Minnesota 2020: More Duluth and Wisconsin!

After several fun-filled days of exploring Minnesota, we were looking forward to another good day. Our plan for the day was to start in Duluth by going to a few overlooks, then head to Superior, Wisconsin to give the kids a taste of Wisconsin. 

It was Saturday, July 4, so we dressed for the occasion!

Brenson, Brecklyn, Brooke, and Brianna

We started our day by heading over to Skyline Parkway. We were eager to see more views of Duluth, and we were not disappointed. What a gorgeous view on a gorgeous day!

While on Skyline Parkway, we stopped at Enger Park. This park is lush, shady, and just beautiful!

Brooke, Brianna, and Brecklyn

It has several overlooks of the city that were just spectacular.

Brecklyn and Momma

Brooke and Daddy

The thing that really attracted us to Enger Park was the overlook tower . . . we were pleasantly surprised by the beauty and serenity of the other parts of the park. 

Brianna, Brooke, Brecklyn, and Brenson

We were excited to climb the tower to get 360 degree views of the city. The views were well worth the climb, although you can't really tell in photos. Brecklyn and Brenson were both not thrilled with being in the tower, and because of that we didn't spend much time overlooking the city. The tower was also pretty busy, so it worked out.

View from the tower

These two (Brecklyn and Brenson) were happy to have their feet securely on the ground again!

By the time we made it back to the van and started toward Superior, Wisconsin, everyone was being a little cranky. I've noticed that this tends to happen on trips about day six . . . everyone is just worn out and tired of not being in a routine. I was over the crankiness, though!

However, a little crankiness doesn't scare me, so we continued on with our plan of going to Superior, Wisconsin. Upon arriving in town, we drove around the University of Wisconsin.

Then, we stopped at a park that overlooks Superior Bay. It was a pretty little area, and I decided we needed to take a family photo for Independence Day. I didn't want a family selfie, so Chris cut notches in an empty coffee cup from McDonald's to use as a makeshift tripod for my phone. Then, I used the timer to capture the photo below. Success! And yes, I appreciate how my husband humors my little whims sometimes :-).

We had packed food for lunch, but couldn't find a decent place to eat in the park we were in. Instead, we headed over to the Richard Bong Veteran's Historical Center to use the restroom and eat. There were several picnic tables at the edge of a nice playground where we chose to have lunch. 

After lunch, the kids played on the playground while enjoying the view of the lake.

We also visited the inside of the Historical Center where we were able to get some maps of the area. One of the employees advised that we should visit Wisconsin Point for a great beach and lighthouse views. We didn't really have any plans for our day, so we decided Wisconsin Point sounded like a great idea!

We were completely unprepared to visit a beach, but that didn't stop us. The views of the lake and the lighthouse were incredible!

On our walk toward the beach, a kind lady saw us trying to take a family selfie and offered to take a photo for us. We were so grateful! It felt like the olden days, haha.

I had read that Wisconsin Point was known for its shallow, sandy beaches and clear, blue water. On the day we visited, the water was more reddish than blue and wasn't too clear. However, it was still a beautiful beach, and we enjoyed watching the sailboats in the distance. Like I said above, we were completely unprepared for a beach day, but we just went with it anyway. Chris and I parked ourselves in the sand and let the children just play. 

Brenson, Brecklyn, Brooke, and Brianna

We considered walking out the lighthouse, but the pier was made of huge rocks and very narrow. We thought maybe that wasn't the best idea with kids, haha. 

Daddy and Brecks

The kids absolutely loved playing in the sand. At first, I kept trying to stop them from getting wet and sandy, but finally decided it didn't matter and to just let them PLAY.

Brianna, Brenson, Brecklyn, and Brooke

Brecklyn

Brenson

Brianna

Brooke

We spent a good two hours at the beach, and it wasn't nearly long enough! However, we had an early morning planned for the next day (Sunday), and we didn't want to be out late. We trekked back to our van with our filthy children in tow. They were all wet and covered in sand, and there weren't any bathhouses in the parking lot where we had parked. I had extra clothes for all of them, so we finally just stripped the twins down in the parking lot and changed them there. The big kids changed in the back of the van. Our van was still full of sand, but at least they weren't riding in their car seats in wet clothes. 

It took us about 45 minutes to drive back to our hotel from Wisconsin Point, and once we got back Chris went and picked up Olive Garden for us for dinner. We ate on the patio outside the hotel.

The long, cool evenings in Duluth were really nice, and we soaked up our last evening there. We thought we might hear quite a few fireworks that night, but we weren't bothered at all by them. We had really enjoyed Duluth, but it was time to head north in the morning!