If I had to sum up Duluth in one word it would be — underrated. Maybe I’m the crazy one for sleeping on the magic of the Northern Midwest, but truly I was blown away by how cool this little lake city is. Last year we visited for the first time over Fourth of July and were completely smitten. We fell in love with the amount of outdoor activities, emphasis on handmade local goods, stunning scenery, and northern hippy vibe.
We decided to go again for Fourth of July this year and even after that we still feel like we have so much left to explore! One of my favorite things about Duluth is that it’s low-key. The restaurants aren’t fussy (delicious, but not fussy) and the fashion is casual. The people are welcoming and just so happy you’ve come to check out their city. If you get the chance I’d highly recommend a trip up to Duluth. Between hiking, paddle boarding, exploring restaurants, coffee shops, and breweries you will not be short on things to do. And on the off chance you are — just ask a local for some more suggestions and they’ll be happy to weigh in!
Getting THere
From Omaha, getting to Duluth is about an 8 hour drive — just a little over 2 hours north of Minneapolis. If you’re planning to fly there they do have a small airport. If you are flying I’d recommend renting a car to get around the city to fully get to experience it.
WHERE WE STAYED
Traverse Hotel - For a dog-friendly trendy motel this Airbnb was okay. We stayed there last year and I liked it enough to book it again, but our experience this time wasn’t as great. The idea of an updated motel it is a bit cuter than the execution — it had a slight musty smell this time that drove me crazy so it worked, but not somewhere we will stay again. Next time I will look into Enger Loft Hotel or Pier B Resort Hotel.
COFFEE
For a city of this size the coffee scene is impressive. You will have plenty of options to explore!
Dream Cloud Coffee - The vibe, the coffee — it’s all so great! Located downtown this shop roasts their own coffee
Dovetail Cafe + Market - This place has a hippy-cabin vibe that I just loved. They have a little market inside where they sell local handmade goods that will just make you smile. Their coffee is solid and roasted on site under the name Almanac Coffee. They also have great baked goods and breakfast/lunch options.
Back Alley Coffee - Full disclosure we didn’t try their coffee, but the VIBEEEE is on point. They mainly operate as a surf shop, but also have coffee options from Underwood Coffee (a local roastery). Literally I felt like we were in SoCal — it was a dream. I am very excited to go back and hang out on their patio.
New London Cafe - They’re pretty focused on breakfast, but they also serve up a solid cup of locally roasted coffee from Underwood Coffee (the same as Back Alley) and while you’re here you might as well help yourself to a yummy breakfast before hitting the trails or driving up the shore!
Fika (not in Duluth, but definitely worth stopping if you drive up the North Shore — which you should definitely do!) - this shop is a tiny little roaster that captured our attention on instagram because of their hygge vibe and welcoming tone toward their community. Unfortunately the day we were there they were super busy (holiday weekend) so we didn’t get to chat with the baristas as much as we would have liked, but the coffee was solid and it was such a cute location.
FOOD
One of the million things I love about Duluth is its focus on farm-to-table cuisine. Every single restaurant we went to claimed to use as many local ingredients as possible and it was very evident that they put a lot of love into their food.
Duluth Grill - They have a wide variety of new American dishes with some twists, but what I love most is their commitment to organic and local ingredients. Great for breakfast or lunch.
Dovetail Cafe and Market - This place stole Josiah and I’s hearts. It has such a northern-hippy-cabin vibe to it. I know I already mentioned it in the coffee section, but they also have great baked goods and an amazing frittata as well as other breakfast + lunch options.
Corktown Deli and Brews - If you’re looking for local deli that serves unique, high quality sandwiches and salads this is your place. I had their Bruss-alo Chicken Salad that had blackened chicken and then fried buffalo brussels sprouts tossed with blue cheese and a variety of fresh veggies. IT HIT THE SPOT. Josiah got a spicy reuben that was so yummy (but it was very spicy so if that’s not your jam then beware.) They have a large menu so be prepared to make a very tough decision.
OMC Smokehouse - This place has a large menu with lots of options to cover all of your BBQ needs. Bonus they have outdoor fire pits you can sit around while you wait for a table.
At Sarah’s Table Chester Creek Cafe - One of our top meals we had while in Duluth was at Sarah’s Table. Their New American menu offers a wide range of options to choose from. I got the beef shawarma wrap with yam fries and it was so delicious! Josiah got the okonimayaki — a Japanese style potato pancake — and it was so flavorful and unique!
Love Creamery - This might be a bold statement, but I think that this is the best ice cream I’ve ever had. I know, bold, but possibly true. We did our The butterscotch brownie, monster cookie, salted caramel with crack cookies, and blueberry cheesecake are actively in my dreams. I’d highly recommend planning to go every day (or multiple times a day!) so that you can work your way through their incredible flavor line-up. Or if you leave enough room after dinner (or want to call it dinner) they have a flight of ice cream where you can try six different flavors for only $10! That’s on my agenda for our next visit. Both their Lincoln Park and Canal Park locations have different flavor options too so definitely worth hitting up both.
Lou’s Fish House - A deli about 30 minutes northeast of Duluth on the scenic highway that’s serving up a wide range of smoked fish. Last year we drove past their sign that said “Our famous smoked fish cheese ice cream” and I laughed because the thought of a fish flavored ice cream sounded gross (and obviously not what they were actually describing) but this year our hunger drew us to stop on our way back from hiking on the North Shore. We got their honey glazed smoked salmon, the smoked salmon dip with crackers, and some cheese curds and called it dinner one night and lunch the next. It was so delicious that I’m only a tiny bit sad that their advertisement was a bit misleading.
New Scenic Cafe - This is a Scandinavian American restaurant along the coast of lake superior that blew us away. I was told ahead of time that this was a must and that it’s a little spendy, but I still wasn’t prepared for how spendy it was going to be. To really have a great experience I’d say expect to spend $$$. It’s a special experience for sure.
Drinks
For a city this size it shocked me that they had such a booming cider and beer scene. Just within a few blocks in Lincoln Park there’s two breweries and two cideries — all bringing something different to the table. A few of the nights that we were there we brought Azul (our new favorite strategy game) and just hung out at the different cideries/breweries. Truly each of them is worth a visit for a different reason.
Bent Paddle Brewing - Pictured above they have a great outdoor space with games and often have live music and food trucks!
Duluth Cider - We had a lot of fun doing their tasting flight and are still kicking ourselves for not bringing back a 6-pack of the coffee cider. That’s right, coffee flavored cider. It was so, so good! They had a pineapple one that was also top notch.
Wild State Cider - This place was so cute inside and had some unique cider options as well!
Shops
If you walk around Lincoln Park on Superior street you’ll hit a lot of cute shops. Here are a few we really liked.
Goat Hill Market Place - Just a cute little kitchen store / high end neighborhood grocer.
North Flora- A dreamy plant store with cute little nic nacs.
Thirteen Main - A high-end home decor shop / interior decorating firm that will have you redesigning your home by the time you walk out.
Frost River - If you want to browse beautiful outdoor gear and feel more outdoorsy than you actual are, this is a great stop.
Ren Market - A zero waste and refill shop that will definitely inspire you.
Moon Market - This shop is further up the shore, but it is worth a stop — even if just to browse.
OUTDOORSY THINGS
This list hardly even begins to cover the long list of things to do in Duluth, but these are some of the places we’ve explored that we have loved!
The Lakewalk - This is mostly located along lake Superior and consists of 8 miles of paved pedestrian and bike trail. It runs from Bayfront Park to Brighton Beach. We parked in front of the Portland Malt Shop and then headed down a flight of stairs tucked behind the shop to get to the trail and then walked west toward the lighthouse. It’s such a beautiful, flat walk.
Sugar Loaf Cove - up the shore a bit. You can do like a 0.5 mile hike and be met with a stunning cliffside views to either side, but with capability to easily climb down and get close to the water. Such a great payoff for a minimal effort.
Superior Hiking Trail - This trail runs for over 300 miles and offers a wide variety of terrain. Some of the trail runs right through Duluth which means you can hop on and enjoy a fantastic hike without even driving too far!
Tettagouche State Park - This park is about an hour north of Duluth and definitely worth the drive.
Gooseberry Falls State Park - Another great park to explore that’s about 45 minutes from Duluth.
Palisade head - the first photo in this post was taken here. Unless it’s super, super busy you can park at the top and just pop out of your car and snag a photo quick. It’s so, so great and a great stop on your way to Tettagouche!
