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. 

Donut Adventures: Gourmet Garage

 I was trying to find a place for breakfast while in Bayfield. I didn't need a big breakfast... a donut shop or a bagel place would suffice. I was not finding a lot of option. I found two options that would work and gave the hubby the option. He went with cinnamon rolls at Gourmet Garage.

Gourmet Garage is a small bakery on the edge of Bayfield. It is open is Wed-Sat 8-4 and closed from Christmas to the beginning of June. It is literally run out of an old house. There is a small parking lot. 

I picked this place so I could have donuts in Bayfield County. They had a small selection of donuts. I went with the Bavarian Cream donut. The hubby went with a cinnamon roll. They were both very good.

We also picked up some turnovers for later. They were delicious... a bit messy to eat in the car but totally worth the crumbs. 

While we waited for the cashier to ring up our purchases, we got to watch the workers diligently making pies. Gourmet Garage is supposed to have great pies. 

I know we will be back the next time we are in Bayfield and if you are ever in Bayfield, check out Gourmet Garage if you need to satisfy your sweet tooth. 

26 in 2026: Visit a New Indie Bookstore -- Honest Dog Books

One of my newer bucket list goals is to visit an indie bookstore in every state as well as every county in Wisconsin. I saw that Bayfield had a bookstore but didn't really have it on the itinerary. When we literally parked in front of the bookstore when we went to dinner, I took it as a sign that I must visit. 

Honest Dog Books is an indie bookstore that is dog friendly in Bayfield. It is open daily 9-7. There is plenty of free street parking around the bookstore. 

Honest Dog Books is not large but it is crammed full of books. There is a huge selection of indie authors both signed and unsigned copies. They also have many bestseller authors. 

My rule to buy a book that I'm going to keep, it must be a signed copy. I am running out of space in my bookcases. The hubby grumbles about my books but he did help pick some out. 

The hubby was really good at spotting signed copies and I left with 2 books. I really only expected to buy one but The Moon Tavern sounded really good. 

The person working wasn't overly friendly but then again the hubby was probably giving her the death stare that I was buying books. I won't hold that against her but a few pleasantries would be nice. 

I would definitely go back to Honest Dog Books and if you are in need of a good book while visiting the  Apostle Islands, check out Honest Dog Books. 

26 in 2026: Try One New Pizza Place -- Manypenny Bistro

 Not sure if we'd ever be back to Bayfield County, I wanted to have pizza in Bayfield. The options were limited. The best option looked to be Manypenny Bistro. 

Manypenny Bistro is located downtown Bayfield on the corner of Manypenny Ave and Second St. It is open daily 7-9 during the summer. Street parking is available. We got lucky and parked across the street. 

There is something for everyone. From burger and pizza to entrees and salads. You could go upscale or keep it simple. We went with pizza and mozzarella sticks. 

Honestly the mozzarella sticks were disappointing. They were no better than the box stuff I can get in the freezer section. I understand if you don't want to make them homemade but if you are going to go the frozen route, get some decent quality ones not ones that taste frozen. 

The pizza on the other hand was good. It is wood stone oven pizza which is not the same as wood fired pizza. I was hoping for a little bit of char. The crust was more of traditional style crust that we would find at Luigi's. The sausage was actually very good. 

Overall it wasn't a bad experience. I would go back and probably try a sandwich or entree. If you are in Bayfield, I would definitely recommend trying Manypenny Bistro. Everything looked good.

5744. Go to Copper Falls State Park near Mellen

 Mom gave a newspaper article on the best waterfalls in Wisconsin. I already had plans to visit 2 on our trip. I initially nixed the idea of going to Copper Falls because I thought it was too far out of the way. However that newspaper article made me rethink that idea. I figured if we skipped the sculpture garden, we could go to Copper Falls and the hubby would probably prefer the waterfall. 

Copper Falls State Park is about 30 southeast of Ashland. It is open daily 6 am - 11 pm unless you are camping. It does require a state park pass or daily admission. If you are a Wisconsin resident, get the park pass because two visits to any state park in a rolling calendar year pretty much pays for the pass. Daily rate is $13 while the yearly pass is $28. 

We parked at the nature center and walked the short flagstone path to Copper Falls. Due to lack of rain, it was not as spectacular as it would be in spring. It still had a decent drop. The hubby said it wasn't that impressive. 

We were going to check out the other waterfall but it required several sets of stairs. The hubby wasn't in the mood to climb stairs. From the map it is also accessible by the Disabled Access Road which has handicap parking and some parking for compact vehicles. There's always next trip.

Was Copper Falls as spectacular as I hoped. No not really but I also know it is the height of summer in a pretty dry summer so I wasn't expecting a lot. The hubby isn't much of a hiker so we didn't explore too much else of the park. I need to work on getting him to hike more. 

If you are up by Ashland or Bayfield, definitely go check out Copper Falls State Park. Always chase the waterfalls. 

Checking Out the Da Yoopers Tourist Trap

 Anything with "Yooper" in the name is worth checking out. Since we were going right by Da Yooper Tourist Trap Museum and Rock Shop, I figured we might as well stop. 

Da Yooper Tourist Trap Museum and Rock Shop is located in Ishpeming. It is right off of US 41. It is open daily and has plenty of parking.

Da Yooper Tourist Trap Museum is part outdoor museum, gift shop, and rock shop. 

I was excited to check out the museum of unique Yooper-isms. The hubby was less than enthused. Everything is cleverly labeled and more or less a history of living in the U.P. 

Some of it was historical.

Some of it was hilarious. 

Of course the nod to St. Vince was my favorite.

Inside you could find more artifacts.

We did not spend much time in the gift shop. It was crowded and hard to browse. If I was with Stacy or Heather (or my cousins or mom) would have had a blast. It is just that kind of store. 

We did however spend some quality time in the small rock shop next store. They had various rocks from Michigan. The hubby was excited to get some real copper. The shopkeeper was very friendly too.

If you like corny roadside attractions, this is a must stop. If you are like the hubby and don't appreciate a little corniness on vacation, you may want to keep going. 

302. Take a glass bottom boat ride

 When we went to Pictured Rocks a few years ago, I really wanted to do the Glass Bottom Boat Shipwreck Tour but it closed for the season on September 30 and we were there October 1. I kept it on the bucket list especially after Heather said how cool it was.

Glass Bottom Shipwreck Tours operates out of Munising, MI. It is open daily Memorial Day weekend to September 30th. There are at least 2 tours a day, up to 5 during peak season. Cost is $41/adult and children 6-12 $15 and $1 for kids under 5. There is parking across the street from the dock. Reservations are highly encouraged especially in summer. The tour lasts about 2 hours.

We sat upstairs on the port side of the boat. Everyone gets a chance to view the two shipwrecks regardless of where you sit. There are four viewing wells on the lower deck and when we got to a shipwreck, the passengers on the lower deck would be able to view the shipwreck while the captain explained about it. Then they would take their seats and the passengers on the upper deck would make their way down to the viewing wells and the captain would tell more information about the shipwreck while navigating over the entire shipwreck both times. 

Unlike the Pictured Rock Boat Cruises, you actually don't get to close to Pictured Rock National Lakeshore but will still see similar landforms. It takes you around Grand Island. 

Our first stop was the Shipwreck Bermuda which went down in the waters of Lake Superior in September 1870. It was moved to the Murray Bay location in 1873, full intact. We were able to see the entire ship including the mast from the viewing wells on the lower deck. 

We then cruised past the East Channel Lighthouse. 

This is where we saw several bald eagles.

We made our way our the island and saw some sea caves. 

Before heading back to shore, we checked out the Herman H. Hettler shipwreck. She went down in November 1926 while trying to seek shelter from a storm. This wreck is actual visible from the surface as the water is pretty shallow. 

The wreck of the Herman H. Hettler is scattered across a half mile of lake bottom. The anchor is nearby. 

This tour was well worth it. The captain tells corny jokes and is very knowledgeable. Jimmy Buffet is playing on the way back to shore. 

Even if you have the Pictured Rock Boat Tour, do this one as well. It gives you a different and you get to see shipwrecks. Who doesn't like shipwrecks.. especially when I don't have to paddle a kayak on Lake Michigan (and back) again.