Vacation Plans to Duluth

So my Wife and I want to take the kids (ages 3, 7 and 9) on a little vacation. But, we can’t seem to decide if we should go to Florida or Duluth?

I’m leaning towards Duluth at the moment. I have a couple questions for anyone that has answers.

* is there enough snow to snowmobile up there?
* are there public sledding hills?
* anything else fun for the kids to do that you can think of?
* we will probably just stay at a place with a pool.

Thanks

Call Spirit Mountain and ask if they have a sledding hill. Snow is going to take a pounding this week so I think snowmobiling might be out.

Duluth aquarium is always on our kiddo stop list.

A buddy of mine rode up the North Shore State Trail last weekend. Snowmobiling is over unless they get more snow.

Deuces wrote:

Duluth aquarium is always on our kiddo stop list.

X2 on the Aquarium. The otters are my Favorite when they are out & active! Kids will love the “touch” tank too!

Also, With all the melt going on this week & coming weeks, might be pretty neat to see any of the rivers/waterfalls flowing into the Great Gitchegumi.

The Glow Tubing at Spirit Mnt is pretty fun. Enger Tower is a cool place to check out.

But between the two…. Florida would get my vote.

X2 for Florida. Seems like a no brainer.

I’d take 80 degrees, open water fishing, fully open bars/restaurants and beaches over mid-40’s, capacity restricted bars/restaurants for the one’s that survived and melting snow in Duluth 100 times out of 100 especially with kids. And I love Duluth, but spring is not the best time to go imo, unless you want to check out a ton of rushing rivers which is pretty cool.

As a former Minnesotan who has been back to visit family and friends over the winter, I’d say go to Florida, unless you like running down to the front desk at 7 am to sign up to use the pool, tell your kids that they don’t get to swim because the pool already hit the mandated reduced capacity, and have random karens make snide comments and stare at you because your 3 year old won’t keep her mask on for more than 30 seconds in a ghost town of a grocery store. If you like all that, Duluth should be fun.

I’ve been doing a lot of work in duluth lately. I used to remember duluth being awesome. But if you are in the city it’s pretty gross. Last fall I took my son up for the day to just play around. We found 23 hypodermic needles laying near the side walk and at the park. Then he needed to go to the bathroom and I checked the porta John luckily. More needles open and heroin foils on the floor.
I will go to a couple places in town still but other then that my vote would not go to duluth. Sadly

I still enjoy the big lake and rivers, or just north of there but the town has become dirty.
I work on the essentia hospital weekly and it doesn’t seem to get better. Can’t even go to the bathroom on-site in a porta john with out seeing it.

Bearcat89 wrote:

I’ve been doing a lot of work in duluth lately. I used to remember duluth being awesome. But if you are in the city it’s pretty gross. Last fall I took my son up for the day to just play around. We found 23 hypodermic needles laying near the side walk and at the park. Then he needed to go to the bathroom and I checked the porta John luckily. More needles open and heroin foils on the floor.
I will go to a couple places in town still but other then that my vote would not go to duluth. Sadly

Wow. That is so sad.

Lol

I would say this is likely the worst weekend to visit just because its going to be a sloppy mess. Will still be beautiful just gross off the concrete.

Bearcat89 wrote:

I’ve been doing a lot of work in duluth lately. I used to remember duluth being awesome. But if you are in the city it’s pretty gross. Last fall I took my son up for the day to just play around. We found 23 hypodermic needles laying near the side walk and at the park. Then he needed to go to the bathroom and I checked the porta John luckily. More needles open and heroin foils on the floor.
I will go to a couple places in town still but other then that my vote would not go to duluth. Sadly

I still enjoy the big lake and rivers, or just north of there but the town has become dirty.
I work on the essentia hospital weekly and it doesn’t seem to get better. Can’t even go to the bathroom on-site in a porta john with out seeing it.

Duluth is a complete sh!thole nowadays. Took our kids down to the lake walk this summer despite the construction. Once we got down there the kids had to got potty and of course there were a handful of drunk junkies squatting around the public restrooms passing around a bottle and I’m sure other things prior to our arrival. This was a mid-week, early afternoon visit too.

Maritime Museum, Great Lakes Aquarium, Railroad Museum and hike to the Enger tower and if any of the parks are open with light house.

We were in Duluth during the 4th this past summer and I was shocked to see so many junkies running around in canal park. I witnessed one homeless guy throw a shoe at a couple who’s dog who was barking while we were eating. Fun place to visit but wish they could clean it up a bit down there.

I haven’t been there in the summer for a few years. I’m really saddened to hear this. It’s one of my favorite places and I have a lot of fond Duluth memories from childhood all the way up through young-wild adulthood and now making memories with my own family. I’m also a proud Boatnerd and great lakes shipping geek. I’ve been to the Maritime Museum dozens of times but I still visit every time I go back. Love Canal Park. I hope they can clean up the human trash but I’m not holding my breath. It just seems like the way we’re heading these days.

All these anecdotes are over blown, take it from someone who lives and works in the city.

Maybe all you pearl clutchers can use your next trip to the town to teach your children about empathy or take a deeper look into the systemic problems of homelessness, susbstance abuse and mental illness.

Or just keep grousing online.

Drizzy Musky wrote:

All these anecdotes are over blown, take it from someone who lives and works in the city.

Maybe all you pearl clutchers can use your next trip to the town to teach your children about empathy or take a deeper look into the systemic problems of homelessness, susbstance abuse and mental illness.

Or just keep grousing online.

They are aware.
Doesn’t in anyway mean I’m happy to let him play in a area full of drugs and junkies or a playground full of needles. I didnt say much besides it seems it has gone way down hill. And is much dirtier then I remember. I dont take much empathy on junkies leaving open needles in a play area for kids. Sorry

Drizzy Musky wrote:

All these anecdotes are over blown, take it from someone who lives and works in the city.

Maybe all you pearl clutchers can use your next trip to the town to teach your children about empathy or take a deeper look into the systemic problems of homelessness, susbstance abuse and mental illness.

Drizzy, now that sounds like a kick ass vacation!!

Only reason I say anything is how can someone go to Duluth, someone who posts on an outdoors forum, and the only thing they find is a needle ridden urban hellscape.

Makes me wonder what kind of perspective they have on other places.

Defintley not the best time of year to visit though.

Drizzy Musky wrote:

Only reason I say anything is how can someone go to Duluth, someone who posts on an outdoors forum, and the only thing they find is a needle ridden urban hellscape.

Makes me wonder what kind of perspective they have on other places.

Defintley not the best time of year to visit though.

Florida, hands down. Lodging and airfare might be hard to find now though.

Duluth is a summer weekend vacation for us. Taking a vacation there in the spring would be one of the last places I would want to vacation.

Well thanks to all of you for your help! Our kids are still pretty young and that’s why we decided to stay local instead of Florida. A couple years down the road and Florida would definitely be our choice to try something new.

There were quite a few responses that resembled this one.

“Taking a vacation there in the spring would be one of the last places I would want to vacation.”

I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe they only allow 5 sunfish on Superior or something??

Thanks again for all the comments.

I think we are more of the glass is half full type of family… we plan on being outside most of the time anyhow. Even if the snow is melting and it’s slushy and wet my kids are going to have a freaking blast! We aren’t big on the city life anyhow, so we should steer clear of most of the needles and drugs.

We made reservations at Spirit Mountain. Plan on going tubing and exploring Hartley Nature Center, even if the snow is melting it’ll still be fun for us. Also swim in the pool and go see the sights. We might run north to see Gooseberry Falls? We might check out the aquarium too and of course we have to go eat at Pizza Luce!

For anyone else interested in Florida, flights were dirt cheap. Family of 5 round trip was only $1028.00 on Delta no stops.

Have fun!!!

I go to Duluth just about every month for work and stay in canal park usually. Some parts are not nice but can avoid for the most part. Would not necessarily be the time of year I would hang with the family there but you will be fine Joe and I am sure have fun. Don’t know if it is open due to Covid but the William Irvin ship tour would be cool to see. Pickwick is old cool restaraunt. Valentino’s is good but a little fancy. Don’t wast you money on the food at little angies but there margaritas are good. If you are into beer some cool breweries there. Might be a drive but split rock lighthouse was kind of cool when I was young nice drive as well if the three year old needs a nap😳. Tons of places to hike barring conditions.