Where to Stay in Duluth

Duluth's waterfront hub clusters around the ship canal where freighters the length of three city blocks glide past within arm's reach of the sidewalk. The Aerial Lift Bridge lifts with a mechanical groan several times a day. The cool lake air carries the scent of fresh water and a faint trace of diesel from the working port. The Lakewalk trail runs east from here, restaurants line the main strip, and most of the city's hotel inventory sits within two walkable blocks.

The historic commercial spine along Superior Street, where red-brick storefronts from the late 1800s anchor the converted Fitger's Brewery complex. Quieter than Canal Park, easier to park, and a short downhill walk to the waterfront. Coffee roasters perfume the morning air near the Fitger's block; in winter the wind off the harbor cuts hard between the taller buildings on the upper avenues.

The quieter residential stretch along London Road east of downtown, where Victorian mansions face Lake Superior and aged glass windows fill rooms with cool northern light. This is where Duluth's handful of true bed-and-breakfasts operate, in century-old homes with lake views and breakfasts built around local ingredients. Glensheen Mansion and the eastern Lakewalk are nearby; Canal Park is a ten-minute drive.

The commercial corridor along Miller Trunk Highway in western Duluth, home to the mall, chain restaurants, and the city's most affordable lodging. Nothing about this strip evokes Lake Superior, the waterfront is a five-minute drive east. But the budget savings are real and Spirit Mountain ski area sits just south of the highway.