Explore Duluth, Minnesota’s Historic-to-Hip Highlights

Duluth, Minnesota, has long been a Midwestern destination for outdoor enthusiasts, with easy access to trails, rivers, lakes and mountains. And now, this busy port city has even more to offer: a revitalized waterfront that’s abuzz with energy. In Canal Park, abandoned warehouses are now home to cafés, breweries, shops and galleries.

The up-and-coming Lincoln Park Craft District hums with a creative and entrepreneurial spirit. In the downtown area, historic sites celebrate the city’s industrial past and showcase its current arts scene. Top it off with the natural beauty of Lake Superior’s shoreline and you’ve got a unique playground for outdoor and urban adventures alike.

As always, check for travel restrictions and closures before planning your trip.

Friday: Spend the Day on the Waterfront

Hit the ground walking on your first day and explore Canal Park, the rapid-beating heart of Duluth. Get your coffee and pastry to go from Duluth Coffee Company, where the beans are roasted on-site.

Head toward the water and awaken your senses while strolling south along the Lakewalk. This waterfront path is dotted with benches and picnic tables and spans nearly 8 miles, from Bayfront Park to Brighton Beach. Look for sculptures representing Duluth’s sister cities (including Växjö, Sweden, and Ohara-Isumi, Japan) set against the backdrop of sparkling blue water.

After about half a mile, you’ll reach the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center, which has free interactive exhibits, a three-story steam engine and 50 scale model ships.

For lunch and post-meal shopping, check out the eateries and stores along Canal Park Drive or Lake Avenue. Grandma’s Saloon & Grill is a Duluth institution with a rooftop deck that overlooks the iconic Aerial Lift Bridge. Time it right and you can watch the century-old structure rise to allow massive ships into the harbor. (Check the shipping schedule at harborlookout.com).

A standout shop is Lake Superior Art Glass, which offers views of its glass-blowing studio from the street. If you’re looking for more marine fun, walk across the Minnesota Slip pedestrian bridge and visit the Great Lakes Aquarium, where kids will delight in touching jellyfish, or tour the enormous iron ore carrier William A. Irvin, once part of U.S. Steel’s Great Lakes fleet.

Hungry? Dig in to a hearty dinner at industrial-chic Canal Park Brewing Company, a solar-powered brewpub with a waterside patio.

Award-winning craft beers and local favorites like beer cheese soup and fried curds (made with cheese from neighboring Wisconsin) are sure to fill you up. A kids menu is available, and if you have room for dessert, indulge in the brewery’s decadent treat — Swedish cream topped with lingonberry sauce — before calling it a night.

Saturday: Soak Up History and the Arts

Until the mid-1900s, Duluth thrived as a mining and shipping hub. Its roots as an industrial powerhouse are readily evident at historic sites scattered near the city center. Start your morning off with the locals at Uncle Loui’s Café, an old-school diner slinging breakfast all day in a nondescript area downtown.

Then drive a few miles to Glensheen, a magnificent 39-room mansion and 12-acre estate built in 1908 for captain of industry Chester Congdon. A tour of the restored home and grounds tells the story of the region’s heyday.

For lunch, try one of the restaurants located inside the Fitger’s Brewery complex, a registered landmark from the 1880s. Be sure to check out the free displays at Fitger’s Museum, filled with brewery memorabilia. (Fun fact: Bob Dylan was born in Duluth, so you’ll find an exhibit about the acclaimed musician here as well.)

Afterward, head back downtown to the Duluth Depot, another historic site that’s now home to the Lake Superior Railroad Museum, Duluth Art Institute as well as performance arts spaces.

From the depot, amble northeast along the brick-paved streets of the historic commercial district. While there are plenty of restaurants and shops on Superior and First Streets, one of the area’s highlights is Lizzards Art Gallery & Framing, with a 3,000-square-foot showroom featuring works by local artists.

A block east, you’ll find Pizza Lucé, a great choice for dinner. The fun local chain serves creative pies, including vegan and gluten-free options. (Pro tip: If it’s unpleasantly cold — or hot — outside, travel along the Skywalk, a 3.5-mile climate-controlled passageway throughout downtown that protects residents from Minnesota’s weather extremes.)

Wrap up the night with a live performance at one of the theaters clustered downtown: Duluth Playhouse’s legendary NorShor Theatre, Underground Theatre or Zeitgeist Teatro.

Sunday: Get Back to Nature — and Handcrafted Goods

After two days exploring the city’s busy waterfront, head farther inland and enjoy a more bucolic Duluth. Start with the popular brunch at At Sara’s Table Chester Creek Café, where some of the ingredients on the farm-to-fork menu are grown in the garden next door.

Then enjoy breathtaking vistas as you drive the Skyline Parkway, a 25-mile scenic road that offers a bird’s-eye view of the shoreline below.

The route begins at Brighton Beach to the east and ends at Becks Road to the west while crossing through parks, a nature reserve and recreation areas. There are plenty of opportunities to get out of the car and snap selfies at observation overlooks, hike or bike adjacent trails, bird-watch and even cool off in swimming holes.

A must-see about halfway along the route is Enger Tower, which stands at the highest point in Enger Park. You can climb the five-story stone observation tower for panoramic views.

Just south of Enger Park is where you’ll finish up your weekend, in the up-and-coming Lincoln Park Craft District. The former industrial area is rapidly transforming into a hip destination for eclectic dining and handcrafted goods.

For lunch, try the wild rice melt at local favorite Duluth Grill. It’s their version of the wild rice burger, a Minnesotan specialty, thanks to the region’s ideal conditions for growing the grain.

Quality craftsmanship is on display at the neighborhood’s stores and studios, including Duluth Pottery and Frost River Packing Co. If you’ve got kids to entertain, don’t miss the Duluth Children’s Museum, which emphasizes hands-on learning through creative play.

Stick around the area for dinner, where your choices range from Clyde Iron Works, a massive factory turned restaurant, to OMC Smokehouse, where you can enjoy freshly smoked meats on a patio warmed by fire pits. For a final toast to Duluth, hit up one of the breweries or cider houses on West Superior Street.