stars hollow, irl.

i mentioned a mystery girls' trip to galena, il a few weeks ago, and then almost let the rest of november slip by without telling you more about this charming little town in the northwest corner of illinois.  silly me.  let me say first that this weekend getaway was the start of an annual "mystery trip" tradition with a few law school friends, where we will take turns secretly planning a trip for us all (not my idea, don't you love it?!).  as a non-planner, you're only given a budget and a "what to pack" list.

so when we were told "gloves not mittens" by our planner, i was thoroughly confused.  until we pulled up here:

after a lovely sunset horseback ride on saturday, we drove into town and to our fabulous accommodations, the victorian mansion b&b. 

fun galena fact: 85% of the structures are on the national register of historic places.  ulysses s. grant also called galena home. 

between the abundance of b&b's, the quaint main street (3rd longest main street in the u.s.!), and the appearance of the town troubadour (see above), i am fully convinced that galena = stars hollow (hi to my gilmore girls fans!).

galena is just under 3 hours from chicago, perfect for a weekend trip.  i highly recommend!  can't you just picture how adorable this town will be all decorated for christmas?

xo. di.

*all images by me
*all opinions are my own and i received nothing in exchange for this post, just sharing the love!