There is one small town in Illinois that people rave about, and travel websites fawn over, now a certain website claims they found the best things to do in this town and that will convince you to drive hours for a day (or two) in Galena, IL.

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The website, thrillist.com, is the latest website to show some love to the small Illinois town called Galena, Galena is one of those towns that always gets mentioned on lists of (best day trips from Chicago, or best small town in Illinois).  Thrillist has come up with their list of the 8 Reasons to Drive to Galena, IL, and they say...

"Located on the northwesternmost corner of Illinois, near the Mississippi River and the Iowa border, it’s a breath-of-fresh-air town that’s basically the antithesis of Chicago. While only a three-hour drive, it feels more like a three-century drive with its preserved-in-time architecture, pristine farmland, and singular history covering everything from US presidents to Kraft Cheese."

Some of the reasons they list include incredible Farm to Table dining, the town is like stepping back in time, and great golf courses, to see the full list for yourself just click here!

Soooo is it worth it to drive to Galena? Well, from Quincy it will take you (according to Google Maps) about 3 hours and 50 mins to drive, and put about 241 miles on your tires, just to get there. I have never spent time in Galena as an adult, but what I will say is that if you are looking for a unique, non-fast-paced, long weekend getaway that is filled with good food, drinks, and unique activities, it seems like it could be worth it. But with gas prices the way they are, you will never hear me telling you that you have to drive anywhere right now...

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

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