Duluth, MN: Quick Getaway on the North Shore

Duluth is only a little over 2 hours north of the cities but I had not been up there since I was a kid. To be honest, I kind of forgot about it.

What prompted me to go back as an adult was Bentleyville. I didn't know exactly what it was but I had heard from others it was some sort of Christmas light display that takes place in December. Since Colby loves all things Minnesota and especially all things holiday, I planned a trip up there for a Saturday.

Well we ended up having a great time and have gone back twice since then, but during warmer months. We actually just went up to Duluth for our mini-moon a few weeks back and had a blast, as we always do.

Check out all our favorite things to do below and let us know if we missed anywhere that is a must-see!

To Stay:

Pier B Resort

We have stayed here twice now and absolutely love it. The resort is dog friendly, has so much to do, and the staff is wonderful. Pier B feels like it's off on its own but it's only about a 10 minute walk over to Canal Park. We love the views of the bridge (we always get a harbor view room) and spending the evenings roasting marshmallows at the fire pits.

Things we love:

• Firepits: S'mores available every night and really nice to drink your coffee by the fire in the morning.

• Dog Friendly: There are a ton of dogs walking around, which is always fun to see. It's great to be able to hang out with our pup while on vacation.

• Silos Restaurant: Really good food! We usually go here at least once while staying in Duluth. It's also nice to grab a drink before heading out to the hot tub.

• Hot Tub: Pretty large so plenty of space for multiple groups of people. Plus great views of the lake and the bridge.

• Staff: From the front desk staff to the bartenders, everyone is super friendly.

• Views: The view from the harbor view rooms is awesome! Great view of the bridge and lake as well as the patio area with the firepits.

• Location: 10 minute walk over to Canal Park and can take the Lake Walk from there over to Fitgers.

To Do:

• Rent a Boat: Your Boat Club is located at Pier B and you can rent a boat for half the day (either 8am - 1:00pm or 2:00pm - 8:00pm). We rented in the morning and unfortunately we had extremely cold weather and wind that day but still had a great time. We grabbed breakfast to go from the hotel and brought that with to eat as we cruised around.

• Walk the Lake Walk: The Lake Walk is a long path that takes you from one side of Duluth to the other, mostly along the shore of Lake Superior. We took this from our hotel all the way over to Fitger's. The Lake Walk has undergone tons of renovations in the last couple of years due to the waves from the lake destroying it more than once. We would highly recommend taking this versus driving or Ubering if possible.

• Distillery Tasting at Vikre: This was a highlight on our trip! Because of Covid, the tastings were private and held in a different part of the distillery than they normally are held. The woman that walked us through everything was super knowledgeable and fun. It wasn't a boring tasting that just went through how the spirits were made but instead focused a lot on the history of Vikre and the couple that started it. We are big whiskey fans so she poured us 4 different whiskies and then went through different cocktails that we could make with them. We ended up staying after for another cocktail and went home with a lot of swag :)

• Shop in Lincoln Park: A local told us to check out Lincoln Park and we were not disappointed! There are super cute shops, including Flora North, DLH Clothing, Two Loons Gallery and Boutique, and Frost River.

• Music and Food Trucks at Glensheen Mansion: We didn't personally do this as this takes place on Wednesday nights but a local that we met told us all about it. The event is free to attend and you can purchase drinks and food once inside. Info on which bands are playing and what to expect can be found here.

• Take a Hike: There are SO many hiking options around Duluth, so depending on how far you want to go outside of the city, the options are basically endless. We hiked up in Lutsen and Grand Marais and really found some beautiful spots. We did Devil's Kettle which has a ton of stairs but takes you down to the bottom of a waterfall. We had our dog with us and he loved running around in the shallow water and climbing on the rocks. The other hike we did was Oberg Mountain which had CRAZY views! A friend of mine sent me this book of north shore hikes, which came in extremely handy!

• Stop for Pie: We always stop at Betty's Pies in Two Harbors on our way back down to Duluth after a day of hiking. I am a big fan of the fruit pies while Colby is a fan of the pie shake.

• Axe Throwing at Blacklist Brewing: We randomly stumbled across this while stopping into Blacklist. There are only 2 axe throwing stations available currently but Blacklist is moving to a larger location and I believe that they are going to have 5(?) stations at the new location. This was a fun afternoon activity to try out while sipping on their beers and seltzers. Unfortunately I lost and was on dog duty the rest of the day.

To Eat/Drink

Breweries:

• Blacklist: This was our first stop once we got to Duluth. I was super excited once we sat down and I saw that they had craft seltzers on tap. I ordered 4 or 5 samples and honestly all of them were good. A couple fun flavors were the Hibiscus Kill Shot Seltzer and Syke's Spring Sipper (blackberry rhubarb).

• Ursa Minor Brewing (also eat here!): A local told us about this place and we ended up going here 3 times during our trip. I loved the Pontoon Pounder (salted hibiscus lime salted sour) and Colby loved basically everything else. The inside is really cool plus they have a massive patio as well.

• Wild State Cider: The cutest place with amazing ciders! I would highly recommend checking out their merchandise too- I went home with a giant bag of all the things.

• Bent Paddle Brewing Co: We would highly recommend grabbing lunch and bringing it with you to Bent Paddle. We stopped at Northern Water's Smokehouse to grab sandwiches and got to Bent Paddle right at noon to secure an outdoor spot on their patio. They are dog friendly, but on their patio only.

• Castle Danger Brewery: We sat in 40 degree weather with our dog wrapped in a blanket in order to try this place out! We stopped after doing a little hiking and grabbed the cream ale, which was delicious. They do not have food but occasionally have food trucks.

• Hoops Brewing Company: Located in a pretty random building in Canal Park, Hoops is a fun spot to stop for an afternoon beer. The beer hall is huge with a ton of long tables so plenty of space if you have a larger group or are looking for a place to play board games or ping pong.

Drinks:

• Barrel Room at Fitger's: We stumbled upon this place the last time we visited Duluth and ended up having a couple really good cocktails. This place is kind of hidden away and is pretty tiny but worth a stop.

• The Boat Club (outside if possible!): In the summer they have a drink shack type of thing setup outside next to their patio. We grabbed a drink here and sat outside on the water. Great spot to grab drinks before dinner, even if dinner is at the Boat Club.

• Vikre Distillery: We did a distillery tour here but came back another day to just have cocktails. If you visit in the fall we highly recommend trying the "Sugarbush" whiskey and getting it in an Old Fashioned for an extra delicious and cozy drink.

Food:

• Corktown Deli & Brews: The cutest sandwich shop with a little market attached to it. Corktown was packed when we visited but we were able to grab a spot at the bar. During the week days from 11am - 2pm you can get small 10oz tap beers called "Lunchies" for only $3 each. There were a lot of sandwiches I wanted to try but went with the Turko Pesty and will probably have to get that every time I go back.

• Silo's at Pier B: We always eat here at least once while we are in Duluth. The food is really good and the staff is friendly. I got the walleye sandwich (a must whenever I see it on a menu) and Colby got a burger. Nothing crazy but was really good. We also love grabbing drinks here and taking to the hot tub.

• OMC Smokehouse: Wow. A MUST visit while in Duluth! We almost went here 2 nights when we were in Duluth last time. The blue cheese potato salad is insane and I would highly recommend. We got the ribs, brisket, and pulled pork and for our sides we ordered mac n cheese, elote, and duck fat fries. If OMC was closer to Minneapolis, this would be one of our regular go-to spots.

• Ursa Minor: The pizza here is incredible! We started with "Bear Bread" (basically cheesy garlic bread in pizza form, then moved on to the Margherita, and finished off our meal with the Nutella pizza. I wish we could say we brought home leftovers but we devoured it all.

• Bellisio's: Bellisio's was completely booked the first time we went to Duluth and was closed due to Covid the second time. We were super excited to finally check it out and went after our distillery tour at Vikre. Everything was delicious and we will definitely go back.

• Northern Water's Smokehouse: We grabbed sandwiches from here to-go before heading to Bent Paddle. I got the Clubhaus (smoked turkey and smoke pancetta), and Colby got one with smoked salmon. Super easy to order online and pickup.

It's safe to say that we absolutely love Duluth and always have a blast when we visit. We hope you enjoy visiting as well and please let us know if we are missing anything from this list!