Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Thatsaid,thephlegmaticporttownisoneofthebusiestdeepwaterharborsinthenation.
And, it sniffs, off the industrial straightaways, Superior reveals not only grand stretches of
classicLakeSuperiorhistorybut,realtruthbetold,tonsoftrees—it'sgotthesecond-largest
municipal forest in the United States. And don't let the curmudgeons sully Superior's im-
age—it was nice enough for President Calvin Coolidge to move the White House here in
1928.
Arnold Schwarzenegger himself graduated from UW-Superior as a hotel/restaurant ma-
jor.
MM
Superior Harbor
One of the farthest-inland and deepest freshwater ports worldwide, and the largest harbor
on the Great Lakes, shipping up to 75 million tons of ore and grain annually, Superior is
thus the hardest-working port on the Great Lakes.
Unreal vistas come from the frenetically busy port and the 17 miles of massive docks,
grain elevators, and flotillas of monstrous ships. The
Burlington Northern Ore Docks
are
indeed the largest in the world. Not all are available for public viewing, sadly, but the Bur-
lington docks have occasionally allowed observation. Inquire at the visitors center for land
access. Check online (
www.duluthshippingnews.com
)
for lists of ship arrivals and depar-
tures.
Imagine yourself a whaleback ore sailor, drifting by 1,000-foot-long “lakers” and
“salties” blowing their horns, as your ship prepares to take on unfathomable amounts
(60,000 tons) of cargo. Do it via the myriad tours of the
Vista Fleet
(715/394-6846,
www.vistafleet.com
)
, which actually leave from Duluth's DECC arena and take in the Du-
luth Aerial Lift Bridge, the Duluth Ship Canal, Port Terminal dock, all of Barker's Island,
the Blatnick Bridge, and the world's largest coal docks, and then passes into the St. Louis
RivertowatchtaconitebeingloadedattheMesabiIronOredocks.Two-hourcruisesdepart
late May-mid-October. Rates for basic sightseeing cruises are $15 adults.
Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center
Localboy(well,fromnearbyPoplar,Wisconsin)RichardI.BongbecametheUnitedStates'
greatest WWII ace in his swift and deadly P-38 Lightning. After years of neglect, a P-38
is now on display at the smashing
Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center
(305 Har-
bor View Pkwy., 715/392-7151,
www.bvhcenter.org
,
9am-5pm Mon.-Sat., noon-5pm Sun.
