Frequently Asked Questions
Avery in the 1950s
Quick Links: Cancellation ◊ Parking ◊ Motorcycle ◊ Breakfast ◊ First Timers ◊ Checking In/Out ◊ Drinking Water ◊ Streaming ◊ Cannabis ◊ LGBTQ Friendly
Once a reservation is made, cancellations are permitted up to ten days prior to the check-in date on the reservation. As long as a cancellation is requested with more than ten days to go, we will refund the full amount of the reservation. Refunds of this sort can take a few days to process, like any bank transaction might. Cancellations made with less than ten days to go before check-in are non-refundable. Example: A reservation made with a check-in date of September 19th is fully refundable up to and including September 9th. Beginning on September 10th, that reservation is no longer refundable.
The Avery does not have a parking lot. However the street we are located on is entirely residential, and there are no parking restrictions. We encourage our guests to go right ahead and park directly in front of the inn. Please park as close as is comfortable for you.
With advance notice of at least one day prior to check-in, we are delighted to provide space on our private driveway for up to two motorcycles. Just make sure to leave room for Bob to pull out his grill or barbecue smoker as in the warmer months he frequently cooks for Cherish and himself outdoors. (Sometimes even in winter… he can become desperate!)
Bob is your chef. His long experience cooking for a crowd and Polish upbringing have the effect that he has no idea how to cook small meals. You will enjoy a filling morning meal, and normally at least once during your stay he will make his rapidly-becoming-famous skillet potatoes along with other signature dishes of the house. We can accommodate dietary restrictions, but we do ask that you inform us in advance of your stay. We do not use nuts or seeds in any form with breakfast, nor shellfish. Even Bob’s classic homemade granola is seed-free.
You’re in for a treat! You’ll have a cozy, restful stay with us. It is similar to staying at a hotel. In our case, the property is a historic home, we live on site, and your stay includes a hearty breakfast each morning. Coming and going is easy, as you’ll have a key to let yourself in the house during your stay.
We don’t have a “front desk”. It really is just Cherish and Bob. With the nature of the business, and the work involved in maintaining the property, we must restrict check in times to the hours between 3pm and 8pm. Because there is substantial work involved in getting the rooms clean and prepared for the next guests, check out time is no later than 11am. It is always possible that we can accommodate you, should you need to check in early or late, but please call us with at least one day’s notice prior to your arrival date. We are unable to allow bag drop-offs for a number of reasons, and our guests must check-in in person as orientation with the inn is necessary for your stay.
Close to our guest rooms, we have a small gathering room with multiple amenities for your convenience. We do provide bottled water, kept cold in the mini fridge for easy access. However, consumer plastics do not meaningfully recycle. With that in mind, we have added a water cooler to the Gathering Room. We greatly appreciate guests who bring along their own water bottles to refill, of course. For those who do not, we would be grateful if guests would be so kind as to refill one of the cold plastic bottles from the fridge during your stay.
We have discontinued cable television in favor of a strong Wi-Fi network throughout the house. As a result we are now providing multiple streaming services via FireSticks in each guest room. Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+ are all provided free of charge to our guests. The accounts are our own, so there’s no need to remember your own account names and passwords. If you are unfamiliar with using a FireStick, we have detailed instructions in each room, and Bob is always available to assist you.
We are delighted to provide a cannabis-friendly inn. The State of Illinois has made the medical and recreational use of cannabis legal, and Galena is host to an IDPH regulated recreational cannabis dispensary located downtown. We understand that some of our guests may already partake of cannabis products, and others may simply wish to indulge during a vacation getaway. As with cigarettes, cigars, and pipes, we do not permit the smoking of cannabis inside our inn. Further, no vaping of any kind is permitted indoors here. Just off of our porch, we have a lovely gazebo which provides the perfect environment for indulging in smoking or vaping. This helps to keep from bothering guests who do not partake, and allows for some privacy outdoors. The Avery does not provide any cannabis products of any kind, of course. Please inquire in-person should you have further questions.
Cherish and Bob are proud to provide a safe, welcoming place for guests of all stripes. We want all our guests, especially those whose lives have involved the sting of intolerance, to know that they will encounter only a warm welcome, a friendly pair of hosts, and a restful stay with us.