Harbor Drive; 218-722-6218 or 877-883-4002; www.vistafleet.com
For a close-up view of a huge lake freighter, take a Vista Harbor Cruise. They offer an interesting, narrated 1½-hour tour of the harbor and information about the ships at port. Mid-May to mid-Oct. Wheelchair accessible. Fee charged.
NOTE: Vista Fleet also offers a variety of cruises which include meals. Call or check the website for more information.
MUSEUMS & ART
From gorgeous works of art, to the world’s only historic whaleback freighter, to murder—Duluth’s museums have it all!
10 Fairlawn Mansion
906 East 2nd Street, Superior, WI (adjacent to Barker’s Island); 715-394-5712; www.superiorpublicmuseums.org
Tour this nineteenth-century Victorian, 42-room house, which was once the home of lumber baron Martin Pattison. A 1998 renovation returned the house to its original splendor—carved wood, marble, silver trim, brass and English tile. Open year-round. Wheelchair accessible on first floor. Fee charged.
NOTE: Tour guides are not all the same—some are energetic, some are serious, but most are at least alive. Tourists have reported a very pleasant young servant gal guiding them through the museum. Trouble is, the servant gal is a ghost!
11 Fitger’s Brewery Complex Museum
600 East Superior Street; 218-722-8826; www.fitgers.com
Fitger’s is a Minnesota brewing legend. Established in 1857, it survived the Prohibition years by producing soda pop and candy bars. The museum specializes in northern Minnesota brewing history and memorabilia from what was once one of the most successful breweries in the state. Open when staff is available. Wheelchair accessible. Free.
NOTE: Fitger’s Brewhouse serves sandwiches, soups, burgers and has its own handcrafted ales on tap.
12 Glensheen
3300 London Road (five miles east of downtown Duluth); 218-726-8910 or 888-454-GLEN (888-454-4536); glensheen.wp.d.umn.edu
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this luxurious, 39-room Jacobean-style mansion completed in 1908 showcases custom-designed furnishings original to the house. In 1977, an upstairs bedroom was the scene of the brutal double murder of heiress Elisabeth Congdon and her nurse. Congdon’s daughter and son-in-law were tried for the crime, and the son-in-law was found guilty.
Grounds include formal gardens, carriage house with carriage collection, gardener’s cottage and clay tennis court. Tours conducted year-round. Check website for days and hours. Wheelchair accessible. Fee charged.
13 Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum
902 East 1st Street; 218-728-0630; www.rain.org/~karpeles/dulfrm.html
Established by California businessman and Duluth native David Karpeles, the museum displays rotating exhibitions of historical documents from Karpeles’ private manuscript collection. The collection, one of the largest private collections in the world, preserves original writings of great authors, musicians, scientists, philosophers, statesmen and sovereigns from all periods of history. Notable past exhibitions include original handwritten drafts of the U.S. Bill of Rights, the Emancipation Proclamation and Handel’s Messiah. The museum’s permanent collection includes Egyptian artifacts, and also model ships, including the Titanic. Closed Mondays and holidays.
14 S.S. Meteor Maritime Museum
Berthed on Barker’s Island, WI; 715-394-5712; www.superiorpublicmuseums.org
Launched in Superior in 1896, the S.S. Meteor is the world’s only historic whaleback freighter still in existence. Daily tours mid-May to mid-Oct. Fee charged. Wheelchair accessible only on first floor.
15 S.S. William A. Irvin Ore Boat Museum
350 Harbor Drive; 218-722-7876 or 218-722-5573 (Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center); decc.org/william-a-irvin
A floating museum permanently docked across from the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center, the William A. Irvin was once the flagship of U.S. Steel’s Great Lakes Fleet. It carried ore and coal for 40 years. One-hour guided tour of engine room, staterooms, galley, dining room and pilothouse. Open daily. Fee charged.
OPTION
In October the stately William A. Irvin morphs into a Haunted Ship. Beware—this bone-chilling experience is not for the faint of heart! Call the museum for ticket information, or go to www.duluthhauntedship.com.
16 The Depot
506 West Michigan Street; 218-727-8025 or 888-733-5833; www.duluthdepot.org
A must-see for every museum and art lover! Advertised as “everything under one roof,” the 1892 Chateauesque-style Depot certainly has it all: Art Institute, Lake Superior Railroad Museum, St. Louis County Historical Society, as well as the School of the Minnesota Ballet, Duluth Playhouse, Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra, Matinee Musicale, Arrowhead Chorale and Veterans’ Memorial Hall. Open daily. Wheelchair accessible. Fee charged. Ticket price includes admission to all four museums.
17 The Old Firehouse & Police Museum
402 23rd Avenue East (just south of Highways 2 & 53), Superior, WI; 715-394-5712; www.superiorpublicmuseums.org
The 1890s fire station houses vintage fire engines, a unique collection of toy fire engines, police and fire equipment, artifacts and the Wisconsin Fire and Police Hall of Fame. Mid-May to mid-Oct. Wheelchair accessible only on first floor. Free.
18 Tweed Museum of Art
University of Minnesota Duluth Campus, 1201 Ordean Court; 218-726-8222; www.d.umn.edu/tma
Contemporary and historical American, European and American Indian art is displayed in the museum’s 11 galleries. The museum also is home to the Glenn C. Nelson International Ceramics Collection and the Potlatch “Mountie” Illustration Collection. The museum hosts approximately ten exhibitions annually. Gift shop. Open T–Su. Wheelchair accessible. Donation suggested.
19 Waterfront Sculpture Walk
Canal
