On December 12, 2010, we’ll open the doors of our Duluth bed and breakfast for the annual Historic Inns Holiday Tour. Visitors are welcome to drop by between 1 and 5 p.m.

We’ll be decorated to the nines. Enjoy light refreshments, holiday music, and fine company.

Tickets to view all seven Duluth inns are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Please call for advance tickets: 877-727-0596.

We invite you to visit our Duluth Inn on December 12, during the Duluth Historic Inns Holiday Tour.

Participating historic Duluth inns:
A.G. Thomson
Cotton Mansion
Ellery House
Firelight Inn
Mathew S. Burrows
Olcott House
Solglimt

When next you travel to our bed and breakfast Duluth, whether for business or pleasure, try to find some time to leave civilization behind and stretch your legs. There are several good trails not far outside of Duluth. We’ll feed you well in the morning, so you’ll have plenty of energy for the hike.

Caribou Falls

The Superior Hiking Trail runs from Jay Cooke State Park south of Duluth to Pigeon River, near the U.S. – Canadian border (with a short break between Duluth and Two Harbors). The trail affords spectacular views of the lake and leads hikers through several lovely state parks and wilderness areas. Read the rest of this entry »

The holidays are fast approaching. This tends to be a busy time for many people. If you are hosting this year, friends and family will visit; the house must be cleaned, the pantry stocked, and meals prepared. If you are traveling this year, plans must be made: the car cleaned, tickets purchased, bags packed.

Those of you spending Thanksgiving in Duluth may choose to stay at our Lake Superior bed and breakfast. Staying at our inn rather than with family or friends has many benefits. You can visit the people you love for as long as you like, and then return to your own space. See each other when you’re at your best, and give each other just a little space. Of course you may spend as much or as little time as you like at the inn – you’ll feel good just knowing you can come here whenever you want.

Take a long walk on the beach before heading over to be with friends and family on Thanksgiving. Our Duluth bed and breakfast is in Canal Park, on the shores of Lake Superior; you can walk out the door and walk seven miles along the beach and walking trail to the end of the Park Point. It’s a wonderful way to stimulate the appetite and invigorate the senses. After such a morning, you’ll be ready to sit, give thanks, and enjoy a feast.

Our Duluth bed and breakfast on Lake Superior is a good place to sit and give thanks.

Lake Superior Helicopters in Superior Wisconsin offers scenic helicopter tours of Lake Superior, Duluth, and the surrounding area. Superior is located close to our Lake Superior bed and breakfast, on the other side of Superior and Saint Louis Bays.

Soar over Lake Superior.

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Truthfully, one of the best activities here at our Duluth bed and breakfast is simply taking in the view. We never tire of it. Lake Superior is constantly changing. In the winter, when skies can be gray and winds can be strong, there is no place we would rather be than curled up inside the inn, looking out of a window. The water can be blue, green, gray, white, or black. Light dances on the waves. Skies are blue, flecked with clouds, or hidden by fog – each day brings something different, and something new to appreciate.

Rainbow over Lake Superior.

It’s cozy warm in here when it’s cold outside, and cool during summer heat. We can venture out on the deck or down to the beach, or simply look out the window at Lake Superior, Duluth Harbor, or the Aerial Lift Bridge. We like to walk a seemingly endless stretch of beach, stroll through Canal Park, and head into the heart of downtown Duluth, minutes away. But when we can, we relax in our bed and breakfast Duluth. One evening, we were lucky to spot a rainbow over the lake, pictured above.

The Aerial Lift Bridge is a remarkable feat of engineering. It has been known to go up and down dozens of times a day to allow shipping traffic through, and still it works. It is also beautiful. During the summer, crowds form to watch the ships line up and the bridge rise. There is something strangely uplifting about witnessing this event – as the bridge slowly climbs upward so do our spirits. We find ourselves awed by human creativity and ingenuity. We feel inspired.

The Aerial Lift Bridge is located in the Duluth neighborhoods of Canal Park and Park Point, as is our Lake Superior bed and breakfast. Guests may watch the shipping traffic from the inn, and in some cases from their rooms. It’s a short stroll to down the beach to watch the ships glide through the Canal and under the bridge – their enormity can be downright astonishing.

Watch shipping traffic line up to pass through the Aerial Lift Bridge.

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We’d like to take a moment to thank guests of our Duluth bed and breakfast. Without you, we’d be nothing. You are without a doubt the best part of our work – we meet people from all over the world and all walks of life, and we learn much from you. We also enjoy coming up with new recipes for you, providing a comfortable environment for you, and helping you experience the best of Duluth.

This summer, we were thrilled to find ourselves featured in the Chicago Tribune; journalist Mary Bergin wrote about our location (which we have to admit is pretty spectacular), our food, and our rooms. In her article, she acknowledged our efforts to be a green bed and breakfast Duluth, for which we are grateful. She also refers to some of the best places and activities in and around Duluth. Her article may be found at the Chicago Tribune.

Our Duluth bed and breakfast on Lake Superior.

The leaves may have peeked and the wind may be chilly, but Duluth is still a wonderful place to visit. Fall is a favorite time of ours: brisk walks and bike rides along Lake Superior are invigorating, and it feels just right to curl up with a book and a hot cup of coffee or tea. We invite you to come experience our town, our inn, and our hospitality.

The Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center is a wonderful place to learn about the maritime history of Lake Superior. Stop by the next time you stay at our Duluth bed and breakfast – it’s close to us in Canal Park, at the base of the Aerial Lift Bridge.

Visit Duluth Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center.

Currently on exhibit is the historic Fresnel Lens that once lit the Inner Range Light on the South Pier of the Duluth Ship Canal. It was installed sometime at the start of the 20th century, and remained in place until it was replaced by a phenolic (plastic) lens in 1995. A visit to the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center affords a unique opportunity to get close to a Minnesota lighthouse lens.

After indulging in a gourmet breakfast at our Duluth Lake Superior bed and breakfast (ciabatta topped with ham, cheese, arugula, and egg anyone?) walk about a quarter mile up the beach to the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center. It’s free, informative, and fun. On the way back, take your time and look for beach glass, which you may take home or donate to our collection.

The Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center is open daily through December 19, 2010, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.. For more information, please visit the LSMMA website.

The Tweed Museum of Art on the University of Minnesota Duluth campus features an ever-rotating, always-interesting series of exhibits. The museum collection grew out of the private art collection of George and Alice Tweed, who were also responsible for funding the building of the museum itself back in the 1950s. Today, the Tweed is home to more than 6,000 art pieces covering a wide range of art history and cultures.

Form and Surface, at the Tweed.

There are several excellent reasons to step inside the Tweed when you visit our Duluth bed and breakfast this fall. Read on for a list of current shows:

• You and Yours: Images of Family (through October 17, 2010)
• Form and Surface: Selections from the Glenn C. Nelson Collection (through November 7, 2010)
• Design in Print Imagery, 1940s–1960s
• The Royal Canadian Mountain Police
• Fall Student Shows – rotating

The leaves are starting to turn near our Duluth bed and breakfast. This is a favorite time for scenic drives, especially along Lake Superior and up into the Superior National Forest. If your schedule allows for mid-week travel, you may find you have the roads largely to yourself. No matter the day of the week, we will welcome you at our Lake Superior bed and breakfast Duluth.

The lovely fall color of Aspens trees.

The Superior National Forest lies north of Duluth and is part of the Great Boundary Waters at the Minnesota – Canada border. Leaf peepers will be delighted by the variety of deciduous trees found along the Superior National Forest Scenic Byway: aspen, oak, maple, mountain ash, and paper birch. Pale yellow, vibrant red, and dusty orange leaves flutter gracefully to the ground as winds shake the trees. Read the rest of this entry »