LAKE SUPERIOR-MINNESOTA

Lake Superior (North Shore, includes Duluth (St. Louis County), Grand Marais, Grand Portage, Lutsen, Tofte [all in Cook County] & Two Harbors [Lake County])

BARS & NIGHTCLUBS
●Blu Ice Bar – 2826 East Highway 61 (Two Harbors); 218-834-3796 or 800-627-9565; grandsuperior.com/icebar; actual carved ice bar; seasonal.
●Tycoons Alehouse & Eatery – 132 East Superior Street (Duluth); 218-623-1889; duluthtycoons.com; fully restored City Hall in this one-time city of millionaires.



HOTELS
●East Bay Suites – 1 Wisconsin Street (Grand Marais, Highway 61 and Washington Street); 218-387-2800 or 800-414-2807; eastbaysuites.com; built in 1910.
●Fitger’s Inn – 600 East Superior Street (Duluth); 218-722-8826 or 888-348-4377; fitgers.com; in renovated 1885 brewery; 3 restaurants, 2 bars, and shops.
●Larsmont Cottages – 596 Larsmont Way (Two Harbors); 218-834-8250 or 866-687-5634; larsmontcottages.com; not too rustic, not too swanky; modeled on Swedish fishing village; modern kitchens, gas fireplaces, and high thread counts; bike, hike, and kayak; on Lake Superior’s shore.
●Lutsen Resort – 5700 West Highway 61 (Lutsen); 218-663-7212 or 800-258-8736; lutsenresort.com; log cabin type accommodations on Lake Superior; Minnesota’s oldest resort, dating back to 1885.
●Surfside on Lake Superior – 10 Surfside Drive (Tofte); 218-663-6970 or 877-361-7873; surfsidesuperior.com; waterfront retreat on Lake Superior’s north shore; contemporary townhomes; luxurious accommodations.
●Sweetgrass Cove Guesthouse – 6880 East Highway 61 (Grand Portage); 218-475-2421 or 866-475-2421; sweetgrasscove.com; decadent, opulent, and private.
●Temperance Landing – Temperance Trail (Tofte); 218-663-7220 or 877-723-6426; temperancelanding.com; log cabins on lake shores.



RESTAURANTS
●Amazing Grace Bakery & Café – 394 South Lake Avenue (Duluth, in Canal Park); 218-723-0075; amazinggraceduluth.com; fair-trade coffee, folksingers on weekends, fresh baked goods.
●Angry Trout Café – 416 West Highway 61 (Grand Marais); 218-387-1265; angrytroutcafe.com; humble, cedar-shake exterior of old fish shanty; everything local; try carrot cake.
●Betty’s Pies – 1633 Highway 61 (Two Harbors); 218-834-3367; bettyspies.com; dozen different pies daily; try Great Lakes Crunch (apples, blueberries, raspberries, rhubarb, and strawberries under cookie crumb crust) warm with ice cream; also coconut cream (like cheesecake) and chocolate cream (with cinnamon meringue); also makes pie “shake.”
●Burrito Union – 1332 East 4^th Street (Duluth); 218-728-4414; burritounion.com; chandeliers, chalkboards, and regular entertainment; local microbrews; try turkey dinner burrito.
●Coho Café – 7126 West Highway 61 (Tofte); 218-663-8032; known for quiche, chowders, and hearty sandwiches; dine on patio or pick up trail lunch.
●Crooked Spoon – 17 West Wisconsin Street (Grand Marais); 218-387-2779; crookedspooncafe.com; try onion soup, crabcakes, crooked BLTs, and/or maple crème brulee.
●Gun Flint Tavern – 111 Wisconsin Street (Grand Marais); 218-387-1563; gunflinttavern.com; homey bar that serves microbrews and sandwiches.
●New Scenic Café – 5461 North Shore Drive (Duluth); 218-525-6274; sceniccafe.com; cozy restaurant with focus on seasonal, refined but unfussy offerings.
●Rustic Inn Café – 2773 Highway 61 (Two Harbors); 218-834-2488; rusticinncafe.com; great place for big breakfast.
●Splashing Rock Restaurant – 2826 East Highway 61 (Two Harbors); 218-834-3796 or 800-627-9565; grandsuperior.com/icebar; actual carved ice restaurant; seasonal.
●Sven & Ole’s – 9 West Wisconsin Street (Grand Marais); 218-387-1713; svenandoles.com; institution famous for pizza.
●Tycoons Alehouse & Eatery – 132 East Superior Street (Duluth); 218-623-1889; duluthtycoons.com; fully restored City Hall in this one-time city of millionaires.
●World’s Best Donuts – 10 East Wisconsin Street (Grand Marais); 218-387-1345; worldsbestdonutsmn.com; classic cake donuts but ask for “skizzle.”



SERVICES
●Sky Dan Airtours – 80 Sky Port Lane (Grand Marais); 218-370-0645; skydanairtours.com; ask for Dana Anderson; float-plane tours to see, among other things, moose.
●Schooner Hjordis – 218-387-9762 or 888-387-9762; contact through North House Folk School.



SHOPPING
●Dockside Fish Market – 418 West Highway 61 (Grand Marais); 218-387-2906; docksidefishmarket.com; can get take-out food or eat on deck; great deli.
●Drury Lane Books – 12 East Wisconsin Street (Grand Marais); 218-387-3370 or 888-887-3370; drurylanebooks.com; historic, lavender-trimmed white cottage (once occupied by Grand Marais’ 1^st lighthouse keeper); good selection.
●Lake Superior Trading Post – 16 South 1^st Avenue West (Grand Marais); 218-387-2020; lstp.com; everything you need for outdoors experience.
●Lockport Store – Highway 61 (Lutsen); 218-663-7548; feels like lumberjack fall-out shelter; good place for road snacks.
●North House Folk School – 500 West Highway 61 (Grand Marais); 218-387-9762 or 888-387-9762; northhouse.org; in addition to classes, there are numerous sales booths with handmade crafts.
●Sivertson Gallery – 14 West Wisconsin Street (Grand Marais); 218-387-2491 or 888-880-4369; sivertson.com; nature photography, carved wooden items, oil landscapes, etc.



SIGHTS & SITES
●Alpine Slide – 467 Ski Hill Road (Lutsen); 218-663-7281; lutsen.com; chairlift ride to summit of Eagle Mountain; great views; enjoy slide/luge trip down.
●Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area – Superior National Forest (Duluth, northern 3^rd); 518-885-9964; dnr.state.mn.us/canoeing/bwca/index.html; 1.3M acres in size, extending nearly 150 miles along International Boundary adjacent to Canada’s Quetico Provincial Park & bordered on west by Voyageurs National Park; over 1.2K miles canoe routes, over 1K lakes, 15 hiking trails & approximately 2K designated campsites; lottery type application for permit so read up on site to make sure follow directions.
●Superior Hiking Trail – off US Survey Highway 1 (at Silver Bay’s west end); trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx?trailid=XRF001-008; Bean Lake, Bear Lake, Mount Trudee & Palisade Creek; trail heads north until arrives at cliff overlooking twin lakes; 5 miles roundtrip.
●Devil’s Kettle – Judge C.R. Magney State Park, 4051 East Highway 61 (north of Grand Marais); 218-387-3039; need daily permit to get in; 2-mile, roundtrip hike; 2 roaring waterfalls, 1 that empties into Brule River and other that disappears into “kettle.”
●Glensheen – 3300 London Road (Duluth); 218-726-8910 or 888-454-4536; d.umn.edu/glen; along Lake Superior’s shore; 7.6-acres of wooded land; 39-room Jacobean Revival mansion; Minnesota’s premier historic house museum; interiors have nearly all same furnishings and décor when estate completed in 1908; formal gardens and naturalistic landscape retain much original design.
●Gooseberry Falls State Park – 3206 Highway 61 (Two Harbors); 218-834-3855; hike Gitchi-Gami State Trail.
●Grand Portage State Park – 9393 East Highway 61 (Grand Portage); 218-475-2360; see “High Falls”; highest falls in state; lots of spray from thundering water.
●Naniboujou Lodge – 20 Naniboujou Trail (Grand Marais); 218-387-2688; naniboujou.com; built as part of exclusive private club, named after Nanabozho, character from Ojibwa traditional stories, décor influenced by native design, commenced in Jazz Age, original grandiose plans succumbed to Great Depression, and only clubhouse was built; retains original design and as historic property.
●Oberg Mountain – 5 miles north of Tofte, off Onion River Road; 2.3 mile loop gradually circles mountain.
●Sax-Zim Bog – Wrenshall (45 minutes outside Duluth); sax-zimbog.com; major birding locale.
●Split Rock Lighthouse – 3713 Split Rock Lighthouse Road (Two Harbors); 218-226-6372; mnhs.org/places/sites/srl/index.htm.
●Tettegouche State Park – 5702 Highway 61 (Silver Bay); 218-226-6365; dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/tettegouche/index.html; hike out to Shovel Point; short walk from Tettegouche State Park’s north end to sculpted black granite and picturesque thundering, Illgen Falls; also, consider hiking “Temperance Trail.”
●Witch Tree – outside Grand Portage; also called Manido Giizhigance (Little Cedar Spirit Tree) in Ojibwa; ancient Thuja occidentalis growing on Lake Superior’s shores; earliest written records of tree are by French explorer, Sieur de la Verendrye, in 1731, who commented on tree as mature at that time, making it at least 300 years old today; held sacred by Ojibwe, who traditionally leave offerings of tobacco to ensure safe journey on Lake Superior; tree is considered off limits to visitors unless accompanied by local Ojibwe band member; subject of many photographs.