You also have to get ice cream from Love Creamery. Just a short drive away in Superior, Wisconsin is Thirsty Pagan Brewing, which I thought had great pizza and the TPB Bread appetizer (a 10-inch round of pizza dough I had the Margherita with fresh garlic, tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese) was amazing. It had a bit of a crunch from the rice that just added to the flavor. I had my first wild rice burger ever at Fitzer’s and it was really different but delicious. Some of my favorites include: Fitzer’s Brewhouse, Sir Benedict’s Tavern on the Lake, Black Woods Bar and Grill, Bellisio’s, and Va Bene. Most of the best places to eat are downtown and on Canal Park, or at least that’s what I was told. There are also events like artist talks, book club, and Free FriDAI which is a growing collection of digital activities to help people engage with the exhibitions on view at the Duluth Art Institute, make art from home, and learn about art. There was mainly modern art and textile art when I was there but I know the art is temporary in most of the galleries so the displays change regularly. Although I found it to be on the small side, considering the price of admission, it’s worth going to. Louis County Depot is the Duluth Art Institute, with free entry. You will need to buy tickets for entry to the museum but don’t need to purchase them in advance. You can also buy tickets here and take a narrated train ride from Duluth along the shores of Lake Superior into the woods. There are dozens of trains, some of which you can walk through and other train-related historical memorabilia. Louis County Depot, the Lake Superior Railroad Museum is a must-do if you’re a train buff or enjoy historical sites. Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum Lake Superior Railroad Museum We spent about an hour looking at every single piece in the permanent and temporary collections and I also reminisced with the person working there about the collection of antique phones (remember bag phones, the original cell phones? I actually had one when I was in graduate school!). The museum is housed in what was originally a First Church of Christ, Scientist and the building itself is like a piece of art. My daughter and I are both Trekkies so we greatly enjoyed looking at original drawings from the show. When we visited, the temporary collection was from Star Trek. It was founded in 1983 by real estate moguls David and Marsha Karpeles and includes permanent and temporary collections that travel from one site to another. The museum has an eclectic collection of original manuscripts and documents from a wide range of historical events including the original Bill of Rights, the first printing of the Ten Commandments from the 1455 Gutenberg Bible, and Richard Wagner’s “Wedding March.” There are 11 locations of Karpeles Manuscript Museums in the United States including the one in Duluth. I was a bit hesitant about going to a museum primarily full of manuscripts but I was glad we went. Some of my favorite parts of Glensheen Mansion Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum There are also some fun extras like scavenger hunts for children, a coffee bar and Johnson’s Bakery Donuts, Shark on the Lake where you can get ice cream from Love Creamery and beer or cocktails, and concerts on the pier in July and August. There are several options for tours including the self-guided Classic Tour, Full Mansion to see all 5 floors, Grounds Admission, and Kayak Tour. The Congdons became known for opening up iron mining in the area and setting aside land for public use such as Congdon Park. The 27,000 square foot, 39-room mansion cost the Congdons $854,000 to build and was eventually donated to the University of Minnesota in 1979 and opened to the public for tours. Glensheen mansion was built between 19 by Chester and Clara Congdon. The back of Glensheen Mansion Glensheen Mansion I thought she came up with some unique places. My daughter asked if she could pick some of the museums we went to and I agreed. I found a plethora of these things in Duluth and had a hard time narrowing it down to ones my teenage daughter and I would have time to visit. Typically I enjoy history, science, and art museums, art galleries, and local shops in an area where I’m traveling. However, I also knew I didn’t want to spend every day just hiking so I began to look into other things to do in the area. See my post on hiking in and near Duluth: State and Local Parks Plus Daytrips From Duluth, Minnesota. When I was planning my vacation to Minnesota of which a portion included some time in Duluth I knew I wanted to go hiking and I knew there were many options for that given all of the city and state parks (Duluth has an astounding 83 parks).
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