Everyone enjoys a good vacation. In Minnesota, going "up north" is almost a religion. One of those up north destinations is Duluth, MN, or commonly referred to as the North Shore as it is located on the shores of Lake Superior. Only a 2-2 1/2 hour drive from Minneapolis Duluth is an easy day trip or a great weekend getaway from the hustle and bustle of city life.
Famous for it's iconic lift bridge, Duluth is a major call of port for cargo ships from across the globe. You could spend all day watching the massive ships come and go through the canal, not to mention the other exotic tall mast sailboats that call the area home. You can see in the picture below just how massive these boats are. The sail boat to the left of the barge is probably around 30 feet long.
Duluth has a lot of offer when it comes to entertainment. There are casinos, bars and restaurants, plenty of shopping, an aquarium, and enough craft breweries to keep even the most avid beer drinker smiling all day. But Duluth is just the start of the great North Shore coastal drive. On this trip we headed further north to one of Minnesota's most beautiful nature parks, Gooseberry Falls.
The falls are very easy to get to. The park itself is just off a major highway. You park in the parking lot and the falls are a short hike away on paved paths.
The waterfall was really rushing this time of year due to the winter snow melt. There are other time of the year that you can come to the falls and easily walk across some portions. It would have been almost impossible on the day these photos were taken and likely life threatening to try.
My wife and I love taking day trips up this way. It gets our family out of the house to enjoy the natural wonders and power of these falls. Not only does Gooseberry Falls offer you the outside natural beauty, but they have an inside exhibit as well that educated you on some of the wildlife around the area. The picture above is my son checking out a Minnesota Timberwolf!
We love Duluth and Gooseberry Falls, but this is literally the tip of the iceberg to what the area has to offer. As you very well may know Minnesota get very long cold winters, but that doesn't stop us from getting out and enjoying natures beauty. The area has snow showing, skiing, cross country skiing, ice fishing and many other winter activities. If you really want to get blown away head this way in the fall as the leaves start changing color. Every photo you take is post card quality and it further highlights how wonderful of a place the North Shore is!
I hope you enjoyed this post!
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