 26 and 27, which are about the Galena area. Episode 29 is about Berning Acres, which is a wonderful family dairy farm just minutes from us. They offer tours as well as other fun events. Thank you, Michael! It was such a pleasure to meet you, and we wish you well, wherever your travels take you!