For outdoor lovers who still want the creature comforts of the city, Duluth is the place for you! This amazing mid-sized city is filled with some great local shops and tasty stops for foodies. Duluth also sits on the beautiful Lake Superior and provides plenty of opportunities for you to get outdoors and explore the beautiful land where the water meets the sky. With a wealth of things to do in Duluth, this port town makes for a great day trip or long weekend. Check out or list of things to do in Duluth and start planning your trip today!
Top Things to Do
Canal Park
Canal Park is by far the top thing to do in Duluth. This is the downtown touristy area of Duluth and has tons of fun things located around it. You’ll find breweries, good food and excellent ice cream here. You can spend hours here just wandering the street and window shopping. The actual park area is well maintained and has some fun art and splash pools to see.
North Pier Lighthouse
Don’t miss a walk to the lighthouse on the pier off of Canal Park. While you can’t tour the lighthouse, it still makes for a fun walk and a beautiful view.
Aerial Lift Bridge
Adjacent to Canal Park, you’ll also have a chance to watch the freighters enter and exit the canal as they make their way too and from the shipping docks. Children and adults alike will enjoy watching the lift bridge ascend and descend to accommodate the large size of these ships. The whole process takes about 3 minutes and is accompanied by a lot of fun horn noises.
Duluth is one of the most active port in the US. Here you’ll see ships bound for areas around the world! Most days you’ll see several ships coming and going. But to make sure that you get to see one, check the Duluth Shipping Schedule for estimated times.
You can also cross the lift bridge by car or foot for free. It’s a super fun thing to do and only takes a few minutes.
Enger Tower and Park
Enger Tower, located in Enger Park, is one of our favorite things to do in Duluth. This tower brings you to the highest lookout in Duluth where you’ll get panoramic views of downtown Duluth with a Lake Superior backdrop. You’ll climb the 80-foot tower and enjoy the chilly breezes at the top before making your way back down.
After taking in the views from the tower, be sure to explore the beautifully manicured park. One of our favorite sections of the park is the Japanese Garden where you can try your hand and ringing the giant peace bell.
Duluth Lakewalk
Explore the Duluth Lakewalk that winds its way along miles of the Duluth lakeshore. This path is walker, biker and stroller pusher friendly. You’ll find tons of people and furry friends enjoying a stroll along the lakeshore on a nice day. The Lakewalk provides you with beautiful views of Lake Superior as well as access to the Canal Park area.
Skyline Parkway
Skyline Parkway is a scenic drive that climbs over Duluth to give you great views of Duluth and Lake Superior. Make stops along the route for some great photo opportunities of town and to find other fun parks along the way.
Park Point Beach
Park Point Beach is one of the best places to swim in Duluth as you’ll find beautiful sandy beaches. This Beach is located on the worlds largest freshwater sandbar. You’ll find beaches, picnic areas, volleyball courts and more here. One of our favorite activities is walking the whole sandbar. However be warned, it is the worlds largest and that will take you a few hours.
Lake Superior
No trip to Duluth would be complete without a visit to Lake Superior. The largest of the 5 Great Lakes, Lake Superior is often cold. However, during the summer months you’ll find plenty of people swimming here. If it’s to cold for you to fully submerge, dip your toes in and search for pretty rocks in the Lake Superior waters. Agate hunting is a popular things to do on any Lake Superior beach.
Breweries
Beer culture is big in Duluth. And rightly so as it is consistently voted one of the best brewery destinations in Minnesota. You can find 10 breweries in Duluth brewing up their own distinct beers. Bent Paddle is a one of our favorites!
Leif Erickson Park & Rose Garden
This beautiful park and garden are another FREE thing to do in Duluth! Be warned the park’s parking lot is often full so you may have to walk a bit to get there. But once you arrive you’ll find beautifully manicured rose gardens as well as some beautiful views of Lake Superior and Duluth.
Lake Superior Maritime Museum
This Museum is located in off of Canal Park and is FREE! They do accept donations to keep the museum running so make sure to bring a few bucks. This easy location and can’t-beat price makes is a great stop for all Duluth visitors. The Lake Superior Maritime Museum displays the town rich shipping industry and is full of several miniature and life-sized replicas of ships. Lots of it is “touchable” so it’s fun for the kiddos too!
When to Visit
Duluth is located in one of the northernmost regions of the US. Therefore, you’ll find colder than normal temperatures here, making summer the height of tourist season. Combine that with Lake Superior temperatures which don’t reach their peak until July or August and this is when you’ll find the bulk of tourists. It is also the best time to go if you want to spend a lot of time outside or near the water.
Alternatively, you can visit in late September and early October to try to catch the fall color show. This hilly town will give you some breathtaking displays of color in the fall.
Low temperatures and heavy snowfall can be expected in the winter and spring. However, if you’re planning on spending most of your time inside, this can be a great time to visit as things will be slower.
Don’t forget to check the Duluth events calendar before planning your trip. We’ve visited during the tall ships festival which was amazing but came with bigger crowds and more expensive hotel rates.
Getting There and Around
You’ll need a car to explore Duluth. The town is very spread out and while they have public transport, it will not take you everywhere you’ll want to go. There are also several road trip options that begin in Duluth, so a car will be needed to do any of those.
If you are flying in to Duluth, the Duluth International Airport is located just outside of town. You can find reasonable plane tickets to this airport from a variety of destinations within the US. However, make sure to compare prices to the nearby Minneapolis, St. Paul International Airport which often offers cheaper airfare and is only a 2 hour drive from Duluth.
What to Budget
A majority of the things to do in Duluth that we recommend are FREE! So a day trip to Duluth can cost you as little as a tank of gas.
Food prices in Duluth are pretty average for the US with a sit down meal being around $25/person. You’ll pay a little more for meals in the Canal Park area of town and you’ll pay a little less at bar-type restaurants.
If you would like to extend your trip to multiple days, you’ll need a hotel. Vacation home rentals are available but are not common and tend to be a bit more expensive. Hotels in the downtown area of Duluth are priced from $150-200/night. You’ll find hotels under $100 if you are willing to stay further out of the downtown area or in nearby Wisconsin. Visiting in the winter and spring may further reduce the prices as well.
We hope that this list of things to do in Duluth has helped you to plan your upcoming Duluth vacation. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments and we’d be happy to provide you with tips on this great Minnesota vacation destination.
Thanks! This was helpful! Great tips and insights.
Great! Now is a great time to visit too. I hope you make it there and have fun.
These sound like amazing activities to do, I’ll make a note of them when I visit Minnesota in the future!