While we were visiting my family this summer, we spent some time on the North Shore. On our way back, our last stop was in Duluth. Because it was pretty cloudy and raining off and on, we decided to got to the Great Lakes Aquarium. We had a great experience even with Covid-19 restrictions in place.
How to Get to the Great Lakes Aquarium:
The Great Lakes Aquarium is located right on the water in Duluth Harbor. The address is 353 Harbor Drive Duluth, MN 55802. If you’re coming from the Twin Cities area, you will need to get onto I-35 North and take exit 256 B. From there you will turn right onto Harbor Drive and you’ll be able to see the aquarium. If you’re coming from another area, you can check out the directions on the Great Lakes Aquarium website here.
What You Can Do at the Great Lakes Aquarium:
There are a TON of exhibits at the Great Lakes Aquarium. I was really impressed with the space. The exhibits are spaced out over two levels and when we were there there was a one-way policy that people had to follow. We started upstairs and wandered through the exhibits before coming to the downstairs exhibits. Across both floors there are touch tanks, displays, interactive exhibits and tons and tons of different water-life as well as some non-water life.
Lucy really enjoyed the crab touch tank. And we all really enjoyed watching the electric eels and the river otters. There is also a large tank in the middle of the downstairs area that is really fun to walk around and see all the different types of fish and other marine life.
In addition to all the animals, there was also an exhibit when we were there about sunken ships and there are also amazing views of Duluth Harbor and the bridge near some of the exhibits on the second floor.
At the end of the aquarium route, there is also a large gift shop and there are really fun and nice walking trails right outside the Great Lakes Aquarium that can take you around Duluth Harbor and towards Lake Superior.
Sum Up:
The Great Lakes Aquarium is a great family friendly place to spend some time if you’re in Duluth, especially if it is cold and wet outside. When we went we were there with my mom, my teenaged sister, Ben, Lucy and me and we all had a good time so it is great for families of all ages.
