It’s always a bummer when a long weekend comes to an end, but at least we get to kick off the week on Tuesday! We decided to sneak off this past weekend for a little getaway and I couldn’t wait to share all the details about our stay at Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa.
My husband and I both grew up visiting Eagle Ridge when we were little, so we were beyond excited for the chance to take our family there. For those that don’t know, Eagle Ridge is located just minutes from Galena, a historic town in the midwest just about 2.5 hours away from Chicago.
Tucked among The Galena Territory’s 6,800 rolling acres of pristine woodlands and open countryside, Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa offers “country elegant” hotel accommodations and rental homes and villas.
Eagle Ridge Resort & Galena Travel Guide
One of the best parts of staying in Eagle Ridge and visiting Galena is the wide range of activities there are throughout the year. From skiiing in the winter, to endless possibilities in summer, to taking in the beautiful color in fall, there is truly no bad time to plan a visit.
When I was younger some of my favorite memories including biking and hiking their many trails, learning how to horseback ride at their stables, and spending many hours on Lake Galena fishing with our family and admiring all the beautiful homes on the lake.
For this trip we stayed in one of their 3 bedroom villas at Eagle Ridge which was the perfect accommodation for our family. It had a full kitchen, 3 full baths, and our favorite part…a wood burning fireplace which we lit both nights!
We were lucky enough to be visiting during Eagle Ridge’s Winter Carnival.
There was so much fun to be had both inside and out, from making smores, an ice bar for the adults, hot air balloons lighting up the sky, bouncy house, winter crafts, and so much more!
The main lodge at Eagle Ridge has a wonderful restaurant Woodland’s, make sure to hit up their amazing breakfast buffet! We loved how family friendly everything is at Eagle Ridge including their restaurant.
After our dinner at Woodland’s it was straight downstairs to the indoor pool at the main lodge. Definitely one of the highlights for our kiddos! That and the cute little ice cream parlor they also have at the main lodge.
Speaking of highlights do yourself a favor and book a service at the Eagle Ridge Spa, Stonedrift.
I was lucky enough to receive a Vichy Shower Treatment, which is a body exfoliation treatment and was SO amazing especially during these cold and dry winter months of the midwest.
After the spa we took the kids to nearby Chestnut Mountain for a fun filled day of skiing. If the skiing wasn’t fun enough, you get to enjoy scenic views of the Mississippi River. I grew up skiing Chestnut Mountain and its just as beautiful as I remember as a kid.
That night Eagle Ridge was kind enough to recommend Fried Green Tomatoes for dinner in downtown Galena. We instantly fell in love with the charm and beauty of this nearly 200 year old building. Plus the food was nothing short of amazing! Do not miss the Seafood Pasta Aglio, if you like seafood with a bit of spice this is the dish for you!
Unfortunately, we woke up on Sunday to snowy rain, which prevented our plans to visit the South golf course, where they had downhill sledding and an outdoor ice rink set up. So instead it was back to the pool for the morning, which the kids were just as happy about.
We all had such a blast during our stay at Eagle Ridge.
We just love the emphasis on spending quality time with family and we’re already planning our next stay to take advantage of another season at Galena.
If you’re still looking for a Spring Break destination but don’t feel like breaking the bank on flights, Eagle Ridge could be the perfect destination for you. Eagle Ridge is even offering all teachers a special rate of $89 per night (a savings of 50%), regardless of the day or length of stay.
Also during spring break from March 20-22, Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa will host The Midwest Wellness Retreat with Stephanie Mansour of “Step It Up with Steph,” airing nationwide on PBS stations. Throughout the weekend, Stephanie with guide and inspire guests with workouts, workshops, yoga, meditations, motivation and more. The Eagle Ridge Wellness Retreat Package is focused on inspiring positive change and priced with budgets in mind, starting at just $358.
If you do plan a trip a couple other must do’s are visiting the Kandy Kitchen in downtown Galena, and the Thunder Bay falls in Eagle Ridge. So beautiful!