Duluth MN Cruises
Duluth is the second largest city on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario. ... As a tourist destination for the Midwest, Duluth has America's only all-freshwater aquarium, the Great Lakes Aquarium. Duluth is known for the Aerial Lift Bridge, which spans the Duluth Ship Canal into the Duluth-Superior Harbor.
|
|
Duluth (Minnesota) is a Port of Call for the following Great Lakes Cruises: Victory Cruise Lines
Viking Expedition Cruises (2022)
|
Things to do in Duluth
GLENSHEEN, THE HISTORIC CONGDON ESTATE
Tour Glensheen, the former estate of Gilded Age Chester Adgate Congdon, a noted Duluth industrialist and philanthropist. The 39-room Glensheen mansion, sitting high atop the bluffs overlooking the city and the lake, is the most visited historic home in the state of Minnesota. A must while visiting the area. Locals and tourists love this place.
For more information click here: The Glensheen Mansion
GREAT LAKES AQUARIUM
The Great Lakes Aquarium located in Duluth, MN is a fantastic excursion during your time in port. So instead of just viewing the Great Lakes from the bow of your ship, get an up close and personal look at what its like under the water.
For more information click here: Great Lakes Aquarium
LAKE SUPERIOR HELICOPTER TOURS
Lake Superior Helicopters is also widely know for their tours of Duluth, MN. They offer 3 different types of tours that range from 15 miles to 30 miles.
For more information click here: Lake Superior Helicopters
LAKE SUPERIOR ZOO
The Lake Superior Zoo in Duluth, MN, is the region’s wildest place to explore – and be inspired.
For more information click here: The Lake Superior Zoo
SPLIT ROCK LIGHTHOUSE
A November gale that wrecked nearly 30 ships in 1905 prompted this rugged landmark's construction. When the U.S. Lighthouse Service completed Split Rock Light Station in 1910, it soon became one of Minnesota's best known destinations. For more information click here: Split Rock Lighthouse
THE LILAC LOVEFEST
When Duluth is your port of call, be sure to take in the annual Lilac Lovefest that occurs each May.
Duluth has the longest Lilac season in the world!
For more information click here: The Lilac Lovefest
CANAL PARK & THE LAKEWALK
Start your tour in Located in the shadow of the Aerial Lift Bridge hugging the shoreline of Lake Superior, Canal Park is the epicenter of Duluth downtown family fun. More than a conventional park, this popular Duluth recreation area is home to Lakewalk, a promenade with walking and biking trails meandering through the waterfront area past shops and restaurants. Sit and watch the ships sail the harbor or stroll along the water for some great people watching. Water sports of all varieties are accessible in Canal Park including rentals of electric boats, Seadoos, paddle boards, canoes, and kayaks. Bike rental and carriage rides are also easily arranged.
Official Website: https://canalpark.com/guide-duluth-lakewalk-boardwalk/
DULUTH ROSE GARDEN & LEIF ERICKSON PARK
Connected to the east end of Lake Walk, overlooking Lake Superior is the Duluth Rose Garden & Leif Erickson Park, a magnificent English style garden with more than 3,000 rose bushes of some 99 varieties and numerous trees, shrubs, an herb garden and other flowers. The garden is gorgeous throughout the summer, but especially in July when most of the rose bushes are in full bloom. Within this six acre garden brick walkways connect all of the beds. There is also an antique horse fountain and marble gazebo along with plenty of benches that resemble stone sofas overlooking the lake. Note that the replica of Erikson's Viking ship, a wooden sailing vessel that made the journey from Norway to Boston before ending up in Duluth in 1927, is currently off-site undergoing restoration.
Address: 13th Ave E & London Road, Duluth, MN 55812
Official Site: https://mngardens.horticulture.umn.edu/duluth-rose-garde
AERIAL LIFT BRIDGE
Duluth’s landmark attraction, located between Park Point and Canal Park, is the largest and fastest lift bridge in the world. More than 115 years old, Duluth's iconic Aerial Lift Bridge spans a narrow opening connecting Park Point to Duluth's mainland. Operating 24/7 rising and lowering to accommodate freighters, cargo ships, sailboats, and tour excursions from the harbor into the main lake passageway. Be sure to check out the shipping schedule to find out when the next ship is expected to arrive or depart from the harbor. It’s truly a unique experience to watch the bridge go up and see a 1,000 foot ship pass by underneath it. Photographers get favored shots just before sunset however, the bridge is particularly beautiful at night, with hundreds of LED lights illuminating the structure.
Address: 601 S. Lake Ave, Duluth, Minnesota
Video Camera: https://www.duluthharborcam.com/p/bridge-cam.html
Shipping Schedule: https://harborlookout.com/ships#0
LAKE SUPERIOR RAILROAD MUSEUM & HISTORIC TRAIN EXCURSIONS
Ride a vintage train for a journey along the shore of Lake Superior The North Shore Scenic Railroad runs through Duluth and Two Harbor Minnesota. The railroad started up in 1990, using the Lakefront Line once owned by the Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway. Also on display at the museum is a 2-8-8-4 "Yellowstone" locomotive which was among the largest steam engines to ever operate. The railroad is owned by the Lake Superior Railroad Museum and offers several different types of passenger excursion trains between May 28 and October 15 each year.
Address: 506 W. Michigan St Duluth, MN 55805
Official Website: http://lsrm.org/
Tour Glensheen, the former estate of Gilded Age Chester Adgate Congdon, a noted Duluth industrialist and philanthropist. The 39-room Glensheen mansion, sitting high atop the bluffs overlooking the city and the lake, is the most visited historic home in the state of Minnesota. A must while visiting the area. Locals and tourists love this place.
For more information click here: The Glensheen Mansion
GREAT LAKES AQUARIUM
The Great Lakes Aquarium located in Duluth, MN is a fantastic excursion during your time in port. So instead of just viewing the Great Lakes from the bow of your ship, get an up close and personal look at what its like under the water.
For more information click here: Great Lakes Aquarium
LAKE SUPERIOR HELICOPTER TOURS
Lake Superior Helicopters is also widely know for their tours of Duluth, MN. They offer 3 different types of tours that range from 15 miles to 30 miles.
For more information click here: Lake Superior Helicopters
LAKE SUPERIOR ZOO
The Lake Superior Zoo in Duluth, MN, is the region’s wildest place to explore – and be inspired.
For more information click here: The Lake Superior Zoo
SPLIT ROCK LIGHTHOUSE
A November gale that wrecked nearly 30 ships in 1905 prompted this rugged landmark's construction. When the U.S. Lighthouse Service completed Split Rock Light Station in 1910, it soon became one of Minnesota's best known destinations. For more information click here: Split Rock Lighthouse
THE LILAC LOVEFEST
When Duluth is your port of call, be sure to take in the annual Lilac Lovefest that occurs each May.
Duluth has the longest Lilac season in the world!
For more information click here: The Lilac Lovefest
CANAL PARK & THE LAKEWALK
Start your tour in Located in the shadow of the Aerial Lift Bridge hugging the shoreline of Lake Superior, Canal Park is the epicenter of Duluth downtown family fun. More than a conventional park, this popular Duluth recreation area is home to Lakewalk, a promenade with walking and biking trails meandering through the waterfront area past shops and restaurants. Sit and watch the ships sail the harbor or stroll along the water for some great people watching. Water sports of all varieties are accessible in Canal Park including rentals of electric boats, Seadoos, paddle boards, canoes, and kayaks. Bike rental and carriage rides are also easily arranged.
Official Website: https://canalpark.com/guide-duluth-lakewalk-boardwalk/
DULUTH ROSE GARDEN & LEIF ERICKSON PARK
Connected to the east end of Lake Walk, overlooking Lake Superior is the Duluth Rose Garden & Leif Erickson Park, a magnificent English style garden with more than 3,000 rose bushes of some 99 varieties and numerous trees, shrubs, an herb garden and other flowers. The garden is gorgeous throughout the summer, but especially in July when most of the rose bushes are in full bloom. Within this six acre garden brick walkways connect all of the beds. There is also an antique horse fountain and marble gazebo along with plenty of benches that resemble stone sofas overlooking the lake. Note that the replica of Erikson's Viking ship, a wooden sailing vessel that made the journey from Norway to Boston before ending up in Duluth in 1927, is currently off-site undergoing restoration.
Address: 13th Ave E & London Road, Duluth, MN 55812
Official Site: https://mngardens.horticulture.umn.edu/duluth-rose-garde
AERIAL LIFT BRIDGE
Duluth’s landmark attraction, located between Park Point and Canal Park, is the largest and fastest lift bridge in the world. More than 115 years old, Duluth's iconic Aerial Lift Bridge spans a narrow opening connecting Park Point to Duluth's mainland. Operating 24/7 rising and lowering to accommodate freighters, cargo ships, sailboats, and tour excursions from the harbor into the main lake passageway. Be sure to check out the shipping schedule to find out when the next ship is expected to arrive or depart from the harbor. It’s truly a unique experience to watch the bridge go up and see a 1,000 foot ship pass by underneath it. Photographers get favored shots just before sunset however, the bridge is particularly beautiful at night, with hundreds of LED lights illuminating the structure.
Address: 601 S. Lake Ave, Duluth, Minnesota
Video Camera: https://www.duluthharborcam.com/p/bridge-cam.html
Shipping Schedule: https://harborlookout.com/ships#0
LAKE SUPERIOR RAILROAD MUSEUM & HISTORIC TRAIN EXCURSIONS
Ride a vintage train for a journey along the shore of Lake Superior The North Shore Scenic Railroad runs through Duluth and Two Harbor Minnesota. The railroad started up in 1990, using the Lakefront Line once owned by the Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway. Also on display at the museum is a 2-8-8-4 "Yellowstone" locomotive which was among the largest steam engines to ever operate. The railroad is owned by the Lake Superior Railroad Museum and offers several different types of passenger excursion trains between May 28 and October 15 each year.
Address: 506 W. Michigan St Duluth, MN 55805
Official Website: http://lsrm.org/
VEC - Great Lakes Aquarium, SS William A. Irvin , Otter Cove, Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory.
Get to know Duluth
- Duluth is the second largest city on Lake Superior’s shores.
- Sioux and Chippewa tribes are the first known inhabitants of the Western Lake Superior region, and it wasn’t until around the 1650s or 1660s that Pierre Esprit Radisson of France explored the area.
- Duluth was founded in 1817, when John Jacob Astor established an important fur-trading post on the banks of the St. Louis River at Fond du Lac, a name which means "head of the lake" in French. Fond du Lac was the first permanent white settlement in the Duluth area. In 1856, Duluth was platted and in 1878, it was incorporated as a city.
- Duluth is the largest port on the Great Lakes, mainly transporting coal, iron ore, and grain.
- The harbor is 2,342 miles away from the Atlantic Ocean. The depths of the harbor were initially only 6-8 feet deep, they now are almost 30 feet deep!
- Around the start of the 20th century, the city's port passed New York City and Chicago in gross tonnage handled, making it the leading port in the United States. Lake freighters carried iron ore through the Great Lakes to processing plants in Illinois and Ohio. Ten newspapers, six banks and an eleven-story skyscraper, the Torrey Building, had been founded and built. As of 1905, Duluth was said to be home to the most millionaires per capita in the United States
- Rising to 138 feet in 55 seconds, the Aerial Lift Bridge is the biggest and quickest lift bridge in the world. Until the lift bridge was built, people accessed Minnesota Point or Park Point by ferry
- Duluth is also proud to lay claim to being the birthplace of iconic folk singer and national treasure, Bob Dylan. Born in 1941, Dylan lived here for the first six years of his life — a connection that's celebrated each May at the week-long Duluth Dylan Fest, as well as on the nearly two-mile-long Bob Dylan Way, a fun walking route that takes in landmarks linked to the star, as well as top cultural attractions.
- The dessert Pie à la Mode, a slice of pie topped by a scoop of ice cream, was first invented and named by John Gieriet in Duluth in 1885.
- In 1887, Alexander Miles of Duluth patented an electric elevator. He did not invent the first elevator, however, his design was very important. At that time elevator patrons or operators were required to manually shut a door to cut off access to the elevator shaft, and he created an automatic mechanism that closed access to the shaft.
- Duluth has numerous parks, including six parks on Lake Superior: Brighton Beach Park, Leif Erickson Park, Canal Park on Park Point, the Lakewalk (connecting Canal Park and Leif Erickson Park via the lakeshore), Lafayette Park on Park Point, and Park Point Recreation Area near the end of Park Point, where a sand beach invites swimming in the lake. Park Point Pine Forest, located at the tip of Park Point, is popular for bird watching in the spring and fall when numerous shore birds use the area as a resting point during their migration.
Updated9/29/20 - lls
