the Visit Neighboring States Series
Highway 61 along the North Shore begins in Duluth, MN were Interstate 35 ends. HWY 61 is the main route all the way north to Canada. There are limited side roads or backways.
There are two portions of HWY 61 between Duluth and Two Harbors; old HWY 61 along the shoreline (one lane in each direction) and new HWY 61 which is a fast four lane HWY).
Along old HWY 61 between Duluth and Two Harbors is the Great! Lakes Candy Kitchen. A cute play area for little ones and hammocks hung from trees great a relaxing yard where you can snack on all the yummy treats.
Look for Tom’s Logging Camp, Betty’s Pies north of Two Harbors, historical museums, overlooks, water access roads, state parks with water falls and more!
The best way to plan a trip is to pick up a North Shore guide which lists all the attractions, lodging and more in terms of miles along highway 61 from Duluth.
One of the places we stopped in Two Harbors, right in town, was Sweet Peas Gifts & Back Forty Books. They have a TON of well-cared-for used books that are well-organized, in addition to products from local artisans. We found a birthday gift for my mother-in-law who we would be seeing on our way home, not to mention several great books to add to our collection. The lady who was manning the store, not sure if she was the owner, turned out to be a homeschool mom and now grandma who really knows books and was able to convince my son to wait on some books we don’t think he’s ready for content-wise, and suggested some books she knew an 11-year-old boy would enjoy but were still appropriate. Great conversation with her, and great place!
Neat! We visited several of the little shops and I remember the book store but we didn’t stop for long that day. Next trip, we’ll have to make sure to stop. I know we’ll be going back again.