8 things to do in and around Galesburg, Illinois

(GALESBURG, ILLINOIS) — In working in local TV news for five years, I traveled to Galesburg, Illinois for a handful of stories.

Fast forward to present day, and there are some other times I will go to the city in a professional setting. The only time I’ve really gone to the area for leisure was when I did my Illinois Winery Tour blog with Hidden Hills Winery, which was a great time!

This month, my family and I got the chance to experience the Galesburg area in a more fun setting, and we had a wonderful time! There are so many different places to eat, along with fun, family-friendly activities you can do while there. Let’s dive in to 8 things to do in and around Galesburg, Illinois.

Where to stay: Dragonfly Lakes | Dahinda, Illinois

While actually in Dahinda, Illinois – Dragonfly Lakes is a brand new glamping experience that’s perfect for those looking to connect with nature, while still preserving a luxurious cabin feel.

We stayed in Locust Landing #1 – which is a 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom cabin on the upper level of the property. There are really two levels that curve around the lakes, which are all in view of the cabins. It appears a few cabins on the lower level are still getting the final touches, while the you’re able to stay in the upper level right now.

The exterior and interior of the cabins are magnificent. With a rustic luxury design, the timber-frame built cabins offer a cozy place to relax in after a busy day. We were provided fire wood and a fire starter kit for our firepit, which we used outside on the first night. I specify outside – because there is in fact a fireplace inside the cabin, which I did not try to start a fire in. Because, well, I have a 2-year-old. Enough said.

With blackout curtains surrounding nearly every window, it provides a great sleep setting on the main floor, which I’ll call bedroom #1. This is where Bennett and Rachel slept, which I’ll get to why here in a second.

Bedroom #2 can only be reached through a pretty steep, 8-step ladder that connects the lower floor to the upper floor. These were my sleeping quarters. I say this not to criticize at all, because I had no problem going up and down the ladder – it made for some good exercise. But if you have young children, like I do, who want to climb the ladder – you have to have your guard up a little bit more than usual. When thinking through everything I wanted to write about in this article, it became apparent that that piece of information was important to share with families, or those who don’t do well with heights. There are some one bedroom cabin options, and the sleeping arrangements appear to be on the upper level there, as well.

Dragonfly Lakes has 400 acres of private property, with two lakes you can fish, kayak or canoe in. There are also private hiking trails that are well preserved. This walk was absolutely stunning when we went, having fall leaves everywhere.

The cabins are roughly 25 minutes outside of downtown Galesburg. We absolutely loved staying here, and I’m sure we’ll be back one day when the kids are a little bit older.

Where to play:

On a mission to find family-friendly things to do in the Galesburg area, the Galesburg Tourism & Visitors Bureau helped us find just that.

#1: Discovery Depot | Galesburg, Illinois

I’ve heard about Discovery Depot many times from parents across Central Illinois. People will travel from Peoria to Galesburg just to visit children’s museum, and I now see why.

The museum is bustling with fun, sensory activities that are great for kids of all ages. For those with the little babies who are just crawling and climbing, there is a dedicated section on the first floor where they can play.

Where to I begin with what kids can do here. There are all these exhibits in Discovery Depot where kids can let their imagination run free. In one section, you’ll have an ambulance and fire truck that kids can turn on the lights or hit the sirens.

In another section, there’s a grocery store where kids can pick fruits, vegetables and other items and “check out.” There’s a post office, veterinarian’s office, bank and much more. All places for kids to interact with things they probably see mom and dad doing in real life, they’re able to creatively experience all of it.

There’s also a dedicated room for craft projects! When we were there, kids were able to make towers out with wooden sticks and cranberries.

One of Bennett’s favorite things to do was sit in the John Deere combine. It’s a full exhibit you can sit multiple kids in and “drive” the combine over the corn stalks.

There are two levels to Discovery Depot. The lower level is what I just described. The upper level has a lot more science-based exhibits. Learn to interact with water in the WAVES section, which has water tables and much more. There is a climbing area that is perfect for the older kids, the Discovery Depot website says the museum is for kids 1-12.

And don’t forget about the train car you can walk through right outside! You can see it in the photo above.

There is a science experiment room in the area as well, and ways to learn about air and wind. It’s a great way for kids to learn critical thinking and get hands-on experience with everyday things.

#2: Heartland Criations Alpaca farm | Rio, Illinois

Talk about an amazing experience. Kathy at Heartland Criations Alpaca farm gave us a private tour of her Rio, Illinois farm.

If you’ve ever pet llamas and/or alpacas, you’ll know how friendly they are. They’ll walk right up to you and let you pet or feed them.

Kathy raises Suri Alpacas and sells alpaca products, while also traveling to trade shows around the country.

You can tour the farm, by appointment only. I’d recommend emailing Kathy at hcalpacas@yahoo.com or heading to hcalpacas.com.

Where to eat:

What Rachel and I were pretty impressed by when driving through downtown Galesburg, were all the food options! It seemed all different streets downtown had new options, and we barely scratched the surface! But we did a pretty good job trying local spots, let’s start with dinner on Friday night.

#1: baked (pizzas) | Galesburg, Illinois

Located on Seminary Street downtown, baked (yes, the “b” is lowercase) offers specialty pizzas and good vibes. And, the prices are very reasonable!

For Bennett, we got a smaller pepperoni pizza and milk.

Then Rachel and I split what I’d consider a medium or large pizza, I believe we went with 12 inches, and did two different toppings. Half of the pizza was a spinach artichoke pizza, which I absolutely loved. I’m a big “spin dip” guy, and will eat artichokes with just about anything. The other half was the Pheasant Run, topped with pepperoni, green olives, chipotle, mozzarella cheese, garlic oil and red sauce.

I love olives, so that’s why Pheasant Run caught my eye. The variety of having spinach artichoke on one side and Pheasant Run on the other was a perfect match, in my opinion. You could go back and forth no problem, and the flavors balanced each other out very well.

The walls are covered in chalk designs, which my kiddo loved. We had Bluey and Bingo from the show Bluey right by our table. baked also serves sodas with a frosted mason jar, nice touch there.

#2: The Beanhive | Galesburg, Illinois

Now it’s time for your Saturday morning coffee. Head to downtown Galesburg and park in the free lot across Simmons Street, or just do street parking, and head in to The Beanhive.

A quaint coffee shop with good vibes, tasty coffee and delicious breakfast options – The Beanhive is a must-do if you’re downtown. The staff were extremely friendly, and it was absolutely clutch that they have a games corner and table. When Bennett got a little restless, I was able to take him over there where he was SO FOCUSED on all the games and toys.

I ordered an iced mocha, which was great. Rachel got a hot chocolate, and we all split a cinnamon roll, slice of quiche and a breakfast sandwich!

#3: Coney Island | Galesburg, Illinois

Welcome to Galesburg’s oldest restaurant! Decorated like a 50’s diner, Coney Island is known for their hot dogs. I got the Coney Island Dog, which is a hot dog with Coney sauce, brown mustard and onions on it (I got no onions).

Rachel got a cup of chili, which she said was really good! And Bennett got a plain hot dog. Miss Vickie’s chips are available with your meal and you can get bottles of soda, water etc. in fridges at the front of the store.

I was very pleased with my meal and the affordable price it offered. The brown mustard was a nice touch along with the Coney sauce.

#4: Iron Spike Brewing | Galesburg, Illinois

Located on Simmons Street super close to The Beanhive, Iron Spike is located in a restored and converted central fire station. It’s now a 2-story, 10,000 square foot brewery and restaurant. Iron Spike is a great place for friends and family to gather, and it also was family-friendly. The high chair they had for Bennett was better than just about any other high chair around, and Britni our server was extremely friendly.

I ordered the Saturday night special, which consisted of a parmesan crusted ribeye, which sat on mashed potatoes. It was delicious, and honestly, the steak was better than some steaks I’ve had at actual steakhouses.

Rachel ordered the buffalo chicken salad and Bennett got a plate of mac n cheese off the kid’s menu. The mac n cheese was amazing. Rachel and I may or may not have eaten some of it as well. Bennett enjoyed some of the veggies that were served with Rachel’s meal as well. You can see the full menu here!

For my beer drinkers out there, I ordered the Light Rail cream ale. It was extremely smooth and matched the energy of classic American ales. It’s definitely on brand for the Galesburg area, which has plenty of trains rolling through and the Amtrak station, but it’s also extremely refreshing.

#5: Judy’s Family Cafe | Galesburg, Illinois

Judy’s Family Cafe has exploded on the social media scene, mostly because of its owner, Judy. She creates hilarious TikTok content which has gone viral, earning her coverage from Chicago TV stations as well as a New York Times article in September.

You may have seen Judy’s social media videos, claiming to have the best pancakes and offering a great sense of humor. I never pass up watching a Judy’s Family Cafe video. But these quick videos, maybe 30 seconds or less, are prime advertising for her restaurant. People are traveling to Galesburg, Illinois just to stop at Judy’s and get the pancakes. When you can hop on the Amtrak from Chicago to Galesburg and see one of your favorite TikTok creators, why wouldn’t you?

Well, her advertising worked on me – because I ordered the pancakes.

I ordered the Sweet Stack, which is two pancakes topped with whipped cream, blueberries and strawberries. You can also order the Sweet Stack, except switch pancakes for French toast. But why would you do that?

The pancakes were really good, I have to admit. Rachel ordered the Cinnamon Toast Crunch French toast, which she loved, and Bennett got pancakes and sausage links. The links were nice and crispy, which was a good change of pace. Judy’s was VERY busy. The parking lot was packed and we had to park around the corner on street parking, which was fine. It turned out to be a beautiful walk on a nice fall day.

It was a packed weekend for my family and I, and I have to say thank you to Randy and Experience Galesburg for setting up such a fun weekend away.

It’s so close to Peoria (40ish minutes), which makes for a nice and easy drive down westbound I-74. I’m sure there’s much more to do and see in Galesburg, and we’re looking forward to coming back one day to see what that is!

I hope you enjoyed hearing about our weekend getaway, let me know if there are any places on your list I missed!