History + Culture

P.O. Box 3631, Duluth, Minnesota 55803-3631

Commemorative Air Force Museum

305 Harborview Parkway, Superior, Wisconsin 54880

2125 W Superior St, Duluth, Minnesota 55806

906 East Second Street, Superior, Wisconsin 54880

Fairlawn was built in 1890 as the family estate of Martin Pattison, lumber and mining millionaire and 3-term mayor of Superior. This 42-room mansion recalls Superior’s boomtown days, as well as its unique, 40-year history as a Children’s Home. Today’s visitors will be impressed by the fully restored exterior and main floor rooms, with exotic woodwork, lush fabrics and spectacular, handpainted ceilings. Open year-round. $12 for adults; $10 for seniors (62+), college, and active military; $6 for youth (6-17), and children 5 and under free.

600 East Superior Street, Duluth, Minnesota 55802

3300 London Road, Duluth, Minnesota 55804

2727 US Hwy 169 S, Grand Rapids, Minnesota 55744

Tour the restored 1925 historic home where America’s Treasure, Judy Garland, spent her formative years. At the adjacent Museum, see the carriage used in the Wizard of Oz, once owned by Abraham Lincoln. Enjoy a performance or documentary screening. Memorial Garden with Gazebo. Shop in Professor Marvel’s store. Open daily Memorial Day weekend through Sept. April & May open Mon – Sat. Call for late autumn & winter hours. General admission for all ages”$8. One Campus”Many Attractions (includes Children’s Discovery Museum). Under age 1-free.

902 East First Street, Duluth, Minnesota 55805

Korean Veterans Memorial

Lakeplace Park, Duluth, Minnesota 55802

Dedicated on August 21, 2003, the Korean Veterans Memorial honors the men and women who served in the Korean conflict. Learn about Duluth’s B Company, a highly decorated group of local soldiers, most of whom served in combat. The memorial is illuminated and especially poignant at night.

402 23rd Ave. E, Superior, Wisconsin 54880

Built in 1898, the Old Firehouse originally housed five horse-drawn rigs, including the city’s first steamer. Enjoy a unique look at historic fire-fighting equipment and police memorabilia in the last of Superior’s nineteenth-century fire halls! The self-guided tour includes the first floor, filled with historic fire rigs including the Fire Chief’s nineteenth-century horse-drawn buggy, a 1906 Ahrens Steam Pumper, a 1919 LaFrance Ladder Truck, and a 1944 L Model Mack with a Hale pump.On the second floor see the progression of improvements in typical firefighters’ equipment through the years and visit the State of Wisconsin Police and Fire Hall of Fame installation. Open mid-May through mid-October for tours. 

305 E 2nd Street, Superior, Wisconsin 54880

Barker's Island 200 Marina Dr. , Superior , Wisconsin 54880

The SS Meteor is the last remaining above-water whaleback ship in the world! The whaleback freighter was designed by Captain Alexander McDougall and built here in Superior, Wisconsin. These ships, innovative for their time, earned the name “whaleback” for their cigar-shaped steel hulls that rode low in the water when loaded with cargo. Open mid-May through mid-October for tours.

3713 Split Rock Lighthouse Road, Two Harbors, Minnesota 55616

506 West Michigan Street, Duluth, Minnesota 55802

Today, heritage steam locomotives and their antique, gilded, wooden coaches wait trackside in the Lake Superior Railroad Museum, home of the Midwest’s largest indoor train collection. (See Lake Superior Railroad Museum and North Shore Scenic Railroad.) Also, walk the streets of Depot Square, a realistic, life-size depiction of downtown Duluth at the turn of the century. One low-priced admission ticket lets you enjoy the railroad museum plus the St. Louis Historical Society’s exhibits featuring regional history, and the Duluth Art Institute’s two galleries. The Depot is also home to the Duluth Playhouse Theater and three other area performing arts organizations including the Minnesota Ballet, Matinee Musicale and Arrowhead Chorale. Two unique museum stores offer rare items relating to the building’s past and current use. Summer Hours: Memorial Day- Labor Day/9:30am-6pm daily. Winter Hours: Mon-Sat/ 10am-5pm; Sun 1-5pm Call for group rates, guided tours, and special exhibit information.

906 East Second Street, Superior, Wisconsin 54880

Fairlawn was built in 1890 as the family estate of Martin Pattison, lumber and mining millionaire and 3-term mayor of Superior. This 42-room mansion recalls Superior’s boomtown days, as well as its unique, 40-year history as a Children’s Home. Today’s visitors will be impressed by the fully restored exterior and main floor rooms, with exotic woodwork, lush fabrics and spectacular, handpainted ceilings. Open year-round. $12 for adults; $10 for seniors (62+), college, and active military; $6 for youth (6-17), and children 5 and under free.

5797 North Shore Drive, Duluth, Minnesota 55804

12551 Voyageur Lane, Pine City, Minnesota 55063