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Here’s something surprising about Duluth, Minnesota. Each year, more than 6 million people visit the city of 90,000. That’s about a million more than peer over the edge of the Grand Canyon annually.
So, what makes Minnesota’s northern outpost so magnetic? Lake Superior, the world’s largest inland freshwater lake, whose blue waters stretch alongside downtown Duluth.
A shore thing
Wisely, some 50 years ago, the city started building event facilities next to Duluth’s harbor. First, a couple of hockey arenas; later, two convention centers, one facing the water, one facing downtown, and a symphony hall. Today, the complex called the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, encompasses 250,000 square feet of meeting and exhibition space.
“We have meeting rooms and a ballroom right on the lake,” says Daniele Villa, vice president of sales and operations for Visit Duluth. “You can watch the ships come in and out. It is a different experience from most convention centers.”
The DECC’s location has other advantages. It neighbors Bayfront Festival Park, a lakefront lawn with a covered stage, and the Great Lakes Aquarium, where visitors can learn about sturgeon, trout, and other life that lives in Lake Superior on tours or during after-hours events. The Lakewalk, a paved trail for walkers and bikers that stretches eight miles from downtown to Brighton Beach, passes right by DECC. And the center is steps from Canal Park, where restaurants and bars boast views of Duluth’s Aerial Lift Bridge, which rises and lowers to let ships in and out of the harbor.
Canal Park and the bridge are in view from DECC’s Harbor Side Convention Center, especially its ballroom. By contrast, the City Side Convention Center looks out on downtown, and its 26,000-square-foot Great Lakes Ballroom is the DECC’s largest meeting space. For keynote speakers, there’s the 2,260-seat Symphony Hall, whose mid-century design is in vogue again.
Although no hotels are physically connected to the DECC, 1,200 of Duluth’s 5,000 hotel rooms are within a few blocks, and most are linked to the DECC through the city’s skywalk system. The closest hotel is also the largest, the 338-room Holiday Inn & Suites Duluth Downtown, located just a tenth of a mile from the DECC. Beyond that, accommodations are a mix. Several national brands, including Radisson, Sheraton, and Hampton, are represented and several local properties, like the 140-room Pier B Resort, the 116-room Canal Park Lodge, and the 68-room Park Point Marina Inn, are situated on or near the water.
Keeping the Lakewalk strong
The city recognizes the value of Lake Superior to its economy, and so after major winter storms damaged the Lakewalk in 2018, approximately $20 million was invested in restoring and reinforcing it. Duluth wants to ensure that everyone, even busy meeting goers, can easily enjoy some Superior time. “This is our front door,” as one official reminded me recently.
The lake is an integral part of everything in Duluth. Tour boats leave from docks near the DECC. Glensheen, an early 1900s mansion with grand meeting spaces, is on the lake, three miles from town. A train ride takes passengers from downtown north along Superior’s shores. And breweries say their beer tastes, well, superior, thanks to the lake’s water.
Breweries and distilleries have popped up in clusters downtown, so planning tours and tastings is easy. Groups can sit on Canal Park Brewing’s patio next to the lake, play yard games, and be warmed by fire pits. Nearby Vikre Distillery, a maker of gin and other spirits, makes room for off-site events.
In the Lincoln Park Craft District, live music flows from Ursa Brewing, and its back bar can accommodate bookings for parties of up to 50. Bent Paddle Brewing has multiple event spaces. Warrior Brewing, owned by a military veteran, is a natural for veterans’ reunions.
All in all, Duluth is a great place to meet, says Villa. Sure, winters are chill, but Duluth knows how to make the most of it. And summers aren’t steamy, so there’s no sweat, and few bugs.
“We consider ourselves a cool city,” he says.
Getting there
Duluth is a two-hour drive from Minneapolis; Duluth International Airport has daily flights from Minneapolis and Chicago.
For more information, please contact:
Visit Duluth
Daniele Villa
President, Sales and Operations
218-722-4011
