Farmers Guest House

We stayed here last weekend for our honeymoon in Annie’s Cottage. Don and Susan greeted us very warmly, gave us a mini tour, and helped us with our bags to the cottage. They were kind enough to give us a complimentary bottle of champagne and direct us to the closest quick dinner since we got in after 8PM and were starving. Breakfast was PHENOMENAL (holy amazing fritata!), and we definitely took advantage of chocolate chip cookies being out ²⁴⁄₇ in the cookie jar for midnight snacks. We had never stayed at a B&B before, and we really enjoyed the Winetime at 5pm (free wine! and cheese!).Our cottage and the main guest house was immaculately clean. Thank you so much for the wonderful stay!!!

We love staying at the Farmer’s Guest House! Delicious breakfasts, super clean, comfortable and cozy rooms, short walking distance to town, and the very best innkeepers! We go back every year and this year we will be going back a 2^nd time!

This was my first time in a B&B. I loved every minute of it. This place is in a great location, very easy walk to the downtown Galena area. The food was fantastic. The hosts were so kind and plesant. The only thing that wasn’t top notch was the bed comfort, just a little to hard for my liking. Very clean, cute, and cozy.

This is, by far, the best B&B I’ve ever stayed in. I have been to Galena 3 times now and the other 2 times were at a B&B that is now closed. I loved how detailed everything was, but not overly done in Victorian décor.
Susan and Don were incredibly nice and helpful. I have several food restrictions and they accomodated the best they could to all of them. Gluten-​free, high fructose corn syrup free, blueberry pancakes were amazing. Wine time at 5pm was entertaining and delicious. I couldn’t eat the daily chocolate chip cookies but I appreciate that they had that and coffee around the clock for everyone to enjoy.
I wish I would’ve spent more time in the sitting area to get more of the full B&B experience. Coming from a person who mostly has done hotel/​villa type settings, this was refreshing and a great experience.

My fiancé and I stayed here in the spring. We loved it. The owner is very friendly. It is decorated beautifully… very cute. There were always treats out and there was even a wine and cheese evening. We loved it. It’s close enough to easily walk into town.
The room we stayed in was a little small and we could have used a little table or something for our toiletries but other than that we loved The Farmers Guest House. I highly recommend it!

Great B&B. Susan and Don were welcoming. We stayed in the Jennie room. Comfortable king size bed. Very quiet at night. Awesome breakfasts and coffee. Excellent location; everything is walking distance. I would not change anything. Galena is a nice break away from home.

Very relaxing stay. Lovely property. Very generous portions at breakfast. A bit much if you are watching your caloric intake but very good. Wine time was very nice, nice company and conversations. If in the area would book again. Susan & Don were great. Very good location can walk to Main st.

The house is beautifully decorated. Our room, the Aimee Room, was quiet and comfortable. Great hosts. Great location.

The website does not accurately show how nice this place is particularly at Christmas. Stayed for a night (not usually possible to stay only 1 night) on a Saturday in December. Upon entry it smelled like coming home for a holiday meal. Incredibly decorated for Christmas but not gaudy. Owners greet you and give you a brief tour making you feel comfortable. I highly recommend for a group to rent out entire place or just a couple wanting to get away. We really hope to come back sometime and enjoy this place again.

Galena was on my list for this fall, and I had never been to a BB before. Darling husband surprised me on my birthday and this is where we stayed. I could not have asked for a better place. The hosts are absolutely terrific. My husband planned the whole thing without letting me know and the owners (Susan and Don) helped him out throughout. Susan even had a midnight cake arranged for my husband to surprise me (THANK YOU!) and next morning I was once again surprised by very warm birthday song and a cupcake. The entire place is extremely warm and neat.
The morning breakfast was very delicious fresh egg casserole with coffee, OJ, cut fruits and cinnamon rolls, absolutely yum!
We had some great time with Susan and Don during wine time. Did I tell you they had WINE time (and cheese ‘n’ crackers)? I was promptly offered a second refill by Don. They are both very friendly and gave us a lot of suggestions about the things to see around town. This place is very unique, every room, every wall is a piece of art. Susan, Don and Charlie put a lot of effort and one can easily see and feel it. And lastly, those Farmer’s Mugs are beautiful. I got my husband one and he loves it.
I can’t wait to return to Farmer’s and try out a new room.

I had the best stay here! The location can’t be beat. The rooms are great, beds are super comfortable, food is amazing and the staff is friendly and knowledgeable! There’s wine hour daily at 5pm and overall you are made to feel like you are home! Very inviting and relaxed atmosphere. They offer different packages as well and they are well worth it. I got the facial massage and it was amazing! I can’t wait to go back and stay again! Book your stay here, you will be so glad you did!

This was my first trip to Galena, and we were going for the skiing at Chestnut Mountain and a short getaway from the city. We selected Farmers’ Guest House because of the great reviews on Trip Advisor, and we were not disappointed. In fact, we were very pleasantly surprised by how Susan, the owner, accommodated our vegan diet. We’re used to having to fend for ourselves when we travel, and vegan restaurants can be a challenge to find outside of big cities. When we made the reservation via Farmers’ website, we mentioned that we were vegan, not thinking anything of it. Susan had vegan cookies ready for us when we arrived, and prepared wonderful vegan breakfasts both of the mornings of our stay. Her cooking was delicious! She also recommended a restaurant in Galena — Fried Green Tomatoes — that featured a vegan option on their menu.
The guest house itself is pleasantly offbeat, historical and eclectically decorated. It all comes together in a homey, warm atmosphere that makes you feel like you’ve escaped the rat race. Our room was pitch perfect, in the rear of the building, on the second floor, away from the road. It was quiet and cozy, and the bed was very comfortable. The location is ideal for easy access to downtown Galena, and a fairly short drive to Chestnut Mountain.
Many other reviewers have mentioned the 5:00 Wine Time, and I have to mention it as well. A couple of glasses of wine before dinner, and some pleasant conversation with Susan and the other guests, takes the edge off and is a perfect way to prepare for a lovely evening.
Overall, Susan and Don made us feel taken care of, looked after, and very, very comfortable.
I can’t recommend Farmers’ Guest House enough. We’ll definitely be back next time we need to escape for a weekend.

This place is beautiful, with a sweetheart of a staff! You must check out this Galena Gem for yourself. Staying here was such a great experience! I can’t wait til my next visit here– stay here, you will not regret it.

4.75 rounded up to 5
My lovely Valentine and I stayed a FGH during a cold and snowy Valentine’s Day weekend. We were Galena virgins so we didn’t know what to expect from the town and surrounding area. As the other reviews pointed out, the FGH and our hosts, Susan and Don (and Charlie!) were great. Susan is a hoot, with the energy of a bunny and the gift for gab (in a good way). Don is friendly as well, always there when you have a question. We stayed in room 9, which is a large room off the dining room with its own side entrance. The room was bigger than it seemed in the photos on the website. It also has a fireplace and whirlpool tub. Tres romantique. That was French, people. The fireplace was great. We pulled up two chairs in front of it and warmed our legs after coming back from walking around Galena (it was 10 degrees outside). The only reason this wasn’t a 5-​star review was the mattress seemed a bit saggy and old. It didn’t stop us from sleeping but that was the only disappointment. On the other hand, did I mention that there were two amazing full size cupcakes waiting in our rooms when we arrived? We wanted to wait to eat them so we put them in the shared fridge and totally forgot them there! Doh! Also, I wanted to get my Valentine some chocolates so I emailed Susan to see if she could hook a brotha up. She came through like a champ so when we arrived at the room, there was a nice box of truffles on a silver platter waiting for my Boo. Guess who got bonus points for that? This guy! Thanks to the Susan and Don for helping me continue my campaign to be the best husband ever.
Breakfast was tasty and abundant, with 3 courses. I have the refined taste buds of a 5-​year old from Indiana so I don’t like eggs (yes, I really don’t like them. Don’t hate!) and other random things every other normal person likes. My wife is a vegetarian as well. We emailed Susan and Don our food likes/​dislikes beforehand and they took care of us at breakfast. The sausage I had was some of the best I’ve ever tried. Who knew Galena was known for tasty sausage? Now you know so tell your friends. We also liked the dining area’s charm and layout. The décor was flea market/​antique store chic, and fun too look at. There were several tables to sit at, from a large group table to a two-​person table. We sat at the two-​person table as we were all romantic and stuff. We loved having our own table because we’re not always in the mood to converse with fellow guests at 8:30 AM.
Also, when we arrived, we didn’t have dinner reservations for Saturday (the 15^th) and Galena’s restaurants were packed because of the holiday weekend. Susan promptly asked us if we had dinner reservations for the weekend and when we told her we didn’t for Sat, she whipped out her laptop and helped us find reservations at One Eleven Main for Saturday. Susan was also helping many other guests who hadn’t planned ahead as well. She also gave us a map of the area, sketched directions to places in Dubuque we’d like, and more.
Overall, staying at the FGH was a great experience and we’d stay there again when we come back to Galena in warmer months to experience the surrounding areas more.

My husband and I stayed here for a week for our 5 year wedding anniversary (sadly almost 2 years ago now, just getting around to writing the review), and I can’t say enough great things about the accommodations or the owners!
They made us feel very comfortable from the moment we arrived. We stayed in the mini cabin (forget the name) on the back of the property. It was very clean, welcoming, and private. The TV in the room was a little old, but we weren’t there to sit around and watch tv so we really didn’t mind it.
The location was in walking distance to everything we wanted to visit in downtown Galena, but far enough away that it wasn’t noisy during the day. (I’d say it might not be within walking distance for the elderly or those that don’t handle stairs/​inclines well.)
The weather was great and because everything was so close to the B&B, during our stay we went kayaking, visited a brewery, shopped, and took a day trip over to see the film set for Field of Dreams.
The breakfast provided each morning was AMAZING. My husband usually won’t touch eggs benedict with a 10 foot pole and he devoured the eggs benedict prepared by the owners. The wine and cheese hour every evening was fun opportunity to mingle with the other guests and they had coffee and freshly baked cookies out around the clock.
They also had a cozy little room where guests could work on puzzles, read, etc. It was super cute. Lots of crafts and knick knacks to look at. Also had movies to borrow if you wanted to watch them in your room.
The Farmers’ Guest house was very charming overall. We will definitely be back, and we’ve told ALL of our friends about this place!

September 14, 2013 — A day that went down in history!
My partner and I dreamed of an intimate, semi-​destination wedding and decided that Galena would be the perfect location for our big day. After all, where in Illinois can you find rolling hills, countless years of history, and wine that runs like the Mississippi River? Only here!
We had stayed at Farmer’s Guest House three times prior (once with the previous owners, and twice with Susan and Don!) Susan and Don allowed us to the rent the entire guest house and cottage, while assisting us in planning our wedding weekend just the way we dreamt it to be. From the first day of planning a year in advance, to the final breakfast at the guest house, the couple created a fabulous wedding ceremony weekend. From the Galena Cellars Wine Time Happy Hour with amazing hors d’oeuvres, delicious breakfast choices chosen to fit our tastes, delectable warm cookies waiting to be eaten in the dining room, transporting the flower arrangements to the reception dinner location downtown, to the gorgeously decorated rooms… what more could we ask for?! Chicago architect Mies van der Rohe once said «God is in the details.» Well Susan’s charm and great attention to detail shined. She placed Farmer’s coffee mugs with our wedding colors in our cottage, altered breakfast to accommodate my gluten-​free diet and our vegetarian guests (including leaving scrumptious gluten-​free cookies in the cottage just for me), typed up a menu with the wine time cheese and snacks, and the morning after our wedding wore clothing of our wedding colors and had a mini surprise cake waiting at the table. Nothing went unnoticed!
The entire inn is picturesque in every direction you look. Our photographer had a field-​day with over 3,000 total pictures being taken (you can see a couple at:
).
My husband and I stayed in the secluded Cottage Suite up the hill housed behind the guest house. The Cottage charms with a duplex layout, skylights upstairs, gas fireplace, whirlpool tub with bath salts, miniature fridge, and two outdoor balconies with seating to take in the fresh air. It was the perfect place to escape the family while relax before and after the wedding ceremony.
By the time you leave the guest house, you not only leave with wonder memories but new friends (or in our case, new family members:
). We plan to return soon to relive our memories!
**If you would like to read more of what Farmer’s Guest House has to offer (besides wedding accommodations), read my previous review.

Where else can you ascend 20 stairs to go the back yard?
Farmer’s guest house is an older hotel for farmers now run as a B&B.
The rooms are comfortable. Our room had a modern shower.
There is coffee 24 hrs (kuerig). Breakfast is in the large dining room (the room with all the clocks). They also serve wine at 5:00. There is a library upstairs as well as the outside garden (pretty).
It’s a short walk to main st and the historic district. There is some road noise, but not too bad.
The hosts are very friendly and we enjoyed our stay.

My wife and I visited Farmers’ Guest House for a mid-​week special and enjoyed the hospitality and home cooking of our hosts. The rooms and inn are beautifully decorated. Breakfasts are hearty and delicious. Coffee and cookies are available ²⁴⁄₇. The guest house is conveniently located, just a short 5 minute walk from the tourist area. Definitely worth checking out!

My husband, baby and I stayed at the cottage at the Farmer’s Guest House recently. It was our first overnight trip since having our baby, and it couldn’t have been better. The new owners, Don and Susan, made us feel like family. We got in late at night and they brought us some delicious scones for a snack. The next morning, they brought breakfast to our room. When the weather report called for rain, they left two big umbrellas outside our room door for us to carry while we explored downtown.
The rooms are adorable and our bed was comfortable (and I’m very picky about beds). Breakfast was delicious every morning; we especially loved Susan’s ham, cheese and green onion croissants. Don and Susan have kept all the great traditions from the old owners, including the bottomless cookie jar, the fridge full of water and soda, and the wine and chat hour. We’ve decided to make a trip to Galena an annual tradition, and we will never stay anywhere except Farmer’s.

**March 2013: Edited to add that Farmer’s is under new ownership and I have not stayed there since it has changed hands.**
Kathie, Jess and Charles make Farmers’ Guest House the wonderful place that it is! They are so welcoming and friendly. They become like family. They are all very knowledgeable about Galena and the surrounding areas. Just ask and they can recommend the best restaurants and activities. Their breakfast’s are out of this world, especially the tarragon French toast. They also have a wine and cheese hour in the evenings. The rooms are cute, comfortable and have their own bathrooms.
There is an extensive collection of CD’s and DVD’s for you to use during your stay. They also have a «never-​ending cookie jar» as well as a fridge stocked with complimentary soda and water.
It is also very close to downtown… just a quick five minute walk to all the shops.
Give them a try, you won’t regret it!