Are you coming to attend the University of Minnesota, Duluth for the next school year? Maybe your just passing through for the weekend. A visitors guide to Duluth will make your stay even more exciting. Duluth is full of interesting places to explore. The Duluth News Tribune, the local newspaper, is a great source of information for daily activities, and special events going on around the city. With coupons and restaurant listings you can find a number of bargain discounts.
Duluth hotels are top of the line, with all the major chains available. Including four star establishments like Sheraton, Radisson, Best Western, and many more. Motel 6, Days Inn, and many other cost effective places are represented as well. Duluth cable TV service is provided at most hotels, and many also provide wireless internet for their patrons, to help keep them current and connected.
If shopping is your goal, Duluth won’t let you leave disappointed. With all the major chains, including Target, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Menards being located on top of the hill near the Miller Mall. The Mall has all the usual features including many restaurants, a food court, and theater along side the long list of stores. Including the likes of Lane Bryant, Old Navy, and American Eagle Outfitters. The old standards are also present with Sears and Barnes & Noble, as well as many others.
From one end of the city to the other, restaurants are many and varied. Sir Benedicts on the Lake, The Fitgers Brewhouse Brewery and Grill, both located in the down town area. If Chinese food is your preference you are never more then a couple blocks from one of many throughout the center of the city. No matter where you are within the city borders you are assured of being in walking distance of a good meal.
With many historic attractions, Duluth is an excellent place for a self guided tour. Easy to navigate, this city on the shores of Lake Superior is accessible to all. Getting lost is almost impossible, and the friendly locals are happy to guide you to any destination you may be looking for.
In the center of the city, visible from many directions, is the Aerial Lift Bridge. The keystone of Canal Park, the Lift Bridge is the entry to the Duluth Harbor for the many ships that arrive and depart throughout the shipping season. Salties and Inter Lake Ore Carriers can be seen up close, as they pass under the bridge. With walking access to the piers along the canal, you can be as close as 50′ to the huge ships as they pass by.
The DECC (Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center) is host to all the major shows and conventions coming to the area. Within walking distance from Canal Park, and connected to the Skywalk System which connects all of downtown Duluth, the DECC can be reached in comfort year around. Gordon Lightfoot, Elvis, the musical Cats, or even Dolly Paton, all have performed on this stage to large crowds.
The Lake Superior Marine Museum is located in Canal Park. With many displays and much historical information covering the long history of shipping in the Duluth – Superior area. Lake Superior is famous for many ship wrecks, some happening just outside the harbor, and easily within sight of people on shore.
On the western end of the climate controlled Skywalk System is The Depot. A retired Union Railroad Depot, the complex is home to the St. Louis County Heritage and Arts Center.
The Lake Superior Railroad Museum is located on the lower level. With many historically accurate examples of our railroad heritage, this museum will take you back to the early 1900’s when mining and logging were being established in the area. The North Shore Scenic Railroad offers excursions during the summer months. With a varied schedule of trips along the Shore of Lake Superior, you can ride the rails north to Two Harbors. A trip of about 20 miles along the lake shore, winding through the historic Lake Side district of Duluth. An area populated with many fine Victorian homes and mansions.
The Duluth Playhouse performance theater, which is at street level at The Depot, offers many top level performances throughout the year. Making use of local talent, the theater is actively supported by many businesses and organizations throughout the city.
Going east along London Road, the direct passage to the North Shore of Lake Superior, you will find Glensheen, the historic mansion built by Chester Congdon. A key player in the early development of the iron ore mining industry in northern Minnesota, Chester Congdon built this 39 room Jacobean Revival Mansion right on the shore of Lake Superior. Infamous for the murder of his last surviving Daughter, Elizabeth Congdon in the 1970’s by Roger Caldwell, the husband of her adopted daughter Marjorie Caldwell.
These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to things to do and see in Duluth Minnesota. Stopping at the Thompson Hill Visitors Center as you come into Duluth on Interstate 35 will give you access to many coupons, advertisements, and brochures of attractions in the immediate area and on up the North Shore of Lake Superior. The Duluth Chamber of Commerce want you to enjoy your stay here in Duluth and hopes you will return many times.
