DULUTH!!!
Let’s talk Duluth, fam. If you live in Minnesota and haven’t been yet, carve the 5 or less hours out of your day to take the drive on up there and experience it. I definitely don’t recommend driving up in the winter. Like, any part of winter. The regularly 2.5 hour trip then takes closer to 4.5 hours.
Crappy Minnesota weather aside, Duluth is a beautiful place. Whether you opt for the self-guided “tour” of just wandering around Canal park or take an official guided tour, it’s a place you’ll want to visit again and again, and not just for the Monte Cristo sandwich at Grandma’s. The lift bridge may originally seem like a boring giant metal structure, (at least, that was my first impression of that grey defining structure on the skyline) but hang in there: it’s actually so crazy cool. If you’re not a nerd like pretty much everyone else on this website, feel free to skip to the paragraph on food. A bridge that supports the weight of the cars crossing over it and then is able to lift the weight of the steel that supports those vehicles on a daily basis high enough for the giant ships to just casually float on under is brilliant.
If you do visit Duluth, you absolutely must visit Grandma’s Saloon and Grill. The aforementioned Monte Cristo sandwich is delicious and comes with a side of fruit that is delightful, especially given that it comes from a restaurant in northern Minnesota in the middle of winter. And if you happen to be looking for a meat-free option, the wild rice burger is absolutely fantastic, this coming from a rather picky eater.