3362. See the Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth

 The hubby really wanted to see the Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth. More specifically he wanted to see it in action. Since we had plenty of time before we had to go to the train museum, we spent some time at the Lake Superior Visitor Center which is right by the lift bridge with hopes of seeing a ship pass through the shipping canal. 

The Aerial Lift Bridge was built between 1901-1905 and updated in 1929. It spans the Duluth Shipping Channel rising up to allow ships to pass underneath it instead of opening like a draw bridge. 

There is plenty of viewing along the Canal Walk of the lift bridge. 

We got lucky. The John G. Munson was leaving port that morning. We could watch real time updates while inside of the museum. When she left port, we headed outside to watch it go through the shipping canal despite the rain.

When a ship nears the bridge, the bridge closes to traffic and slowly begins to rise allowing the ship to pass beneath the bridge. It is a sight to see. It does move slowly.

The John G. Munson also moved slowly out of the canal. The workers would wave to us as they passed through the canal.

Once the ship clears the bridge, the bridge deck is lowered to allow cars across the canal again.

It is quite the sight to see. I thought seeing the Arthur M. Anderson go through the Sturgeon Bay Shipping Canal was impressive this was just as impressive. There is just something watch these Great Lakes freighters navigate these shipping canals back into the open lake. 

If you are ever in Duluth, check out Canal Park and the Aerial Lift Bridge. Maybe you can see a freighter come through the shipping canal as well. 

3362. Go to the Lake Superior Marine Visitor Center in Duluth

The hubby wanted to see the lift bridge in Duluth. The Lake Superior Marine Museum was right by the lift bridge so I figured we could do both.

Lake Superior Marine Visitor Center is located in Canal Park. It is open daily 9:30-6 in the summer and admission is free. There is a pay to park parking lot adjacent to the museum. It only costed us a couple of bucks to park for a few hours.

Lake Superior Marine Visitor Center is ran by United States Army Corps of Engineers. It features two floors of exhibits.

There is several replicas of cabins and even a pilothouse.

There is a two story engine to check out.

There are stories of ships and shipwrecks.

There are viewing windows where you can watch ships go through the shipping canal. To avoid waiting around for ships, there is even a real time monitor of arrivals and departures. 

Since it was National Lighthouse Day, there were activities around the visitor center to take part in. We each made our own postcards.

We did venture outside in the rain to watch a ship depart through the shipping canal. The visitor center announces the name and the details of the ship as it passes through the canal even outside. 

Lake Superior Marine Visitor Center is a great place to explore while you wait for a ship to arrive or depart through the shipping canal. It is definitely worth checking out. 

Donut Adventures: Voyageur Donuts

I made it one of my many life goals to have donuts in every state. I try to find local donut shops where ever we are visiting. We have several favorites that we try to visit when we are in the area. So when we decided to visit Duluth, I knew I had to try to find donuts in Duluth and I found Voyageur Donuts.

Voyageur Donuts is located downtown Duluth in the Canal Park area. It is slightly hard to find if you are not looking for it. We drove by it the first time. It is inside the DeWitt-Seitz building. It does have it's own parking lot. Voyageur Donuts is open 7-5 Sun, Mon, Tue, and Thu. 7-6 on Fridays and Saturdays. They are closed on Wednesdays. 

Voyageur Donuts is walk up shop. There is some outdoor seating. They offer donuts, coffee, and other beverages. They have classic, signature, and seasonal flavors which are all cake donut based. Each donut is $4. I thought it was a little pricy for the size of the donut. 

The whole reason we went here was there was a donut called "The Steve" -- a plain ass donut. Since we are friends with a Steve, we had to go and get a least one Steve. 

The hubby got The Steve. I went with the smore. 

The donuts were okay. The hubby said The Steve was greasy.. so it's now a Greasy Steve to us. My smore wasn't as greasy but still was slightly greasy. The flavor was good.

I also got a iced chai latte. It had a very strong tea flavor. I did not enjoy it. I like more of a mild tea flavor. 

We knocked donuts in Minnesota off the list. If we get back to Voyageur Donuts great but I would be open to finding other donut shops in the area if we are ever in Duluth. 

3372. Eat at Betty's Pies in Two Harbor

 Everyone says that you should get pie at Betty's Pies when you are in Duluth. They are supposed to have the best pies. I first heard of this place in a book I read before I even met the hubby. I didn't even know it was a real place. Looking at the pictures, I wasn't completely sold on their pies but I casually mentioned it to Heather when I realized we were going to be in Duluth at the same time. We decided it was the perfect opportunity to do the pie test. We both have had pie at Norske Nook which is amazing.

Betty's Pies is located in Two Harbors about 20 minutes north of Duluth. It is open 9-8 daily in the summer. If you don't want to sit and eat, there is a pie take out window in the back. 

We opted for dinner. They have a small lunch/dinner menu mainly burgers and sandwiches. They are some dinner options including broasted chicken. 

The hubby had the broasted chicken while I had a roasted turkey sandwich. The hubby said the chicken was almost as good as Schusters's in Denmark which he says is the gold standard for broasted chicken. My sandwich was very good. They did not skimp on the turkey and it was real turkey pieces. 

Because we got to Betty's Pies for dinner we were limited on which pies were available. They have TV monitors that list which pies are available and are updated constantly. They later you go the less choices become available. The hubby wanted apple pie and that was already gone.

We all got different pies. The hubby went with Caramel Apple Crunch Pie. I had 5 layer Chocolate Cream Pie. Heather went with Toffee Cream Pie. Her hubby went with blueberry. You could get your pie topped with whipped cream or ice cream.. or both if you really wanted.

We all said the same thing. The pie was good but Norske Nook is better. The crust seemed fake or pre-made to me. It was not flaky. It kind of reminded me of Perkin's crust. 

Overall we enjoyed dinner but were glad we just didn't go there for the pie. We may be spoiled since we have had Norske Nook and the Log Cabin in the Dells. 

I still say you should try Betty's Pie if you are on the North Shore. We would go back but not for pie. 

5961. Go to Amnicon Falls State Park in South Range

 I love waterfalls. When I realized Amnicon Falls State Park was on our to Duluth, I was like we are stopping. It is supposed to be one of the best waterfalls in the state. 

I was originally going to buy my state park pass at Amnicon Falls State Park but we decided to get it when the hubby renewed his license plate. In hindsight, I am glad he did as it was only a self-pay station and besides we would have needed it at Copper Falls State Park.

Amnicon Falls State Park is located in South Ridge, or about 30 minutes from downtown Superior. A state park is required which is $14/day or $26/year. It is open 6 am to 11 pm unless you are camping. There is an parking lot that is close to the falls.

There are three different falls all within a short walk from the parking lot. We first viewed lower Amnicon Falls which is a 20 wide waterfalls that drops from the edge of the sandstone canyon. You can swim in the river and pools.

We crossed the covered bridge to get to Upper Amnicon Falls.

Upper Amicon Falls is more of flowing water fall as it makes it way down the rocks into the river. Like Lower Amicon Falls you can swim and climb the falls. 

The last waterfall is Now and Then Falls as it only appears now and then.. especially when it rains. Due to the drought conditions, it was definitely in it's then stage. 

The Douglas Fault also runs through the park.

Amnicon Falls State Park also has a very short hiking trails. The main attraction is the waterfalls. 

If you are headed to Duluth or Superior, definitely check out Amnicon Falls State Park. Take your swimsuits and play in the waterfalls. 

26 in 2026 -- Visit a new winery: Bayfield Winery and Blue Ox Cider

 Trying to hit a winery in as many states in the US and counties in WI as I can, I was grateful to see there was a winery in Bayfield. I added it to the travel plans.

Bayfield Winery and Blue Ox Cider is located north of Bayfield off of Hwy 13. It is open 11-6 everyday May-September. October it is open 11-6 Tuesday-Sundays. March it is only open on Saturdays. April they are open Saturdays and Sundays. They are closed in winter. Who can blame them? There is a small parking lot.

You get 4 tastes for $10 ($13 if you want the glass) and that is a mix of their wines or ciders. I was most excited to try the apple. I am still on the look out for a good apple wine. I opted for 3 wines and a cider.

Stockton - Frontenac:  I picked it because it had hints of cherry and blackberry. This one was too dry for me. It might have been better chilled. I weird. I like my reds chilled. 

Autumn Crisp: It was a decent apple. It had a mild wine taste. I was similar to Basil's wines in Arizona. This one came home with us. 

Cherry: It was good. It did have more of a wine taste but still not bad. I contemplated buying this one too but I have my standard cherry bounce that I like. 

Lakeside Cider: It fell flat. It was, like most of their ciders, semi-dry (or dry). It was too dry for me. The only semi-sweet one was a ginger cider and that just did not sound appetizing. 

The hubby is definitely not a wine tasting kind of guy. He was amused that the winery was in house and you entered into the foyer/living room. This did not even register with me since I'm used to unique locations for a winery. 

If you are up in Bayfield definitely check out Bayfield Winery and Blue Ox Cider. There is something for everyone. If you are a lightweight like me, make sure you eat before hand otherwise the wine will make you loopy quick. 

5755. Go to the Apostle Islands in Bayfield

 I've been wanting to go to the Apostle Islands for years mainly to get my National Park stamp. However it is actually closer to go to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan or Indiana Dunes National Park in Indiana than Bayfield in Wisconsin. However since we were going to the Upper Peninsula I figured swinging by Bayfield on our way to Superior was probably our best chance. 

Apostle Islands is a group of 22 islands off the shores of Bayfield and Ashland counties. 21 one of them are owned by the National Park Service. Madeline Island, the only one inhabited year round, is not. 

We debated doing a Apostle Island Boat Tour or going to Madeline Island. We decided the boat tour was the better option for us. We felt there was not a lot for us to do on Madeline Island but we will eventually get there.

There are several boat tours through Apostle Island Cruise which is ran in part with the National Park Service. Various tours of various lengths run from the end of May to Mid October. Not all tours run every day but the Grand Tour offers at least 2 tours daily. Some tours will deliver you to an island to camp. 

We went with the Grand Tour which is 2.5-3 hours and is $63/adult. We went with the first tour of the day with a 10 am departure. We arrived at the dock around 9 and there were already people in line Seating is first come first serve.

We chose to sit up on the top deck near the front of the boat in a row for 2 people. Knowing what I know now, I would rather sit slightly back and share a row so I'm not looking across the boat at some of the islands.

The Grand Tour lets you see 21 of the 22 islands. Some only from a distance. However they do get close to some of the destinations on various islands. 

We saw the fishing village on Manitou Island where National Park Rangers are there to educate you if you go ashore.

The Grand Tour is the only tour that gets you close to the sea caves. These sea caves are on one of the northern islands and are not the same sea caves that are the famous ice caves which are closer to the mainland. These sea caves are large enough to kayak through.

We saw 2 lighthouses.. The Michigan Island Lighthouse 

and the Raspberry Island Lighthouse.

It was a very good cruise. We even saw another eagle.

Our captain was very knowledge and made sure you saw all the sites regardless of what side of the boat you were on. He always circled back to get a good view of the fishing village or lighthouse. 

The Grand Tour is definitely worth the money. I would love to take a lighthouse tour or the fishing village tour sometime. 

If you are up in the Apostle Islands in the summer I would definitely recommend checking out an Apostle Island Cruise Tour.