Holiday spirit is alive and well in Duluth! Bentleyville will soon be back in Duluth, just a few blocks away from our bed and breakfast on the shores of Lake Superior.

Bayfront Festival Park is just a stone's throw away from our B&B on Lake Superior.

Bentleyville Tour of Lights is a 37 day-long celebration at BayFront Festival Park that runs from November 27 through January 2, 2010. Daily festivities begin at 5 pm and continue until 10 pm. It is impossible not to feel warmed by the spirit of Christmas as you walk among the light displays, warm your hands around fire pits, and indulge in a roasted marshmallow or two. Even the most committed Scrooge will find himself in a cheerful holiday mood.

In addition to nightly light displays and fire pits, there will be live music every Friday and Saturday night thanks to a variety of regional musicians, who will take the stage from 7 – 9 pm.

The best part of Bentelyville for our guests is that Bayfront Festival Park is just a short walk from our Lake Superior lodging. It is easy to brace the cold when there is promise of the warmth of fire and the glow of lights just a few blocks away. And once you have said hello to Santa and indulged in a cup of hot cocoa and a cookie or two, you are only a short distance from the warmth of your cozy room.

Will you fill the stands at the UMD Homecoming game this weekend?

It’s Homecoming at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, October 14 – 17. Folks will be coming in from all over the state to celebrate their alma mater, and we hope to see some of you here at our Duluth inn. The Class of 1959 is having their 50th reunion, with many fun events planned, like the Vista Fleet Excursion harbor tour and lunch. And of course, UMN Bulldog fans will be out in force to support the game on Saturday.

With all the activity surrounding Homecoming, it can be easy to overlook an interesting event scheduled for Friday, October 16th. Actress Hilary Swank and director Mira Nair on Friday will be in Montague Hall 70 at 6:15pm to discuss their upcoming film, Amelia, based on the life of pioneer aviator Amelia Earhart. The event is sponsored by The New York Times and is to be a “live webcast”.  It promises to be lively and fun.

We enjoy our proximity to the University of Minnesota, Duluth. It brings in many interesting people, from alumni to Hilary Swank and Mira Nair, and some of them even stay at our bed and breakfast on Lake Superior. When we are in the mood for sports, there are excellent sporting events. When we are in the mood for “culture”, there is always something interesting taking place on the UMD campus. Best of all, these events are open to the public. So “here here” for UMD!

Bid your UMD student farewell and take a few days for yourself at our Duluth Inn.

The University of Minnesota Duluth opens its doors this week for the 2009-2010 academic year. After helping your student get settled, take a few days for yourself and come relax at our bed and breakfast on Lake Superior. It can be a great way to process the changes that occur as your child heads off to college, for the first year or the last.

July 1 marks the start of the “Concerts by the Lake” series, a free outdoor musical event at Glensheen Manor. Music by the shores of Lake Superior starts at 7:30 pm. Dance, or bring a blanket and relax with a picnic while enjoying the view and the music of The Jim Melde Big Band. Guests at our Duluth Bed and Breakfast always enjoy this event, which is just up the lake from us.

Dance your woes away...

Amazing feats in Duluth

We here at this Duluth Minnesota inn do not believe that anyone needs an excuse to visit Duluth because we love it here. However, if you do feel that you need a reason to come to Duluth, then look no further: the Cirque de la Symphonie performs Saturday May 30 at the DECC Auditorium. Why not check out last minute deals at our Canal Park MN bed and breakfast and plan to be wowed on Saturday night?

People will fly through the air, tie themselves into knots, juggle, balance, juggle while balancing, and dance. Cirque de la Symphonie combines beautiful orchestral music with the flawlessly performed incredible feats. World-record-holders, gold-medal-winners, and original talent will be on stage this Saturday night in Duluth. Why not be there too? According to the Cirque’s website, “the combination of (symphony and cirque) provides an energized performance that is greater than the sum of its parts…. The performances are uniquely adapted to stage accommodations shared by symphonies, and each artist’s performance is professionally choreographed to classical masterpieces and popular contemporary music in collaboration with the maestro.”

Music makes our spirits soar: imagine what will happen inside you when you watch people soar while listening to music.

Travelers come to Duluth for many reasons: business, holidays, and cultural activities are just a few. Each spring, the families of University of Minnesota, Duluth, graduates arrive to usher their grads from the Ivory Tower to the “Real World”. Consider staying at our Duluth Bed and Breakfast while you are in town for graduation this May. Our relaxing atmosphere will calm you no matter how many functions you need to attend, and our delicious breakfasts will sustain you throughout the longest of ceremonies.

Graduation marks a turning point in our lives, and is therefore a time that invites reflection. The waters of the world’s largest lake continuously lap upon the shores by our inn, offering a peaceful place to sit and think. Miles of beach adjacent to our bed and breakfast in Duluth MN summon our guests to take walks and remember the times when they strolled hand in hand on the beach with their grads, whose hands were once so much smaller than their own.

Consider a stay at our Duluth MN Bed and Breakfast while you are in town for graduation. We are sure that you will want to return again and again.

Duluth’s Superior Symphony Orchestra has been around for over half a century. Since its inception in 1932, the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra has proven to be a leading cultural organization in this region. Now, in its 77th season, the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra has consistently provided professional level performances of symphonic music, both traditional and new, to audiences of every age and background. They have strived to set themselves apart from peers and have succeeded in establishing a unique tradition by regularly featuring the most important soloists of the day.

Coming up next weekend is a performance of both classical and more contemporary work from composers Copland, Mozart & Sibelius. This would be a wonderful way to spend the evening while staying at our Duluth Minnesota Inn. There will be a special guest performance from Xiang Gao,whom is recognized as one of the world’s most successful performing artists. From the People’s Republic of China, Xiang Gao is cited by the New York Times as “a rare and soulful virtuoso”. He has performed for many world leaders, including the former Presidents of the U.S. and China.

From his profile on the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra web site: “With his strong interest in theater and Asian traditional music, Xiang Gao created the acclaimed Butterfly Lovers Multimedia Violin Concerto from a composition by Zhanhao He and Gang Chen. This recreation of a popular ancient Chinese fairytale similar to “Romeo and Juliet” features

The Violin Virtuoso Xiang Gao

solo violin, orchestra, a synchronized visual presentation of ancient Chinese brush painting, and a dramatic reading (by playwright Danny Peak). The production was recently awarded a grant by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Mr. Gao lives in Newark, Delaware where he is an Associate Professor of Music at the University of Delaware’s Department of Music. He performs on a fine violin by master maker G.B Ceruti of Cremona, Italy in 1794. This rare instrument was purchased by the University of Delaware to support Mr. Gao’s international performing career. In 2006, the Stradivari Society selected Mr. Gao to be a recipient of a Stradivarius violin for his international solo concerts.”

Wow! Gao sounds like an amazing performer and one not to miss during his visit to Duluth. If you have been looking for an excuse to get out of the house, I can’t think of a better one than getting a little culture! One great thing to look forward to: The Orchestra’s performance hall is only 1 mile from our Duluth MN Bed Breakfast! That makes for a very cheap taxi or a nice crisp walk after dinner.

We hope to see you next weekend!

We are looking forward to a BIG weekend here in Duluth! The 26th annual John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon starts on January 25. There is a $35,000 purse this year, and the contestants have come from all over the world!

The Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon commemorates the life of John Beargrease, the son of a Chippewa chief

John Beargrease

whom delivered the mail by sled dog along the brutal North shore of Lake Superior. As you can imagine, these posts became a crucial lifeline with the outside world during the long winter months.

The Sled Dog race began in 1981, and it is the premier sled dog race of the upper Midwest. It draws the highest quality of racers from around the world. Our Minnesota Bed and Breakfast is excited to be so close to the action! We are less than 10 minutes from the start of the race at Ordean Middle School.

The Beargrease is widely respected as a prep race for national and international sled dog teams – and is a qualifying race for Alaska’s long distance Iditarod. The race is now full, with all 80 spots filled with local mushers from Duluth as well as Canadians and even an Australian!

This is the longest race outside Alaska: over 400 miles of rough terrain. We are expecting 4,000 spectators will gather in Duluth to view this spectacular event.

Teams and judges arrive early in the week to become familiar with this years conditions and prepare for the harsh Northeastern Minnesota winter weather. It is always difficult to predict what the weather will be like in Duluth and successful mushers train rigorously to adapt to the unpredictable demands of weather and terrain. If only we could say the same for our Duluth MN bed breakfast guests, hehe!

The traditional course of the marathon covers ground along one of America’s most beautiful scenic shorelines: Lake Superior. Bold, rocky cliffs provide competitors with a constant reminder of the challenges to be faced in this highly competitive and physically demanding race!

The physical landscape and weather provide an extreme obstacle, potential of sub zero temperatures can be normal throughout the week long event. Nature’s dominance in this region reigns first and foremost in the minds of the participants as they compete against some of the nation’s leading mushers.

If you are coming to see the race or cheer on family or a loved one, consider staying at our Canal Park MN bed breakfast for the event. We would love to have you!