5-bedroom vacation rental with hot tub & barrel sauna · Galena, IL A secluded retreat,
made for the whole group.
Six king beds, a hot tub, a barrel sauna and a nine-recliner home theater, 10 to 15 minutes from downtown Galena.
- 12Guests
- 6King beds
- 5Bedrooms
- 4Bathrooms
- 1Acre of Seclusion
10–15% below the booking platforms when you book with us directly. Same house. Better rate.
A hot tub, a barrel sauna, a theater, and nowhere you have to be.
Whispering Woods Retreat is a secluded house inside The Galena Territory, in a quiet corner of Galena, Illinois — 10 to 15 minutes from downtown, with the Territory’s pools, lake and trails on a card in your pocket.
Outside. A seven-person hot tub and a six-person barrel sauna under the deck. A fire pit ringed with Adirondack chairs. A Pit Boss pellet grill and a long table on the deck, with the woods on three sides.
Inside. The converted garage is the entertainment wing: a nine-recliner theater with an 85-inch TV on one side, a pool table, a poker table, shuffleboard and four classic arcade cabinets on the other. Two living rooms, each with a wood-burning fireplace; the lower one has a projector and a drop-down screen. A kitchen with double ovens and a gas cooktop, built for feeding twelve.
The furnishings. Every room was designed rather than specified: a floral ceiling and velvet in the Canopy Suite, autumn red in the Maple Room, midnight blue in the Spruce Room, a timber look in The Lodge, a navy dining room under a brass chandelier. If you fall for something, you can shop the house.
Beyond the lot. The house is inside The Galena Territory, and we leave you amenity cards for its indoor and outdoor pools, fitness center, Lake Galena’s marina and its trails. What the cards open.
The retreat in photos
The house at dusk, the hot tub under the deck, the theater and the arcade, and the five rooms you’ll sleep in.
Where you’ll sleep
Sleeps 12 across 5 bedrooms, and every bed in the house is a king.
The Canopy Suite
One king bed
The primary. A desk, a 55″ TV, a door onto the deck, and an ensuite with a walk-in shower and a BainUltra massage tub.
The Maple Room
One king bed
Autumn red, with a desk, a reading chair and its own attached bath.
The Spruce Room
One king bed
Midnight blue, with a desk and an armchair.
The Fern Room
One king bed
A quiet king under a green ceiling, with a reading chair and an attached bath: a jetted tub and a shower, also reached from the hallway.
The Lodge
Two king beds, one sofa bed
Timber-look walls, a sleeper sofa, a 65″ TV, a cabinet of board games and a door out to the patio.
Little ones? A crib, a high chair and children’s dinnerware are ready and waiting.
A theater, a game room, a hot tub and a barrel sauna
Rainy day or starry night, there is no need to leave the house.
Home theater
Nine leather recliners on tiered rows facing an 85-inch TV, blackout curtains, movie posters and a popcorn cart.
Hot tub
Seven seats, under the deck, with nothing but trees in every direction.
Game room
A pool table, a poker table, shuffleboard, a bar table and four classic arcade cabinets: NBA Jam, Rampage, Mortal Kombat II and Pac-Man.
Barrel sauna
A six-person cedar barrel with a window onto the woods, a few steps from the hot tub.
Fire pit & patio
A fire pit in a stone ring with Adirondack chairs, string lights and hanging chairs on the covered patio, and a Pit Boss pellet grill by the deck table.
The Galena Territory’s pools, lake and trails
The house is inside The Galena Territory, whose amenities are private to owners and their guests. We leave you six amenity cards, which open all of this.
Three pools
- Indoor pool
- Seasonal outdoor pool with a double slide and in-pool seating
- Zero-entry wading pool with bubblers and a frog slide for children
Fitness center & gym
- Fitness center with exercise machines, weights and locker rooms
- Gymnasium
- Game room
Courts
- Two tennis courts
- Basketball court
Lake Galena & marina
- Pontoon boats, fishing boats and kayaks to rent at the marina
- Fishing for bass, walleye, bluegill, catfish, trout and more
- Bait and tackle shop
32 miles of trails
- Across hills, ravines, ridge tops, woodlands and meadows
- Open dawn to dusk
Parks
- Thunder Bay Falls Park: hiking trails, stream fishing and an observation point
- North Cove: picnic tables, a pavilion and shoreline fishing
Also at the Owners’ Club: a seasonal snack bar with indoor and outdoor seating, and a business center with free WiFi.
Loved by guests.
“The house was beautiful and incredibly spacious! There was ample room for our family to spread out while also having great spaces to gather. The amenities from the hot tub, sauna, deck, fire pit & game room were the…”
“We wanted one place where our whole group of adults and kids could be together without anyone roughing it, and Whispering Woods Retreat went well past that. From the moment we walked in, it felt more like a boutique…”
Book your Galena retreat direct
Same house. Better rate.
- 10–15% below the booking platforms — we price direct bookings under them, every time
- ★ 5.0 from 2 verified guests — rated after real stays, on the platforms where they booked
- Encrypted, secure checkout — card details are handled by Hospitable's payment processing, the same system behind our platform bookings
- A direct line to your hosts — ask us anything before you commit, by text or email, with no platform sitting in the middle
Galena, 10 to 15 minutes away.
Tucked into The Galena Territory, quiet and private, with downtown Galena’s shops, restaurants and museums 10 to 15 minutes away by car. Victorian architecture, the Ulysses S. Grant sites and the area’s wineries are all within reach, and the Territory’s own lake and trails come with your stay. Exact address is shared after booking.
Things to do in Galena
Flights at sunrise and sunset, May through October.
Directions →
Photos: In The Territory, Thunder Bay Falls by Joseph Gage, CC BY-SA 2.0 · History, Ulysses S. Grant Home by Teemu008, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Shops & shows, Main Street, Galena by Robert Haugland, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Outdoors, Apple River Canyon State Park by David Jakes, CC BY 4.0 · Further afield, Fenelon Place Elevator, Dubuque by Teemu008, CC BY-SA 2.0
Questions about staying in Galena
How many guests does Whispering Woods Retreat sleep?
Up to 12 guests, across 5 bedrooms with six king beds, three full bathrooms and two half baths. Four bedrooms have one king bed each and the fifth, The Lodge, has two kings and a sleeper sofa.
Do guests get access to the Galena Territory pools and amenities?
Yes. The house is inside The Galena Territory, and we leave 6 amenity cards for your group. They open the Owners' Club, with its indoor pool, seasonal outdoor pool with a double slide, children's wading pool, fitness center, gymnasium, game room, two tennis courts and basketball court, as well as the Lake Galena marina and 32 miles of trails. These amenities are private to Territory owners and their guests.
How far is the house from downtown Galena?
Downtown Galena's Main Street, with its shops, restaurants, museums and trolley tours, is a 10 to 15 minute drive. The house itself sits in a quiet residential setting outside the tourist core.
Do we need a car?
Yes. Most visitors rely on a car: there is no regular municipal bus service, and taxis and rideshares are limited in Galena. Streets near the house are residential and fine for standard vehicles, with some short steep grades and narrow lanes.
What time are check-in and check-out?
Check-in is from 4:00 PM and check-out is by 11:00 AM.
Are pets allowed?
No, pets are not allowed. Smoking and events are not allowed either.
Is there parking and EV charging?
Yes. The driveway has room for six cars, and there is a Level 2 EV charger on site.
Is the house suitable for children?
Yes, children and infants are welcome. The house has a crib, a travel crib, a high chair, children's dinnerware, books and toys, along with outlet covers and fireplace guards.
Your dates are waiting.
Book direct and start planning the Galena trip you'll be talking about for years.
Check Availability