Galena Pirate Haunted Historic Walking Tour
The Original Fun Galena History Adventure!
Galena Pirate Haunted Historic Walking Tour
The Original Fun Galena History Adventure!
Galena Illinois' Only Early Dark History Pirate Tour!
Galena, Illinois was not always called "Galena". It was called "The Point" and was founded in 1700! And there were pirates.
We are Galena, Illinois' highly acclaimed and unique haunted history and dark history tour! We are also the only tour in town that talks about Pirates! And We also have the best ghost stories in town! We are not your average tour! We are not going to bore you with forgettable factoids or the dragging "this person died and we think we see them sometimes" of history and ghost tours. Forget dusty Civil War stories and uptight Victorians... WE EXPLORE the WILD, WEIRD OLD DARK & HAUNTED HISTORY OF GALENA, Illinois that is anything but boring! From AMAZING Native American (Indigenous) legends to French explorers, REAL pirates, prostitutes & brothels, bizarre scary miners tales, cryptids and creatures of the deep, hardcore witnessed scary ghost hauntings as well as some amazingly gross facts about living back in the 18th century, this town truly has it all! And Galena is OLD, we go back waaaay before the '1826' year people like to assign us. In fact, if it weren't for a really powerful, great and slightly 'rotten' European king we wouldn't be who we are today (and he's not English). Our weird haunted history tours dive deep into the dark history, strange characters, shocking tales, and frightening ghost stories and mysteries that shaped Galena. The Galena Pirate Tour is a unique blend of fascinating untold early history, offbeat light and dark weird scary history, historic larger than life inhabitants, strange creatures, legends and Galena's best ghost stories offering a fun romp through our town's past that is both SCARY and FUN! We are a Goonies adventure for adults! Audience engagement, humor, sarcasm and bawdy storytelling as well as really wild and weird histories abound as we uncover the wild side of Galena without sugarcoating the past. All while keeping the mood lighthearted, entertaining and FUN!
Real Galena History (the weird, amazing & dark stuff)
Hire your Alligator Horse and load up yer flatboat! Illinois is steeped in history, particularly Galena's history, which is really old. In fact, it might shock you just how old our town is! Pirates (yes, you read that right), Indigenous peoples, miners, prostitutes and everyday people from abroad helped make Galena an amazing melting pot of culture that you need to hear and see to believe! We're going to explore not just the famous people and significant events that shaped this area,
but also delve into the lives of "common" people, their secrets, and the often bizarre occurrences among all of them and many that are suspiciously reminiscent (for clear historical reasons) of Caribbean pirate history! And it all happened right here in Galena! Join us for our weird history and haunted tour as we uncover the harsh realities of their daily lives and their backstories that will often surprise you!
Part Ghost Tour: Galena is Full of Spirits & Hauntings!
Galena is the most haunted town in Illinois and one of the most towns in America, so we're going to talk about the ghosts here! The best ones! We talk about 5 major hauntings on this tour besides the dark history of Galena and pirates! In fact some of the ghost stories have to do with pirates directly. Galena is rich in history, including the history of these unsetlled spirits! From the lost souls of settlers who don't want to leave their homes, lost lovers, spirits till trying to do thier jobs from the other side, those simply lost in tragedy and some simply so angry they don't want to leave, we will give you Galena's most amazing spirited ghost stories! From wild pirate history, bawdy house tales, Native American legends of ancient monsters and experiences with creatures down below to the chillling tales of the spirits still making their presence known in our town every night, our tour explores everything dark, weird and wild in Galena! Dead Billy will take you through all manner of places home to things that go bump in the night! Our towns hauntings are just part of the journey through the weird, dark history that is the eerie side of Galena's past, and we explore the best ones!
Scandalous! Galena is a Dirty Old Town...by dirty we mean prostitution.
Every town has its naughty secrets, and Galena has plenty of them! We're going to explore the lewd Galena history and juicy gossip from the 1700's up to the Civil War, and there's a lot! From tales of brothels and boozing to scoundrels who were often (we know they were) pirates to boot, there are plenty of stories about scallywags and ladies of the night partying together here in this small Illinois river town. Imagine horse races in the street, lots of gambling, music and mayhem and a LOT of debauchery and that's our town! We'll be talking all about the petticoat crimes and corruption, showcasing the real lives and real wickedness of early settlers as well as those who chose to shine a little brighter. Find out what it was really like to live back then! Join us on our weird history tour to uncover the debauchery and pirate dark history that abound in fascinating Galena, Illinois!
Galena Pirate Tour: Explore Weird, Wild & Haunted History
The Pirates Code...on the Tour
Ships' Articles:
* Starts at the "Big Staircase" that goes up the side of the hill... aka the old High Schools Stairs, at the intersection of Main St. and Green St., between Gustafson & Grey (301 South Main St.) and our storefront 235 South Main St. ...all three locations are on the same side of the street. We meet at the street lamp post at the foot of the stairs. Please feel free to use the Eagles (next to where our pirate display is located at 235 S. Main St.) to grab some spirits and use the restroom before we leave! We encourage liquid courage! *
If you can't locate the staircase, please wait for me at 235 S. Main St. where our Pirate Tour storefront is next to the Eagles.
* Time: 8:00 pm sharp (don't be late...pirates wait for no one!)
* Duration: About 90 Minutes of exploring Galena history through a pirate lens.
* Includes some stairs and walking, so prepare for an adventurous journey!
* No restroom stops, please use facilities beforehand. DeSoto House Hotel has restrooms across the street.
* Please no talking over the stories, as we dive into the depths of pirate and other local history, ghosts, monsters and debauchery and we want to polute your mind as much as possible.
* Disruptive, rude or drunk? Ye be walking the plank with no refund!
* Dress for the weather and comfortable walking; think like a pirate!
* No kids under 12 without our OK (we've had people carrying infants with no problem, but that's a rarity. Generally, due to content, we want participants to be young adults for obvious reasons), no pets (service animals only), and no refunds unless we cancel for weather.
* Photos welcome (NO recording during the tour).
* No smoking on the tour.
* No drinking on the tour...liquid courage in moderation in encouraged befoehand if ye need it! Afterward, feel free to toast to your newfound weird history with Dead Billy! Just ask him where he's headded afterward!
Have Fun Ye Scallywags!
* You CAN dress as a pirate! Your tour guide, Dead Billy, will be dressed in 18th Century attire, so live it up! You don't have to dress up...we get about half and half on tours...but it's always fun and we want you to have fun!
* We don't care if you drink before the tour. Just don't be disruptive, rude, or drunk.
* The tour is interactive...say it with me...
* Again, repeat after me: I, a grown adult, have an excuse to dress as a pirate!
* After the tour, drinking—even with the guide—is safely encouraged. Feel free to ask for recommendations.
Tickets & Rules
* All sales final (reschedule or transfer allowed).
* Rain or shine (unless it's a storm or the apocalypse...then we cancel).
* Tickets purchased online from this site pre-tour. Sales stop approx. 15 min. prior.
