About our Bed & Breakfast Inn

Built in 1845, Aldrich Guest House was constructed in three sections over the course of 17 years.

The home has hosted many important people in its history, including U.S. Grant and Abraham Lincoln, but none are as important to us as our guests.

Aldrich Guest House, est. 1984, was one of the first bed and breakfasts in Galena, Illinois. And we’ve always had an outstanding reputation for excellent food, friendly hosts, and relaxing accommodations.

What to Expect

We’ve done all the work. All you need to do is relax and enjoy your time here.

You deserve to unwind and be yourself. Award-winning, homemade breakfasts every morning, hors d’oeuvres and handcrafted cocktails in the evening, and attention to detail in all we do combines with our laidback and unpretentious style of service that is there when you need us, but not when you don’t, to create the perfect environment for your getaway.

The Property

We love sharing our bed and breakfast with our guests.
Sitting on nearly half an acre, Aldrich Guest House has 5 guestrooms, a parlor, a library, a dining room, a screened-in porch, and The Potting Shed for guests to enjoy!

Douglas and Robert,
Innkeepers since 2014

We are the sixth innkeepers at Aldrich Guest House. We’ve been in hospitality and the service industry for 55+ years between the two of us and are proud to not only meet expectations but to set the bar even higher. Homemade food, handcrafted cocktails, and a unique style of service that is laidback yet intuitive all while being unobtrusive all come together to help you to relax, unwind, and be yourself!

A lifetime of experience

We are the sixth owners of the Aldrich Guest House, which was one of the first Galena homes converted to a bed and breakfast in 1984. We both grew up in the Midwest – Douglas in Rushville, Indiana, and Robert in Monroe, Michigan. College and employment brought both of us to Chicago in 2003. After being partnered for 5 years, we were married in February of 2012 with the legalization of equal marriage in Illinois. In 2010, both of us shifted our customer service careers to the lodging aspect of hospitality, a field we were both interested in for some time, and quickly became passionate about – Douglas at Starwood Properties and Robert at a Starwood Property then to a different lodging group where he was part of the team that elevated the property to one of only 80 Forbes 5-Star Hotels in the United States. Shortly after, we began making plans for our own bed and breakfast, which we planned to open in Chicago until we fell in love with Galena. Coming to Galena was like coming home for us, with the perfect mix of the rural life we enjoyed growing up and the city life we grew to love in Chicago. We have enjoyed making Galena our home, where the friendliness of the locals creates a welcoming community feeling throughout the city for both visitors and residents alike. We are honored to share and curate the beautiful piece of history that is Aldrich Guest House. We fully believe in the idea that at Aldrich Guest House, you arrive as guests, and leave as friends.