belvedere mansion

Was a nice sight; we didn't go in because it was closed but nice photo ops in the area. Where the home is located are many other beautiful mansions as well. It is really easy to drive around this area.

We waited quite some time to enter this mansion, only to be informed of an even longer wait and a ridiculous entrance fee. The help was snotty and rude. Certainly there has to be more historic houses in town to tour.

We enjoyed our tour of the beautiful mansion very much. We enjoyed the town of Galena, IL very much and would like to return someday.

I don't like to give any place a bad review but this place is the exception.My daughter and I waited a long time to go see it and when we got the chance this last time visiting Galena we were very disappointed.It certainly isn't worth the money.The outside of the house is beautiful but there is so much in the house that makes it look cluttered.The most disappointing part was we were told that we couldn't take pictures!I never heard of such a thing!The rooms were nice though.Save your money and give it to the Grant house!

Nothing in the house in original. The house itself is very cool. But everything in the house is the owners collection of stuff. Movie props, pieces from here and there. Was neat to see some old stuff, but nothing belonged to the house. Kinda disappointing.

If I had checked out the previous reviews prior to arriving in Galena, I would have known to save my $18.00 for a dual ticket (Belvidere/Dowling House). The tour guides were very mechanical and the home - while striking on the exterior - was horribly overfurnished with antiques and items of no relation to Galena, the previous owners, or the home itself. I was very disappointed in the guides scripted presentations. Did I really need to see Liberace's mother's 1950's settee in a small upstairs sitting room - was it really relevant that the Green Velvet Drapes used in the 1939 Gone With the Wind movie are hanging downstairs? The Guides - and we had three of them in shifts - all seemed stuffy and scripted - not really open to questions. We were curious about ownership (who actually runs around buying movie items to stuff in an old home in Galena) - we were met with cold shoulders and hush-hush answers - very top secret stuff here. Save your money and tour a few more authentic and period complete homes in Galena. Plus the Library and the Desoto house are a lot more historically authentic then the overpriced Belvidere.

This home is beautiful on the exterior, but not worth the $12 admission to see the owner's cluttered accumulation of artifacts and antiques. The docents rushed through a memorized presentation and seemed uncomfortable when we asked questions. We had been looking forward to seeing the mansion and were very disappointed.

Someone bought this house for $17, but put a lot of money and antiques into it. The tour was cool and the 12 year old even loved it. Many of the antiques where used in famous movies as well...like Gone with the Wind.

The house has an interesting history, but very few of the items in the house are original. However, the items, too, have history - just not history with the house. They charge $12.00 for adults. We arrived a bit later in the day and a woman (not sure if she was a docent of an occupant) seemed a bit put out we there.

This house is so beautiful. After touring many historic homes, I have to say this is one of my favorites. I loved the layout of the home and the architecture is stunning. The grounds are very pretty. It is a private residence. Walking through, you get a taste of what it must be like to live there. I will definitely tour it again the next time I'm in Galena.

Great, knowledge guides and a wonderful old house to visit. The guides were very friendly and quick to answer any questions you had about the house or the area. Definitely worth checking out!

I liked the home but thought the collectables from other people were a distraction. It was too cluttered. Beautiful wood blinds and furniture

My wife and I have been to a good number of old mansions. This one is not the best we have seen, but it is far from the worst. We loved the furnishings, even though only one or two are original. It was neat that some of the things had been in the movie, "Gone with the Wind". Several of the items had once belonged to Liberace. That was also cool. The house is packed with stuff. It is a museum within a mansion.It is pricey. It is tight in places. But if you like old houses, it is worth your time and money.

The grounds and exterior are beautiful! There is an initial implication that most of the contents are from the 1800's (like Grants home), but it's the total opposite. Most of the items are from the mid 1900's. There is too much stuff and the guides tend to rush you through it. Some of the house is not available for touring.

Galena may be known as the home of former President Ulysses S. Grant, but it’s also home to a fantastic mansion. A few blocks away from the Grant Home stands the Belvedere Mansion and Gardens.The mansion was built in 1857. While called the Belvedere, it wasn’t the family name. The name indicated it had a view.Former Ambassador J. Russell Jones lived there. Imagine – a small Illinois town having two major dignitaries – a former president and a former ambassador.The mansion has 22 rooms. Part of the upper area is closed to the public.The entrance houses a 14-foot high mirror. Nearby, a sitting room – the Red Room – was used for lady visitors.The most popular room on the main floor was another sitting room.In the room, hung the curtains from the movie, “Gone with the Wind.” Yes, those curtains. They were turned into a dress by Miss Scarlett. Two paintings used as props in the movie also hang in the house – one in the ladies’ sitting room and another in the entrance.In addition to the curtains, a set of chairs in the “green room” once belonged to President Teddy Roosevelt.The dining room had a chandelier that has been considered priceless. A gold-plated storage unit once belonged to pianist Liberace. I imagine nothing in the house would have been purchased at Target or Walmart. LOL.The second floor had the servants’ area – a sitting room where they could visit and play games or read. The second floor was also home to the bedrooms.Outside, the mansion’s gardens were well-cared for. They were pretty to view. While we enjoyed the tour overall, I have to say I thought it was overpriced at $12. I believe admission could be more reasonable, maybe $5 like they suggest for the Grant Home.