Duluth Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
Duluth [1] is a city of about 87,000 people in northern Minnesota. It is often considered one of the Midwest's most scenic cities.
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Understand
Duluth has always been a shipping town: first for furs, later for iron ore, timber, and grain. As a shipping and milling town, Duluth once had the highest number of millionaires per capita in the United States.
Today, Duluth has a thriving tourism industry, with antique shops, excellent restaurants, cozy inns, and scenic views of Lake Superior. Canal Park and Superior Street have the highest concentrations of tourist destinations in the city. The famous Aerial Lift Bridge is on Lake Avenue, next to Canal Park. Particularly proud residents liken the city to San Francisco, which also has bridges, hills, a bay, and a thriving tourist business.
Duluth is the western endpoint of the scenic North Shore Drive, which follows the rugged north coast of Lake Superior nearly 700 miles to Sault Ste Marie (Ontario).
Get in
By car
Duluth is about a 2.5 hour drive north of the Twin Cities, Minnesota, on Highway I-35.
By plane
You can fly in to the Duluth International Airport [2].
By boat
Duluth-Superior (WI) is an international seaport, by way of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway, and while the taconite industry has dropped way off from the Iron Range, timber is still shipped by boat.
Get around
See
- The Aerial Lift Bridge and Canal Park
- Split Rock Lighthouse (40 miles north)
- The old Gleensheen Mansion
- Rose garden in Leif Erickson Park
- The panoramic view from the top of Enger Tower
Do
- See the bay by ferry tour
- Check out the panoramic view of the city from Enger Tower.
- Go to the beach at Park Point and try swimming in Lake Superior (only in July or August - very cold)
- Take a leisurely stroll or bike ride along the Lakewalk.
- Bike down the paved Munger Trail... all 70 miles if you wish.
- Drive 30 miles north for a picnic at Gooseberry Falls SP, enjoy the falls. You can walk right up face-to-face with frozen waterfall at certain times of the year.
- Walk the Duluth portion of the Superior Hiking Trail, located on the ridge above the city and accessible from Skyline Parkway.
Buy
- Goodies from Hepzibah's candy store
Eat
- India Palace: The lunch buffet (on weekdays around noon) is an excellent sampler of East Indian food.
- The Maya: A good Mexican restaurant in the "mall area".
- Hacienda del Sol: Another local Mexican restaurant; considered by some to be a Duluth staple.
- Pizza Luce: An interesting establishment with plenty of live music.
- Bellisio's: An upscale but not overly expensive Italian restaurant with great pastas and gnocchi.
- Grandma's: Good Italian and American food. Probably Duluth's most famous local restaurant.
- The New Scenic Cafe: creative menu based on fresh, local ingredients. Vegetarian friendly. On Lake Superior's North Shore (13 miles north of downtown) with a view of the lake.
- Taste of Saigon: Known for their Vietnamese cuisine
- The Brewhouse: Not just for those looking for a drink; they also have an excellent menu featuring local favorites, including the veggie-friendly Wild Rice Burger. (try the chocolate cake cold).
Drink
- The Brewhouse: Unique microbrewery serving an wide selection of beers, ales, lagers, and other beverages; many brewed on site. In the Fitgers complex
Sleep
- Firelight Inn, 2211 East 3rd Street, 218 724-0272, Toll-free: (888) 725-0273, [3]. Bed and Breakfast.
- Hawthorn Suites Duluth, 325 Lake Ave. South, Tel: 218 727-4663, [4].
- Mathew S. Burrows 1890 Inn, 1632 East 1st Street, 218 724-4991, Toll-free: (800) 789-1890, [5]. Bed and Breakfast.
Get out
- Set off for a camping/canoe trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area
- Drive up the North Shore of Lake Superior
- Bike the Willard Munger trail (over 100 km / 70 miles between Duluth and Hinckley)
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