One of two lighthouses in the Two Harbors area (the other is the fabulous Split Rock…read morehttps://www.yelp.com/biz/split-rock-lighthouse-two-harbors?hrid=Jh5hQtfLJ4g5VzEXbuoZLQ), this one became operational in 1892. What's awesome here is that three of the lighthouses buildings are open to be toured, including the tower itself (which was way too crowded for my comfort), the keeper's quarters that have been restored to 20th century decorations and the assistant keeper's quarters that have been restored to late 19th century. So it's all quite cool and very interesting. The lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. [Review 17891 overall - 111 in Minnesota - 1412 of 2022.]

The self guided tour is well worth the $5 admission. We have been to the North Shore numerous…read moretimes and this was our first visit to the Two Harbors Lighthouse. We loved walking up the steps to the top of the lighthouse and reading this historic boards on the way up. The lighthouse overlooks the open water and the docks for loading the iron ore. The bonus is the pilot house from a wreaked iron cargo ship.

I very much recommend paying to go through the lighthouse and gate keepers home. There is also a…read moreshort video that is quite informational. The views from the lighthouse are spectacular. After you see that, walk down to the shore and capture a beautiful picture of the lighthouse from there. It is worth mentioning that every staff member we interacted with was friendly, welcoming and knowledgeable.

I'll start by saying the cart-in sites at Split Rock are top notch and I'd highly recommend them to…read moreanyone. But the backpacking sites unfortunately, I can't say the same. We stayed at Backpack Site #3, and the trail getting there were awful! I was genuinely surprised by how poorly maintained they were. Our site had a beautiful, private beach access, which was a highlight, but in my opinion, it wasn't worth the difficult trek to get there. The campsite was pretty small. It had a decent tent spot, but overall felt cramped, and there was only a half-bench for seating. I'm glad I got to experience a backpacking site--but honestly, I'll never do it again.

We enjoyed it. It…read morewas $5 per adult to enter. There was a gift shop with restrooms prior to museum area entry. The museum was comprised of a single floor with a very large center space flanked by a couple of smaller rooms. There was information, photos, placards and artifacts for: - The depot - The railways that once served the area - The ore loading piers - Ore mining - Area war veterans (VFW) It took us about 40 minutes but one could easily spend a couple hours here.

My husband and I were taking the Lake Superior Scenic North Shore drive and one of our stops was…read moreTwo Harbors. We had visited the Depot in Duluth and seen the North Shore Scenic Railroad departure point, so we were looking forward to visit the Two Harbors Depot Museum, where the NSSR train stops for its northernmost point. The depot is located in the 1907 headquarters of the Duluth and Iron Range Railway Company. It's been charmingly restored, with ticket booths and telephone operator stations still intact. There are several different areas of displays, covering everything from military service to local culture at the turn of the last century. The museum has a gift shop and bathrooms available. Be aware of the timing of your visit; if you arrive at the same time the NSSR train does, there will be many passengers lining up to use those bathrooms, as the train is historic and does not have lavatory facilities. We were able to see the train pull into the station and, after its rest stop, hear that most lovely sound--a train whistle signaling "All Aboard!" The Depot Museum is definitely worth a stop for all visitors to Two Harbors!

Still great. This time we did the self-guided tour which uses your cell phone. Make sure you buy…read morethe complete ticket which includes all floors. One of the highlights is exploring the grounds. It was a beautiful fall day with lots of wind. We even saw 3 deer. There is a lot of history here. Everyone had a twin bed until marriage. Some features were innovations for the time. They even had an indoor milking room for the house. A great place to bring any history lover. Plus it is haunted.

What a beautiful mansion filled with decor from around the world. The historical background is very…read moreinteresting. The grounds are amazing with beautiful flowers and all types of plants. The employees are knowledgeable, but a bit on the not super friendly side - all business. I recommend the full tour and downloading the audio tour, as it really helps understand what you are seeing. This tour is well worth the time investment and price of admission. Make sure to spend as much time outside as you do inside.

Great view on a clear day, and a nice amount of parking. This is not accessible with a trailer or…read moremotor home though! Terrain is rough, the road is strap and only one lane (watch for cars coming down!). They have designated motorcycle parking and some signage with I for about the area and hiking.

A short one mile hike for breathtaking views! My family and I did this hike during the end of March…read moreand I could only imagine how it would look during the fall! The road to drive up was closed for the winter so we hiked up the small mountain which took around 15 minutes. But during (not the winter season LOL) the road is open to drive up for gorgeous views of Lake Superior. Definitely a must stop you have to make while driving up the MN North Shore.

We unfortunately missed the last tour, but a very nice employee we spoke with said that we were…read morewelcome to walk around the grounds and check out the outside of the mansion. Wow, what a place I can't even imagine what it would be like to live in such a huge house and what kind of staff you would need to run it! The grounds outside were quite lovely. They were nice gardens and I hope to make it back to check out the inside of the house at some point.

We had very high expectations after seeing the Glensheen Mansion. Price was not worth admission…read more This was a guided tour for the Fairlawn. Wanted to just walk and take in the building but you can not deviate from the tour. Waste of money.

We actually didn't go TO the lighthouse, having been there many years ago. We walked the trail of…read moreSplit Rock Lighthouse State Park. Beautiful scenery following the lake and great views of the lighthouse from below. $7 day pass parking.

This has been on my bucket list for ages, and I finally did it this fall! And trust me: it's worth…read moreit. Instead of going to or into the lighthouse itself, I used my state park pass to go into the state park and get a view of it. Because my motto is: you want a picture of the famous thing, not in the famous thing! This goes for the Eiffel Tower and pretty much any famous landmark. After parking in a spacious parking lot practically empty and walking a short distance, I got to the beach where there was an awesome view of the lighthouse. I walked a bit further to get closer, and every view was breathtaking! A must see when visiting the North Shore.

My husband and I just did the Grand Sightseeing Tour on the Vista Star. We absolutely loved it! It…read morewas so very informative. Bill did a fantastic job narrating and dropping in some humor as well as offering up so many facts about permanent points of interest as well as ships currently in the harbor. The entire staff was phenomenal! The seasonal cocktail offerings were delicious. This boat tour was the highlight of our visit to Duluth and we'll definitely do this or another tour option next time we visit. I very highly recommend going on one of the many tours that Vista Fleet has to offer.

We had a great time on our cruise! We learned info about the area. The all female crew was…read moreexcellent! It was wonderful just being out on the water. There were some people who were distracting/loud & clearly not there to listen/learn about the area but their lack of manners had zero to do with crew. I would use this company again.

This is a fantastic little museum/tourism stop! They have fun commemorative puzzles, clothes,…read morepuzzles, stickers, postcards, and such for sale! They also have some neat historical info on the area and the history of mining around Silver Bay. It's well put together and definitely a place to stop and read all the signs at for an hour! The gentlemen working there was very lovely to chat with! They had pamphlets on local things to do as well:)

Because this state park has a rest area, the admission is free. You only need to pay entry if…read moreyou're going to the campground or driving down to the Lakeshore. You can see the Falls and hike the upper areas for free. Friendly staff, small nature, center, restrooms, vending. Ample free parking. The fall cells are pretty cool. It was fairly busy so there were a lot of people around. If you walk to the other side of the highway and hike up there, there are far fewer people.

Overall my trip to the falls was nice. Parking was easy, it was peaceful and clean out there.read more