A busy summer in Duluth!

Spring is in the air, and the sense of another wonderful Duluth summer is in the air too! As we approach the “blooming” month of May, after the April “rain/snow” showers, the veranda and patio furniture is in place. New window boxes have been ordered, and I can just picture the amazing floral display that will take place not only in the window boxes, but all around the grounds as well. We will be putting in 3 new raised beds for more herbs, veggies, and flowers this year (Tim facetiously calls it my “farm”). The flower pots have been dug out of storage, and the yard has been raked. Ah…it’s time to enjoy the beautiful season that is summer in gorgeous Duluth, Minnesota! Hopefully we will get time to enjoy a cup of coffee or a glass of wine with our guests amongst the blooms!

As always, Duluth will be full of attractions and events this year. A recent bit of great news is that a small group of Tall Ships will be once again gracing our port in July. It will not be on the grand scale of last summer, but will be a nice surprise for the season. This May the newly remodeled DECC will be hosting a couple of superstars, Elton John and Sheryl Crow. Then later this summer at Bayfront Park we will have the great honor of Willie Nelson performing.

The Visit Fleet will be setting sail and begin their dinner cruises on May 7th with the regular sightseeing tours beginning May 13th! The Glensheen Mansion will be opened daily (just weekends now) beginning on May 27th, and the William A. Irvin has already begun limited tours.

Of course this is just a small sampling of the multitude of things to do in Duluth and along the North Shore. A favorite stop is always Gooseberry Falls and Split Rock Lighthouse, but don’t forget about Tettegouche State Park and Palisade Head further up the North Shore. Plus so much more! We have a ton of information for you and can always help you plan your stay.

Finally, we are very excited to start our summer with some great recognition from one of the Midwest’s premier magazines, Midwest Living. In April, we learned we were chosen as a “Best Bed and Breakfast” in the North Shore for the 2011 Midwest Living Travel Guide. This guide provides travelers a list of the very best places to stay. We were then incredibly honored to be chosen in their top 30 “Best B&B’s” in the May/June 2011 issue of Midwest Living. We are the only Bed and Breakfast chosen for our North Shore region, and quite honored to be selected when realizing that the magazine covers and includes an entire 12 state region. Midwest Living is also one of the rare publications that actually send its writers to stay at the places they endorse!
Thank you to the amazing travel writers and editors of Midwest Living magazine for taking time to visit us, and for choosing our Inn as a “Best B&B” in both issues! We’re looking forward to another great year in our gorgeous port city; and to welcoming old and new friends as we embark on the season that is THE reason we love Duluth!!

An Award winning year!

The seasons are once again changing in Duluth and the shipping season is already underway. It seems like it was just yesterday when the last ship came in for the winter layover, and here we are smiling as we look out at the Lake to see them once again making their way in and out of our beautiful port city of Duluth!

We have enjoyed an unusually busy year so far at our Duluth Bed and Breakfast. If the first quarter of 2011 is any indication of how the rest of the year will be, we better hold on tight! We are deeply grateful to all of our guests, past and future, for choosing to spend their valuable time and resources with us. We are excited to see many of you again, and look forward to making new friends!

We have managed to complete some projects we had planned; here is a quick update! Painting has been the project of the year so far with the grand entry way of the Inn getting a beautiful new color on its walls; a welcoming and warm Benjamin Moore “Mineral Alloy.” The dining room also has been updated, along with the Salyards Room. The entry way of the Carriage House has a new trim and wall color, and the North Shore Retreat is now complete with new trim and wall paint. Good thing Tim’s a very, very good painter!!

You can follow all of our projects, and get updates and photos by “Liking” us on Facebook and following us on Twitter too! We hope to complete a few more projects before the whirlwind of the season begins.

We were incredibly excited to learn we were chosen for several prestigious awards and recognitions in 2011. We are grateful and humbled by the recognition, and know that we could not have accomplished what we have without the support of our wonderful guests, friends, family and colleagues! We love Duluth, and are very much aware of how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful destination area that allows us to share our home with you!


Here is a brief update of what your support has helped us realize this year:
• LanierBB.com awarded the AG Thomson House Bed and Breakfast with the “Best Amenities” honor
• iLoveInns.com selected the AG Thomson House Bed and Breakfast as a “Top Ten Romantic Inn in North America”
• Duluth~Superior Magazine’s “Best of” poll for 2011 awarded the AG Thomson House Bed and Breakfast in five categories: “Best Bed and Breakfast” (second year in a row), “Best Amenities”, “Best Romantic Getaway”, “Best In-Room Dining” (second year in a row), and “Best Hotel Rooms” (second year in a row). And we came in second place for “Best Hotel.” Wow! We thank you all for taking the time to vote for us. We were told that over 700 votes came in for the AG Thomson House Bed and Breakfast! Simply amazing!

• Midwest Living magazine puts out a Travel Guide each year and the AG Thomson House Bed and Breakfast was named a “Best of the Midwest” in their 2011 issue. We are the only Bed and Breakfast in our North Shore region to receive this honor.

We will continue to keep you updated via our Blog, Facebook, and Twitter so be sure to bookmark these pages. You can also become a subscriber to our You Tube channel, and check out our Flickr page. And don’t forget, to become a subscriber to our quarterly newsletter too!

Happy Spring to all of you!

It's "Honey Do" time again...

As I write this entry, we’ve just put the first of twelve months in 2011 behind us. I know it’s what people always say, but it never ceases to amaze me how quickly the time flies by – especially when keeping busy. It seems as though we were just putting up the holiday decorations, and then taking them down, and now we look forward to February, Super Bowl XVL and the Valentine’s Day holiday.

If January is any indication of what the year ahead will bring, we are very excited about the experiences and people we will meet in 2011. This January has proven to be the best the AG Thomson House Bed and Breakfast has had since it’s opening in 2000; and more importantly since our caretaking began in 2007. We have started and completed projects on the “Honey do” list, we have more to work on, and then we will be back in the heart of our busy season before we know it.

The projects have been relatively mild so far; primarily painting updates for now. We have some greater ambitions in mind as we head toward the spring, but we will have to take it a project at a time! You can check out the changes going on at the Inn by going to the AG Thomson House Bed & Breakfast Facebook page and taking a look. Don’t forget to “like us” while you’re there, and post your comments and thoughts – we would love to hear from you! As always, we will continue to improve upon this spectacular home, and our efforts will be focused on making it an experience and environment where you, our guests, feel welcome, at home, comfortable, and rejuvenated.

We are also very proud to announce that the AG Thomson House Bed and Breakfast has been selected and awarded some very prestigious industry awards. We have been selected as a “Top Ten Romantic Inn” by the renowned Bed and Breakfast website iLoveInns.com. It is a great honor to be representing Duluth among other wonderful regions across North America, including Hawaii, British Columbia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and more! This selection comes from a choice of over 30,000 Inns across the United States and Canada. The AG Thomson House Bed and Breakfast was carefully selected by iLoveInns.com for overall romantic attributes–scenic setting and location, interior beauty and design, heartfelt hospitality, pampering amenities and creative activities.

We also learned that we have been awarded “BEST AMENITIES” by LanierBB.com; one of the industry’s leading Bed and Breakfast websites. Winners of this prestigious award have been voted the best in their category by LanierBB online readers and voted for the AG Thomson House from a selection of over 8,500 Inns across the country. We are very proud; and very thankful to all of our guests who chose our Inn for this award! We continue to be grateful, humble and will never forget why we are here…for you!!

Finally, it is time once again to vote in the 2011 Duluth~Superior Magazine “Best Of” Poll in the Twin Ports area. Last year our guests helped us by voting the AG Thomson House the “Best Bed and Breakfast”, “Best Hotel Rooms”, and “Best In-room dining.” We would be most appreciative of your support in this years’ poll once again in some of the categories listed such as “Best Bed and Breakfast”, “Best Romantic Getaway”, “Best Breakfast”, “Best Rooms”, “Best Amenities”, etc. Just click on the link at the beginning of this paragraph, enter your email address (one vote per email address), enter your favorites in the categories listed, and then click “vote” after each entry. You don’t have to vote for every category, but chances are if you love Duluth, you have a few favorites you would like to help out in this year’s poll. We are always thankful for your support!

In this first blog entry of 2011, we want to wish you a very Happy New Year! We look forward to greeting old friends and making new. We take to heart the sign we have hanging in our living room…”Enter as strangers, leave as friends.” and we look forward to another fantastic year at the beautiful AG Thomson House Bed and Breakfast!

‘Tis the season to be “Green”!

Yes, it’s here – the Holiday season (and winter) in Duluth, Minnesota! Though not necessarily as snowy as our years spent in the Upper Peninsula on Lake Superior’s South Shore, it is nonetheless one of the most beautiful cities to live no matter what the season. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again; Duluth is without a doubt…spectacular!

The city of Duluth is alive with wonderful holiday events taking place; too numerous to mention in this post. One event that must be mentioned is the participation of the AG Thomson House Bed and Breakfast and the six other Inns of Duluth, MN in the Historic Bed and Breakfast Inns of Duluth Holiday Tour! All seven of the Duluth, MN Bed and Breakfast Inns are opening our doors on Sunday, December 12th from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Tickets are $20 in advance; $25 at the door. And to enhance the holiday season of giving, we will be collecting toys for the Salvation Army Toyland Express Toy Drive. An unwrapped gift valued at $15 brought to any Inn will give you a chance to win a night’s stay at any one of our Inns! For more great seasonal events, check out our Events page for a full list of ways to enjoy Duluth Minnesota this holiday season.

In preparation for the Duluth MN Bed and Breakfast tour, the AG Thomson House has officially completed its holiday decorating; and there is a lot of it! This year we are proud to have “greened” it up around the Inn. We have converted our exterior C-9 lights to LED’s of the same size and it is gorgeous! We could not be happier with the decision to convert on an aesthetic level, but are even happier with the environmental impact it will have. Instead of using over 2975 watts of electricity on the illumination of the exterior, this conversion reduces our usage to just 79 watts! Which encompasses lighting up the Main House, the Carriage House, and the garage (yes, we definitely deck the halls and even the garages at holiday time!) This is a reduction in energy use by over 98%! It’s gratifying on so many levels to be “green”; and an ongoing, day to day effort at our Inn!

Finally, we are incredibly proud and honored to have been featured in the December/January issue of Lake Superior Magazine, this region’s premier magazine. The article highlights the AG Thomson House Duluth MN Bed and Breakfast decked out for the holiday season, as well as some history behind the journey that we have been on to bring back the warmth and beauty of this incredible home. Check out one of our accomplishments, the before and after of our kitchen – the heart and soul of a bed and breakfast!

We thank all of our family, friends, past guests and future guests for the support you have offered us in this very speedy year of 2010, and we look forward to another successful and fun 2011! Our best and warmest wishes to all of you during this holiday season and throughout the year!

The A G Thomson House Historic Bed and Breakfast, a Duluth MN Bed and Breakfast over looking Lake Superior!

Duluth – Our Lake Superior Port City on the Rise!

With another extraordinary summer season behind us, we now have some time to reflect on the past three years as Innkeepers and caretakers of the spectacular AG Thomson House Historic Bed and Breakfast Inn, and the past 5 years of our new life in Duluth.

When the US Air Force sent us to Duluth 5 years ago, we immediately fell in love with this spectacular Lake Superior port city. Sitting along the shores of Lake Superior, Duluth had everything you would hope for from dining, shopping, arts & theatre; and of course an unlimited resource for all outdoor activities in an area of breathtaking beauty.

Since 2005, we have watched and participated in the exciting growth and new additions that have taken place in Duluth. What draws you to Duluth is the indescribable beauty that Lake Superior and the North Shore offer, but additionally what keeps you coming back are the award winning restaurants like the New Scenic Cafe, cutting edge arts and theater like the Teatro Zuccone and Zinema 2; and new, thrilling activities like the Timber Twister at Spirit Mountain – the only Alpine Coaster located in the Midwest. The renovation and reopening of the Pickwick brings a fresh new look, along with incredible food back to this historic restaurant. The Zeitgeist Arts Café, a place to dine then catch a movie or theater performance within the same building. Mexico Lindo, a long standing restaurant in the area, now located in the Fitger’s Complex offers patrons authentic Mexican food while enjoying the outdoor deck overlooking Lake Superior. And Clyde Iron Works, a renovated Ironworks warehouse now offering casual dining, along with popular musical performances like Minnesota’s GB Leighton, for example. And that’s just a small list…

Those of you who have stayed with us and followed us here at the AG Thomson House, are aware of all of the new, and up to date additions, amenities, and packages that we have added to the Inn, and awards received – all with our guests comfort and relaxation in mind. Like in-room breakfast delivery to all of our rooms, new flat screen HDTV/DVD’s, more rooms with king size beds; and that’s just a small sampling. We encourage you to peruse our website, “Like” us on Facebook where we continually update, post photos, and comment about the “goings on” around the Inn and Duluth; and of course, Stay with Us! As Trip Advisor’s #1 Bed and Breakfast in Duluth and Minnesota, we are here for you! Duluth is not just a summer destination, Duluth is a year-round destination and we encourage you to embrace all that our Lake Superior Port City offers, and embrace your new destination of the AG Thomson House Historic Bed and Breakfast Inn, your Duluth MN Bed and Breakfast!

New Restaurant open in Duluth!

If you know Duluth, you know we have some of the most unique restaurants in Minnesota.  Now added to that grand list is Mexico Lindo, located in the Fitger's Brewery Complex overlooking Lake Superior.  Mexico Lindo has been around for awhile in nearby Cloquet, but we are now lucky enough to have another great restaurant in Baja Billy's old location here in Duluth. 

We enjoyed lunch there the other day and they have a huge menu, including a ton of vegetarian options. Tim had the Veggie Yucatan, and I have a Veggie Taco Salad!  I have never had a Veggie Taco Salad before and it was delicious!  Of course no visit to a mexican restaurant is complete without a margarita.  I had a medium Mango margarita, which was tasty, but huge...Tim had to help me finish it!  Next time I'll try another flavor!  And hopefully next time the patio will be open to enjoy that margarita while soaking in the sun and fresh lake air!

So, on your next visit to Duluth you'll have one more great restaurant to choose from.  We've got their menu here for you to preview, along with almost all of the other restaurants in town.  Your vacation meal planning starts at the A G Thomson House!