Duluth Vacation Day 2

Second day in Duluth was a blast and we were on the go the entire day.  We started out with the hotel's complimentary breakfast and then were off.  Since the train rides didn't start until after lunch we went down to Canal Park first to watch the big ships and the bridge.  We had perfect timing because as soon as we parked the car the Aerial Lift Bridge was going up.  We made it just in time to watch this big ship go underneath.  Wow, was it big!

 

 

 

 

After the bridge went down we walked across and then walked down to both of the lighthouses.  Owen loved watching all the seagulls!  As we were walking across the bridge to cross back to where we started we heard a warning that the bridge was about to go up and we had to hurry up.  Uh-oh!  Luckily we made it across just in time!  We waited around for the ship museum to open and then spent some time in there before going back to the hotel for lunch.  This cutout was literally right outside our hotel room and the kids had to pose every time we went to the room.

Time for the North Shore Scenic Railroad ride!  Of course with the train ride leaving at 12:30 Owen was beyond tired.  He was fussy and squirrelly for the first half of the ride before we decided to open up the stroller and let him sleep in there.  We all sat in the car without seats and watched the scenery that way.  We thought the ride was only going to be 45 minutes but that ended up being one way so it was after 2 when we finally got back the depot.  A long ride but still fun.

 

 

 

When we were at the ship museum earlier that day we learned that the Lakewalk Festival was that same day.  It were lots of local businesses or organizations that setup booths along the sidewalk that goes around Lake Superior - starting by the Aerial Lift Bridge and went at least until the Memorial, so at least a good mile.  Everyone participating was given a passport and if you stopped at booth you got your passport stamped.  Collect 10 stamps and get a free ice cream cone when finished - best of all, it was FREE.  A lot of booths had some lawn games like bean bag toss or plinko where they won tattoos, candy and stickers, but some places were very creative.  The kids went in a bounce house, painted rocks, went into a chalkboard house and John's favorite was the station where you made your own s'mores!

Back at the hotel and we cleaned up for dinner.  We tried eating at a nicer restaurant but the kids weren't having it so we ended up leaving and eating at home.  After dinner we decided to take in more of what the hotel had to offer.  First we played mini golf.  The course wasn't that great but it was perfect for the kids to put around on.

 

 

Finally, we tried out the arcade.  Owen got a kick out of the motorcycles and other things with steering wheels.  Of course he didn't get to actually play the games but just sitting on the seats and steering was a treat for him.  Megan and John played several games, including the "whack-a-shark" game as you see below.  At the end we got enough tickets so Megan could get a baton, plastic straw and a couple other small things.