Having trouble viewing this email? Click here. | |
Welcome to
The DeSoto Dispatch
April 2026
| |
From
The DeSoto House Hotel
"Illinois' Oldest Operating Hotel"
Since 1855
| |
Stay with us at the DeSoto House Hotel and enjoy all the fun of spring in Galena!
| |
What our Guests are Saying:
"We were very impressed with your beautiful hotel. The room didn't have the feel of a hotel room, but more like the master bedroom of a house. Everything clean and comfortable."
| Join us for Easter Brunch! | | Celebrate Mother's Day with us! | | |
Midweek Dinner Package
Sunday - Thursday
One-night stay
$50.00 Dinner coupon
$199.00
Generals' Restaurant Dinner Menu
Subject to availability
Prices good through April 30, 2026
| | |
Midweek Breakfast Package
Sunday - Thursday
One-night stay
Breakfast for two
$174.00
Courtyard Restaurant Breakfast Menu
Subject to availability
Prices good through April 30, 2026
| | |
History Museum Package
Sunday - Thursday
One-night stay
Breakfast for two
Tickets to the Galena Grant History Museum
$199.00
Courtyard Restaurant Breakfast Menu
Subject to availability
Prices good through April 30, 2026
| | |
Best Available Rate
Sunday - Thursday
One-night stay
Starting at $109.00
Subject to availability
| | Everyone loves a cocktail or two... | | |
Stay with us Sundays through Thursdays and enjoy a complimentary cocktail in one of our fabulous restaurants.
Then join us for dinner!
| | |
Hat & Honey Bar
DeSoto House Hotel
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Cost: $80
Date: April 3, May 8, June 5, July 10, August 7, September 25, October 9, November 13 and Decmeber 4
Gather your friends and family for a one-of-a-kind experience at Dry Creek Beekeeping's Hat Bar & Honey Bar Event held at the DeSoto House Hotel in Galena!
Create Your Custom Hat: Choose from Western, Fedora, or Flat-Brimmed hats and try your hand at burning a gorgeous bee and sunflower design onto your hat using specialized tools. Your hat will be pre-stenciled with a custom-made bee and sunflower design, so you can easily burn in the design with the help from expert instructor, Marie McDonough from Marie’s Wood Carvings. Plus, you’ll add your personal touch by choosing a hat band, feathers, and other accessories to make your hat truly unique!
Honey Bar Tasting: Sip, savor, and sample up to 20 varieties of delicious honey from around the world! Learn about the distinct flavor notes of each variety and discover where they come from. Once you've found your favorite, you can purchase your top picks to take home!
All-Inclusive Fun: Your registration fee of $80 covers everything: instruction, tools, hat, band, accessories, and honey tasting. By the end of the event, you’ll be rocking a stylish, custom-burned hat that’s all your own—and you’ll be buzzing about your honey finds!
Don't miss out on this creative and sweet event. Space is limited—reserve your spot in advance!
Food and drinks are available to purchase through the DeSoto House Hotel. Maybe you'd like to order a charcuterie board or try a glass of honey mead wine as you enjoy this workshop.
Children ages 8+ are welcome. The felt burning of the hat requires the use of a hot tool, so please consider this when booking for children.
For tickets and more information, please click here!
| | |
Green Street Tavern Open Mic
April 7 and April 21
6:00-8:00 p.m.
We are thrilled to be hosting Robyn Davis, Theodore T. Williams and Lenny Wayne as they bring their Open Mic right here to the DeSoto House Hotel! Whether you're a local legend or a hidden poet, or just someone who enjoys a great martini and live talent, this is where you want to be!
Come for the music, and stay for the drinks.
| | |
Kiwanis River Trail Run
Galena River Trail
April 18, 2026
10:00 AM
$45 / $50 Day of Race
The Kiwanis Club of Galena invites you to sign up for their Annual Run, with proceeds benefiting local organizations and supporting children while improving the quality of life in the Galena area.
This year’s run will take place on April 18th on the Galena River Trail. The Galena River Trail is a scenic, forested trail that begins at the Galena Depot Park adjacent to the old Galena Depot Railroad Station. Runners and walkers will travel south along the trail and the backwaters of the Mississippi River on an out-and-back trail course. The trail is crushed limestone with a few sections of asphalt pavement. The course is primarily flat, with a few rolling inclines. All registered participants receive a racing shirt, bib numbers, and pins. There will be prizes for the overall winners (male and female) in each race, as well as age-group winners for each race.
All age groups will have male and female medal winners for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, including overall medals for top male and female for 5K and 10K. Runners in the 12 & under who do not medal (1st-3rd) will receive a ribbon.
Handouts and T-Shirts: Participants can pick up their race packets (t-shirts, chips, race information, etc.) on Friday, April 17, from 4-6:00 p.m., and Saturday, April 18, from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. There will be a tent under the bridge for runners to pick up their packets at Depot Park. Participants must be registered by April 6, to guarantee a t-shirt.
Photo Credit: Kiwanis Club Of Galena
| | |
Spring Festival
Apr 19, 2026
The third annual Spring Festival in Galena is set for Sunday, April 19 at the Grant Park pavilion! Local organizations, nonprofits, and artists will provide creative and educational materials for Earth Day. Spring is on its way, and we'll be ready to joyously welcome it!
There will be an artmaking workshop on March 21 at the Galena ARC for participants to create puppets, masks, or other creative pieces for the Spring Festival - more details to come.
This event is supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.
Image Credit: pexels-wolfgang-weiser
| | |
Annual Frog Walk
April 24
Galena River Trail
5:30-7:30 p.m.
One of the first signs of spring is the sound of frogs waking up and calling. Join JDCF staff at the Meeker Street Footbridge in downtown Galena for our annual, family-friendly frog walk. We will head down the Galena River Trail towards Buehler Reserve, giving everyone a chance to find and catch the frogs themselves! Will it be a spring peeper or a leopard frog? JDCF staff will help you identify what you find, and have some tadpoles on hand to view the frog life cycle in progress. Subject to weather-related cancellation. Check www.jdcf.org/events/ for updates.
The Apple River State Bank/First Community Bank of Galena is a proud sponsor of this catch-and-release event.
| | |
Grant's Home Front
Reenactment & Encampment
Downtown Galena
April 25 and April 26
Experience life in the 1860s through a Living History Encampment and Civil War Battle, returning to beautiful Galena, IL!
Enjoy the Sanitary Fair (a Civil War Ladies Bazaar supporting our troops) with beautiful handmade items for sale. This is a family-friendly event with the chance to interact with re-enactors portraying both military and civilian figures from the 1860s. Meet General Grant and his staff, see a medical demonstration, and have your child "drill" with the troops!
Battles each day: Saturday at 11:30 AM, Sunday at 1:30 PM.
Watch history come alive in Galena Country!
Apple River Fort State Historic Site, located in Elizabeth, IL, will offer camping for Boy Scout troops attending the 2026 US Grant Pilgrimage in Galena, IL.
| | |
Save the date!
Julien Dubuque International Film Festival
April 18 - April 26, 2026
The DeSoto House Hotel is a proud sponsor of the 2026 Julien Dubuque International Film Festival. We will be holding screenings. Keep an eye out for times and movie showings.
| | |
Haunted Galena Conference
May 1-3, 2026
Join us May 1st - 3rd, 2026, in Galena, Illinois, one of the oldest and most haunted small towns in the Midwest, for our fifth annual Haunted Galena Conference!
The Haunted Galena Conference features speakers and workshops on hauntings, dark history, folklore, ghosts, psychic mediumship, and various aspects of the paranormal. There are also optional special after-hours events (additional registration required), including paranormal investigations with Spirit Society Paranormal, workshops, and tours.
info@hauntedgalenatourcompany.com
| | |
Galena Main Street Sidewalk Sales
Galena Main Street
May 10-12,2026
It's time to shake off the winter blues and welcome the warmth of spring with a shopping spree on Main Street! The merchants are clearing out their inventory, and you're the lucky winner!
Browse through the various sales taking place both on the street and inside the stores. Whether you're in the market for new clothes, home decor, or just looking for a great deal, you're sure to find something that catches your eye.
With so many options to choose from, you'll definitely work up an appetite. Luckily, Main Street is home to some of the best restaurants around. Take a break from your shopping spree and refuel with a delicious meal before hitting the shops again.
So, mark your calendars and head to Main Street for a day of amazing deals and delectable cuisine.
With spring in the air and bargains galore, you won't want to miss out on this exciting shopping event!
| | |
In addition to browsing through Galena’s 19th-century downtown with more than 100
storefronts, here are some other ways to enjoy our beautiful area:
| | |
The Galena River Trail offers 8.0 miles (one way) of scenic hiking, biking or cross-country skiing.
Galena River Trail
| |
Enjoy scenic outlooks with views across three states at the Horseshoe Mound Preserve.
Horseshoe Mound Preserve
| |
Enjoy panoramic views of the Mississippi River from Casper Bluff Land and Water Preserve.
Casper Bluff Land & Water Reserve
| Be sure to visit the Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation website for a list of more places to see under the "Visit Our Preserves" tab. | Other great places to visit in addition to our local historic attractions and museums are: | |
Take a break and stop by our Quiet Room on the Main Street level of the hotel to view these videos:
The DeSoto House Hotel
"The Largest Hotel in the West"
~~~
Galena: Steamboat Capital of the Old Northwest
Both videos are about 15-20 minutes in length and run continuously.
| | You can learn more about the history of the DeSoto House Hotel here. | There's always plenty to do in scenic, historic Galena! | | Create your dream wedding... | | |
Call to make your dreams come true!
815.777.6818
Sales Department
| | |
Reserve your getaway now!
Make your reservations by calling
815.777.0090 or 800.343.6562
Check out our website . . . DeSotoHouse.com
| Consider us your home away from home! | Keep more informed by following us on Facebook and Instagram! | | |
DeSoto House Hotel Gift Certificates
make perfect gifts!
| | |
Michael Steinhoff
General Manager
| | |
230 South Main Street
Galena, IL 61036
815.777.0090 or 800.343.6562
| | | | |
