Part 1: 1st stop - Gooseberry Falls!

This was out very 1st "family vacation" (we took it at the end of Aug, but i'm just getting to the posts now). We stayed 3 days in one of our favorite places, Duluth, MN (which is about 2 and a half hours north of us, right on Lake Superior).

Our 1st stop was Gooseberry Falls (about 30 mins past Duluth, but with the good weather that day and rain in the forecast, we knew we needed to go there 1st). It was an unseasonably hot day, of course it was when I was getting ready to a lug 24+ lb kid on my back! The kids loved it and were champs, we hiked quite a ways too! Realizing that "vacations" with small children are a labor love love, not lot's of relaxing. But I pray that it was many priceless memories made for the kids - I know it was for Nate and I.

Part 2: A scenic afternoon ...

Part 3: Vista Fleet Cruise

We knew going into this hour and a half tour of Lake Superior, that it could be an absolute disaster! Yes, Chason was a bit moody - what's new :) - but all in all it was a fun time had by all ... well, kinda fun for Chasey ...

Part 4: Canal Park & Fitger's

We spent a lot of time walking around Canal Park visiting the shops and walking the pier to see the lighthouse and lift bridge up close - and throwing rocks into Lake Superior. And of course we visited Fitger's Brewhouse, our favorite place to eat while in Duluth. And one warm evening got ice cream cones at Bridgeman's - super cheap and they give you a TON of ice cream. SO many fun memories made with the kids :).

Part 5: Where we stayed - the Great Room

Nate found this place on Craigslist - great deal, right on the lake (it was right over the lift bridge on the sand bar), but no bedrooms (it was a newly remodeled great room attached to someone's house) and we were going to be staying 3 nights with a 4 year old , 2 year old & a 9 month old. We struggled making the decision to put the deposit down, BUT, we knew we'd regret it if we didn't. So we went for it, carefully managed our expectations, and were pleasantly surprised!

The kids did great - Cal's pack-n-play fit in the bathroom, so we set him up in there, and the other two slept on the hide-a-bed mattress in the kitchen. So even when they were sleeping we were still able to hang out and talk and watch movies etc. The view was AMAZING too! We will definitely be visiting this place again and would highly recommend it to anyone looking to stay in Duluth in the future.