"The San Franciso of the Midwest"

The first thing to know about Duluth is that it is a harbor town. As such, the water is the center of activity and the best place to start your visit is in Canal Park. This one-time warehouse district is now ground-zero for a visit to Duluth. Located just to the east of downtown and the interstate, Canal Park is the bustling center of the Duluth revival. Several hotels are located here as are many of the best restaurants and most of the nightlife. Canal Park is also easy walking distance to all the major attractions in town, including the new Great Lakes Aquarium and the William S. Irvin. Other nearby sites include the Omnimax theater and Park Point. One of the most unique, and most visible, landmarks is the lift bridge which is located at the eastern most end of Canal Park. The bridge is still operational, and one of the highlights of any visit to Duluth is watching the bridge lift and the giant boats full of iron ore pass beneath on its way into Lake Superior and all points beyond.

Quick Tips:

Beginning in Canal Park and following the shore line of Lake Superior to the north is the lakewalk. This is the place to be for joggers, rollerbladers and folks out for a nice walk during the summer months. This paved boardwalk goes for several miles and passes many historical markers, a replica of Leif Ericson's viking ship and a great rose garden. Don't miss Fitger's Brewpub, the Portland Malt Shop and Sir Ben's pub. Just south of town is the beginning of the Willard Munger trail, a beautifully-maintained paved trail that extends 70 miles south and will ultimately run all the way to the Twin Cities. This trail is great for bicyclists and rollerbladers who want well-maintained paths with great views.

During the fall, check out Hawkridge which is located just north of the city. This seemingly remote location is in town and is THE place to watch migrating birds as they head south from Canada for the winter. Hawks, eagles and others follow the northern shore line of the lake and then spread out along their migratory routes. The Audubon Society has counters here throughout the fall and there are always amateur bird watchers around to provide information.

Best Way To Get Around:

The Brewhouse is located inside the Fitger's Brewery Complex, the site of a turn-of-the-century brewery that has been renovated and now features several shops and the highly rated Fitger's Inn. The pub itself has the feel of a local's pub in a Colorado ski resort, with warm, wood decor and an eclectic mix of old beer signs and tap handles adorning the walls and ceiling.

The food is better than the typical 'pub grub' and the menu offers a large variety, from burgers to vegetarian. My favorites include their chili, the 'California Chicken sandwich as well as their Black Bean Burrito served with Blue Corn Chips.

Regardless of what you eat, the real star here is the beer, which is brewed on premise. The varieties are frequently updated and almost always feature a seasonal variety. My favorite is Witchtree ESB, a full-bodied amber.

Fitger's features live music most nights of the week and takes care of the die-hards with Grateful Dead night once a week.

NOTE: Duluth recently passed a city ordinance banning smoking in restaurants until after 8PM unless the smoking section is in a room with its own ventilation. Great news for non-smokers, not so good for smokers.

This tiny restaurant, located about twenty minutes north of town along the scenic North Shore highway, sits across the street from Lake Superior and provides a casually elegant night out. No need to get dressed up, but many folks do. People come here for the food, not to critique their neighbor's wardrobe. The menu is not expansive, but everything we've ever had here has been superb. They describe their food as 'global fusion with a northern Minnesota touch.' Recent favorites of mine included the Pistachio crusted Walleye and the chipotle chicken with grilled polenta. I've heard their weekend brunch is excellent and, while I haven't had it yet, I don't doubt that it is. We had New Year’s Eve dinner here this year, and the seven-course meal delighted us through an entire evening of dishes that never failed to hit the mark.

Over the eons, the prevailing winds that passed over Duluth's ridgeline deposited sand on this eastern point of Lake Superior and created Park Point, the longest freshwater sandbar in the world. You may not come to Duluth looking for a beautiful beach, but it is here!

The Chippewa called this place Shaga-wa-mik, or 'narrow point of land." To get here, cross over the Lift Bridge in Canal Park and start driving. Actually, as soon as you cross over the bridge, you are on Park Point but the recreation area is about three miles east past the residential section. Park at the local airport and take the gravel road to the left. This is the trailhead which leads you at to the eastern most tip of the Point and the Superior Entry. The beach and its beautiful dunes are on your left and the mouth of the St Louis and Nemadji rivers flow into the natural harbor on the right.

The terrain is open and sandy, reminding me of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. You are likely to find strawberries, blueberries and raspberries growing wild in the summer but all seasons have their own unique beauty here. I particularly like the winter when the Great Lake has frozen into jagged ice berg like formations along the shore line and the beach is covered in snow. Boomer, my dog, and I can walk for hours in the peace and solitude of this place, enjoying the uniqueness of its geography and beauty.

Duluth has something like 23 major streams that drain into The Lake, and many have carved scenic ravines into the ridgeline and hillside that the city sits along. These ravines make for terrific hiking and Chester Bowl is no exception.

The Chester Creek Trail is a 2.2 mile round trip that can be entered from the top at Skyline Boulevard bridge under Chester Bowl or else at the bottom across from Whole Foods Co-op at the intersection of 4th and 15th. This is a serious hill, so either way you will spend a mile going up and a mile going down. The trail runs both sides of the creek, so you have the choice of returning along a different trail than you come in on.

Much of the trail is maintained by the food co-op and has wood chips neatly spread upon it, but the steeper sections can be muddy--hiking boots recommended. The trail has much to offer in terms of scenery with the creek forming into numerous cascades and waterfalls along the way. Located just below the 8th street bridge (remember, this scenic park is actually loacted in the city limits) is a particularly deep section of the ravine and the trail is over a hundred feet above the creek.

During the summer, there are free concerts in the Bowl on Tuesday nights and in the winter, you can watch (or try?) ski jumping. The Bowl is also a popular mountain biking destination and has a 3K x-country loop for the community to enjoy. Chester Bowl is just one more example of what makes Dukuth an outdoor enthusiast's year round mecca.