Hellobee

When most people think of going on vacation, Minnesota is not even at the forefront of their minds. Minnesota is a very underrated state though, and having been a lifelong resident, I didn’t always appreciate all it had to offer either. But it’s a beautiful state that is worth a visit – though preferably in summer as our winters are brutal!

Duluth Harbor and the notorious Aerial Lift Bridge

We’re especially proud of being the land of 10,000 lakes, and the birth-place to many well-known celebrities such as Bob Dylan, Prince, and Judy Garland. For Minnesotans especially, Duluth is a go-to destination. It’s about three hours north of the Twin-Cities metro area, and seated on the beautiful Great Lake Superior. But it’s a place that is worth checking out for others too. It has so much to offer, specifically in the way of being a large harbor and port.

Biking the South Pier offers incredible views of Lake Superior, the city of Duluth, and the Aerial Lift Bridge

This summer we were looking for a vacation spot that was affordable and close to home, and Duluth hit the mark. There is so much to do that is affordable or free, and lodging is incredibly reasonable on the North Shore.

Our itinerary was as follows. We were sure to check the weather the day prior to leaving, and found that our first day there was going to be a rainy one. Prior to leaving we purchased the Must See Duluth pass, which provides admission to three attractions at a discounted price; The Great Lakes Aquarium, Vista Fleet Boat Tour, and The North Shore Scenic Railroad. Because it looked like that first day was the only rainy day, we decided to make that the aquarium day. It’s not an incredibly large aquarium, but it has a lot of great exhibits that interest adults and children alike. The coolest feature was a large waterway outlining how all of the great lakes connect. There were boats for kids to float through the lakes exhibit, and of course J loved that. The gift shop sells the little plastic boats for only $3.00, so J left with a souvenir. We had lunch at Northern Waters Smokehaus – an incredible delicatessen; many of the offerings are smoked salmon and other delicious freshwater fish.

By that evening the rain had dissipated, and the sun was out, so we went for a short bike ride up the North Shore. One of the highlights of Duluth, and much of Minnesota’s Metro areas, is that they are very bike-friendly. Starting in Canal Park, there is a beautiful Lakewalk Trail that continues for several miles up the North Shore. The Lakewalk provides a paved area for bikers and runners, and a boardwalk for pedestrians. It runs alongside Lake Superior, but still provides easy access to lakeside shops and restaurants.

Watching a barge go under the Aerial Lift Bridge

The monument Duluth is known for, however, is its Aerial Lift Bridge, which provides access for barges and other boats from the Duluth Harbor, through the Duluth Ship Canal and out into Lake Superior. This is an attraction that is essentially free, and kids and adults alike love to watch the bridge lift to let boats in and out of the harbor, although be aware that the foghorns are very loud and may scare younger children! Walking or biking down the N. and S. Piers provides beautiful views of the entire city of Duluth, the beautiful Lake Superior, boats, and all the city has to offer. Just up the north shore we stopped at the Portland Malt Shoppe for ice cream. Absolutely delicious!

Eating ice cream by the shore

The following day we headed 40 minutes up the North Shore, taking the scenic North Shore Drive for the incredible views it has to offer, up to Split Rock Lighthouse State Park just north of Two Harbors. For $5 you can get a vehicle permit for all state parks for the day, and considering all the state parks within driving distance, it can provide a relatively inexpensive, active, and gorgeous day. We went hiking several miles at Split Rock, viewing the gorgeous lighthouse, the amazing views of the rocky bluffs, various islands in the lake, and splashing in the frigid waters of Superior.

Split Rock Lighthouse State Park

What I love about hiking and exploring parks like this is that it provides my child an opportunity to see all that nature has to offer him. He sure loves watching shows and playing games on my iPad at home – but this trip provided a much-needed break from screen time and it was so fun to just explore with him. He could have spent the whole day throwing rocks into the lake.

Incredible lunch spot!

After a few hours at Split Rock, we headed five miles south to Gooseberry Falls State Park. This is a touristy state park, so there are a lot more people. But it’s worth a visit with the seven layers of waterfalls it offers. The water is not as frigid as Lake Superior, and J loved wading in the waters near the base of the waterfalls where the current isn’t as strong. With the steep steps up the sides of the waterfalls, it provides an incredible workout to the top of the waterfalls, and some incredible views.

Gooseberry Falls State Park

What we also wanted to do, but weren’t able to fit into our four short days in the area, was biking the Gitchii-Gami trail that starts here at Gooseberry State Park. Right now the trail is constructed in segments, though the ultimate goal is to connect all segments to run the duration of the north shore, about 132 miles. The section that starts at Gooseberry is about 16 miles one-way.

After climbing hundreds of stairs – the view was worth it! 

There is one other state park I desperately wanted to visit, Tettegouche State Park, a little further up the north shore than Gooseberry. My dad said that in his opinion Tettegouche is far more beautiful and offers more incredible views of waterfalls than Gooseberry. We will visit the next time we make it up there, for sure!

On our way back down, we stopped at the New Scenic Café for an early dinner. One thing Duluth has to offer that most of Minnesota doesn’t is fresh fish and seafood! The New Scenic Café offered delicious food and fish. We had a pistachio crusted goat cheese salad and lobster rolls – they were heavenly!

Later that evening, we took a drive up West Skyline Parkway, which offers incredible views of the city from the top of a huge hill. Duluth itself sits on a steep hill, and the roads itself rival those of San Francisco.

The following day we used our Must See Duluth pass to take the Vista Fleet Boat tour. The Aerial Lift Bridge rises for the tour, explores outside the harbor, and also the working part of the harbor. The views are incredible; seeing all of Duluth and out into the vast expansion of the gorgeous Lake Superior.

Vista Fleet Boat Tour

We visited Playfront Park, which is right by the Aquarium. It was just newly constructed, and also offers a recreation center where families are allowed to use sports and field equipment free of charge in their open field play area.

Boat tour view

For our last day we went on the North Shore Scenic Railroad and had lunch at Amazing Grace café before heading out for our 2.5 hour drive home.

Riding the train

We have a great time and there was still so much more to do and see. We stayed at the Suites Hotel at Waterfront Plaza, which was just over $100/night with the prepay discount (simply by booking over a month in advance). It was a great location in Canal Park, near the Lift Bridge, and within walking distance to myriad of incredible restaurants and attractions. It’s fairly easy to keep a trip to the North Shore affordable. Vista Fleet offers a Northland Coupon book each year that you can download and offers discounts for hotels, restaurants, attractions, and shopping. If you take the Vista Fleet boat tour, they also hand them out complimentary. One of the reasons we chose our hotel is because it also had a small kitchenette, allowing us to save money even further by bringing some simple breakfast or lunch foods, or reheating leftovers. Eating out for every meal definitely isn’t cheap – and this helped save money immensely!

Although I have been to Duluth several times throughout my life, this was Mr. Pen’s first time and as a native New-Yorker who has never been much impressed with Minnesota, he truly appreciated all Duluth had to offer and agreed it was a beautiful city, with delicious food, and a lot to do.