2 Days in Duluth – The Ultimate Summer Itinerary
If the first (and only) thing that comes to mind when you think “Duluth” is Duluth Trading Company, a weekend trip up to Duluth, Minnesota will show you there’s so much more! I visited Duluth in August and chose this destination partly because it’s one of the only places in the US with cooler temperatures that time of year. I fell in love with much more than the weather though. Duluth and the North Shore of Lake Superior is one of the most underrated places in the United States, offering unique scenery, excellent food, and the stereotypical Midwestern kindness that you’d hope for. While I always find myself wishing we had more time to explore a new place, this 2 day Duluth itinerary is perfect for hitting all the highlights!
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How to Get to Duluth
If you’re wanting to fly to Duluth, your options are pretty limited. The only flights are from Minneapolis and Chicago. I live in Chicago, so it was a quick flight, but if you live elsewhere, you’ll need to connect through one of these cities. United, Delta, and Sun Country are the only airlines that operate in Duluth.
If you live in Wisconsin or Minnesota, it may be a relatively short road trip up to Duluth!
Where to Stay
Duluth is a city of less than 100,000 people and its small size means limited hotel options. There are no high-end brands, but major chains like Hilton and Marriott do have a handful of lower-tier properties.
Duluth is also getting more popular every year, so you’ll need to book hotels well in advance to avoid paying extremely high rates.
We stayed at the Tru by Hilton Duluth Mall Area. It was basic, but perfect for our needs. We didn’t spend much time there other than showering and sleeping. The vibes were very friendly and community-focused in the lobby and they had free breakfast.
There are also 2 different Fairfield Inn & Suites, a La Quinta, and a Holiday Inn.
Here are some other private hotels and Airbnbs to consider:
Getting Around Duluth
You’ll definitely want to rent a car to get the most out of your weekend in Duluth. We rented from Enterprise and even though our flight was delayed and landed after they officially closed, they stayed late knowing we were coming.
Make sure to download Google Maps for offline use for Duluth and the surrounding area. A lot of spots have spotty or nonexistent cell phone service!
What to Do in Duluth
We spent our first day in Duluth taking a road trip up Lake Superior’s North Shore and exploring so many beautiful spots. On day 2, we stayed in town. Here’s the exact breakdown, packing in as much fun as possible into 2 days:
DAY 1
Day 1 is absolutely jam-packed, but worth every stop! Today you’ll drive along the North Shore of Lake Superior up to Tettagouche State Park before returning to Duluth for dinner and evening fun. Everything on this itinerary is in order as you drive up the coast until you turn around and head back to Duluth for dinner.
Breakfast at At Sara’s Table Chester Creek Café
They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and being the first meal of the trip, At Sara’s Table Chester Creek Café sets a great tone for what’s to come. The friendly staff and the delicious food are just what I needed before hitting the road up the coast! I recommend the biscuits & chorizo gravy and an iced dirty chai latte.
Rustic Inn Café
I hope you saved some room, because your first stop on your road trip up the coast needs to be Rustic Inn Café. I know you’ve just eaten breakfast but you’re going to want to get a slice of pie. We got a slice of the North Shore Crumble pie and it was incredible! There’s an ongoing rivalry between Rustic Inn Café and nearby Betty’s Pies about who makes the best pie, but Duluth locals will tell you Rustic Inn wins handily. Betty’s Pies is more touristy and has a longer line, so by going to Rustic Inn Café you’ll get to avoid the crowds.
Gooseberry Falls State Park
The 3 waterfalls at Gooseberry Falls State Park make it a popular attraction. Though there are plenty of people around, they are well spread out throughout the Upper, Middle, and Lower Falls, so it was never overly crowded. The falls are only a short walk from the parking lot and visitor center on a paved path.
The visitor center parking lot is free to park in and no vehicle permit is necessary.
We spent about an hour here exploring the falls. The visitor center also has a gift shop and restrooms.
Split Rock Lighthouse State Park
Split Rock Lighthouse State Park is a bit of a choose-your-own adventure. If you want to explore the shore and get a view of the namesake lighthouse in the distance, you can pay the $7 one-day vehicle parking permit (this permit is actually good at all state parks in Minnesota that day!). You can purchase this parking permit online or at the ranger station. This was the option we chose and enjoyed the views from the water.
The other option is to visit the Split Rock Lighthouse itself. Prices vary between $8 and $25/person depending on if you do a guided tour or not, but parking is included during site hours.
Of course, there’s always the option to do both!
Black Beach
Hawaii isn’t the only place you can visit a black sand beach! Minnesota has a Black Beach of it’s own in Silver Bay. While Hawaii’s is volcanic, Minnesota’s was unnaturally created by industrial pollution dating back to the 1950s. While the beach has been cleaned up, the black color remains.
When we visited, it was busy but not crowded. The atmosphere was actually quite relaxing and I’d wished that I’d brought a blanket and a book so I could sit for a while on the shore.
Black Beach has pit toilets available. There’s also a mini golf course nearby. It is located right near the town of Silver Bay, which is a good place to stop for lunch.
Palisade Head
Rising nearly 300 feet out of the ground is a sheer cliff known as Palisade Head. It’s a very popular destination with rock climbers, but casual observers can enjoy the view from the top as well.
When we visited, the road up to the main parking lot was closed, so we had to park along the highway and hike up. If the road is open, the parking lot is just steps from the viewpoint! Palisade Head makes for a short and sweet stop on this trip up the coast.
Tettagouche State Park
Palisade Head is technically located in Tettagouche State Park, which is a large area north of Silver Bay. However, you’ll want to park at the visitor center to explore more of the hiking trails (though spots can be hard to find on a busy day). The visitor center also has restrooms, water filling stations, WiFi, and a gift shop/café.
We did the 3 mile out-and-back trail to High Falls, a beautiful waterfall with much less attention than Gooseberry Falls. It was a really warm August day, so we were tired by the end, but the hike was well worth the views!
Dinner at OMC Smokehouse
After a fun day exploring the north shore, it’s time to drive back to Duluth for dinner. Being from Texas, I have high standards for barbeque restaurants. OMC Smokehouse was recommended to me so many times and while skeptical, I knew I had to give it a chance, and I am happy to report it’s pretty good.
OMC Smokehouse doesn’t take reservations, so be prepared to wait. We got there at 6PM on Saturday and were quoted about a 50–55-minute wait. I appreciated that we were able to check our place in the queue online.
We ordered pulled pork, brisket, corn muffins, mac & cheese, and OMC beans. They also bring homemade pork rinds and an assortment of sauces as a starter. The meat was good, but not the best I’ve ever had. It was the sides that really impressed me the most. All 3 of them were just perfect!
Ice Cream from Love Creamery
We actually had dessert before dinner while we waited for our table to be ready at OMC Smokehouse. Love Creamery has a location just across the street and we ordered an ice cream flight of 6 flavors served in an egg carton. Petition to make this a thing everywhere! The ice cream was delicious and my favorite flavors were vanilla, dark chocolate, and mint.
Duckpin bowling at Skyline Social & Games
If you’re looking for things to do in the evenings in Duluth, you’re going to come across a lot of bars and breweries. That’s not really my scene, so I was delighted when I came across Skyline Social & Games, which offers duckpin bowling, axe throwing, and more. It is also a restaurant and bar so you can eat/drink while you play.
We paid $14/person for 90 minutes of duckpin bowling. If you’ve never played before, it’s like regular bowling except the balls are smaller, the pins are attached to wires, and you get 3 chances per frame instead of 2. This was my first time and I had an absolute blast! It was a great way to wrap up our first day in Duluth.
DAY 2
Breakfast at Duluth Grill
You’re going to want to set an alarm to get to this place early! Duluth Grill opens at 8AM and it was already quite busy when we arrived at 8:15. Had we been any later, we would have had to wait to be seated.
Breakfast here was absolutely delicious! I got the avocado toast, a smoothie, and an iced latte. My husband ordered the corned beef hash and tea and not a crumb was left behind between the two of us!
Enger Park
After breakfast, head to Enger Park for great views of the city. Parking is free and we got there early enough that it was still very quiet. The parking lot is right near the base of Enger Tower, which is an 80-foot observation tower built to honor Bert Enger, a Norweigan immigrant to Duluth and a generous donor to the city. The tower is also free to visit and provides a 360-degree view of Duluth and the surrounding area.
Besides the tower, Enger Park has a Japanese garden and lots of recreational hiking and biking trails. There are also free restrooms that are well maintained.
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Harbor Aerial Lift Bridge
While a bridge may not sound like a must-see thing, the Duluth Harbor Aerial Lift Bridge isn’t your typical bridge. To let boats through, the entire deck is raised and then re-lowered for cars to pass. Duluth Harbor is a major shipping port, so the Harbor Aerial Lift Bridge is raised about 5,000 times per year!
To learn more about the history of the bridge, check out the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center. This is a free museum that speaks to the history of not only the bridge but also Great Lakes maritime history. This museum is located at the very end of Canal Park, right next to the bridge.
If you want to catch the Harbor Aerial Lift Bridge in action, you can check out this website to see when ships are scheduled to be going in or out. However, take this schedule with a grain of salt. The day we went, no boats were scheduled to go through, but we saw the bridge raise twice for small sailboats.
Canal Park
Canal Park is a neighborhood on a peninsula on Lake Superior that connects to the bridge. It is full of former factories and warehouses that have been converted into shops, restaurants, and lodging. It’s definitely the most touristy area in Duluth, which is reflected in the sheer number of gift shops selling souvenier t-shirts.
There is both street parking and paid lots in Canal Park. The area gets busy in the afternoon, which makes it harder to find a spot.
Lunch at Chachos Taqueria
Canal Park is home to Chachos Taqueria, which is an amazing Mexican street food restaurant. I know Duluth is much closer to the Canadian border than Mexico, but don’t overlook this place because of geography! There is a pickup window to order from outside and a handful of picknick tables to enjoy your food. We tried the cochinita, birria, and chorizo tacos, all of which were mouth-wateringly delicious.
Portland Malt Shoppe
If you’re wanting another scoop of ice cream before you leave Duluth, I’m going to recommend going back to Love Creamery. In fact, they have a location in Canal Park, so you don’t have to go far after shopping and lunch. However, if you’re wanting a malt shake specifically, check out Portland Malt Shoppe.
I will warn you that on a warm day, you should expect to wait quite a while for your malt. Even a short line took us over half an hour. This is partly due to the fact that the malts take longer than a simple scoop of ice cream. It’s only worth your time if a malt is the goal.
Got more time?
If you’re looking for more things to do around Duluth, be sure to check out the Glensheen Mansion and the Marine Museum.
Final Thoughts
Duluth and the surrounding area really surprised me! I genuinely felt like it was somewhere I could live one day. The people are nice, there’s plenty of beautiful places to explore, and the food was delicious. I’d never been to Minnesota before this trip, but I already can’t wait to go back!
Don’t forget to pin this post for future planning!
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