When you are looking for the best places to visit in Superior, you have many options. You can choose from historic sites, museums, bars, and ice skating. There is something for everyone, no matter what your age. If you want to explore the history of the city, you can visit the Superior Historical Society.
Historic sites
Douglas County’s county seat, Superior is located at the junction of U.S. Highways 2 and 53 and has a population of 26,751 as of the 2020 census. The city is adjacent to the Town of Superior and Village of Superior. The town is home to several historic sites. There are also many parks and playgrounds to enjoy.
Lake Superior is more than 12,000 years old, so there is a long history of human settlement in the area. It was Europeans who first mapped and wrote about Lake Superior in 1623. Etienne Brule chose the name because of its high elevation and its position as the largest of the five lakes that feed into the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Another historic site in Superior is the Congdon Estate. This 20,000 square foot mansion was constructed in the mid-19th century for the family of a wealthy lumberman. This mansion is now a museum and provides a great opportunity for education and enjoyment. Visitors can enjoy the museum’s free coloring book or take a guided tour.
Whether you are interested in the history of the town’s pioneers or the evolution of its culture and economy, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to learn about the past in Superior. Douglas County’s Historical Society, founded in 1854, preserves the history of immigration, industry, and daily life. The society also offers education programs, including history-based theater.
Museums
If you love history and shipbuilding, you’ll want to visit one of Superior’s museums. The Lake Superior Visitors Center has several displays about the history of shipping on the Great Lake. Inside, you can see models of old ships, photographs, navigation displays, and even an operational marine radio. The museum also offers educational programs.
One of Superior’s most award-winning museums is the Fairlawn Museum. Built in 1889 by Superior’s three-time mayor, the Fairlawn serves as a reminiscence of boomtown days. Originally, it served as a children’s home for 42 years.
Two popular Superior museums are the SS Meteor and the Fairlawn Mansion. Both of these museums are already listed on the national and state historic registries. However, they are still undergoing a process of being listed on the Local Registry of Historic Places. Both of these attractions will need to be approved by the Superior City Council.
The Lake Superior Railroad Museum is another great place to visit. The museum is a roadside attraction about 60 miles east of Phoenix. The town’s historic railroad history is the focus of its exhibits. You can also visit the nearby Boyce Thompson Arboretum. And if you’re interested in history, you can’t miss the World’s Smallest Museum. It’s a mere 134 square feet, but it has plenty of information about life in a mining town.
There’s also a blacksmith museum that features the equipment and tools of the last century. This museum is a tribute to an important dying art. Blacksmiths helped keep the mines and communities running. There’s even a Bammert family that owned the shop.
Bars
The Spirit Room has a large collection of memorabilia from old Superior bars. Those who pass through the Spirit Room add to the list. The photos below show some of the items on display. The collection is huge, but they only represent a small sample. The owner, Kim Moore, makes safety a priority.
Ice skating
There are several places to visit for ice skating in Superior. The Superior Ice Arena is a state-of-the-art facility that opened on December 4, 1989. This facility replaced the Municipal Rink and features an olympic-size sheet of ice. It is also equipped with a dryland training area, seven locker rooms, snack and beverage vending machines, heated viewing in the lobby, and a meeting room.
The Bayfield Ice Rink in Bayfield, Wisconsin, is a great place to practice your skating skills. The Bayfield rink has skate rentals and skate sharpening services, as well as a coffee shop. You can also try skating on the Bayfield Ice Road, which runs between Madeline Island and Bayfield. The ice road allows you to safely skate across a two-mile stretch of frozen water.
The Superior Amateur Hockey Association owns the Superior Ice Arena. The association runs a youth hockey program and has contributed to many state championships. The Superior Senior High School Spartan Boys and Girls Hockey Teams also play at the Superior Ice Arena. The girls’ team was the first girls’ high school team in Wisconsin to get WIAA-sanctioned status.
If you’re looking for a place to skate in Superior, there are several rinks that are open to the public. Most rinks have a pro shop for renting skates. Some of these rinks also have free skate sessions on the weekends. Some of these rinks are open year-round, and you can also find hockey leagues and figure skating lessons.
Fishing charters
If you are interested in fishing in the lake, there are several fishing charters available in Superior. These charters offer half and full-day fishing trips. These charters are operated by US Coast Guard-licensed captains. Often, these captains have been fishing in the lake for years. They will make your fishing trip a memorable and fun experience.
Lake Superior offers exceptional fishing opportunities. Most of the best angling can be found near shores and islands, and near rivers that enter and exit the lake. However, the North Shore is an area with some of the poorest fishing, but recent management has improved the fishery there. The North Shore area stretches from Duluth to Thunder Bay and northward into Canada. The best fishing on Lake Superior’s North Shore is for big steelhead. The area is also home to Kamloops rainbow trout.
One of the most popular guides on the lake is Peter Dahl. He has been fishing on Lake Superior for most of his life. As a boy, he was a first mate on his father’s fishing boat. These days, Peter Dahl has established himself as one of the best guides on the lake, having guided over 200 trips last year. Peter Dahl has also brought his family into the business. Sue Dahl handles bookings for his charters, and his granddaughter is the first mate for many excursions. The family-owned charters draw on their collective experience to deliver a memorable fishing experience.
Winter sports
If you love winter sports, you’ll love Superior, Minnesota. This town sits on the western edge of Lake Superior and receives over 270 inches of snow each year. The lake absorbs heat from the sun in the summer and draws moisture from cooler air in the winter, which causes the area to experience winter storms.
Visitors to the area can enjoy winter sports by skiing, tubing, and snowshoeing. There are also ice skating rinks and a ski resort with 900-foot tubing chutes. A visit to the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park will also provide you with beautiful views of the Lake Superior. Other places to take part in winter sports in the area include Christmas Mountain Village and the Mont du Lac Resort.
Visitors to the region can also try ice climbing, skiing, or dog sledding. The towering sandstone cliffs of Lake Superior attract ice climbers and spectators alike. During the winter, visitors can also try skijoring, a cross between cross-country skiing and dog sledding. Those who are adventurous enough can even go on a dog-friendly adventure on the Noquemanon Trail Network.
For those who love to cross-country ski, there are more than 30 miles of groomed trails in Douglas County. These trails are great for beginner and intermediate skiers. In addition, the City of Superior Municipal Forest Ski Trails have 16 miles of groomed trails and are perfect for both beginner and advanced skiers. The trails are open to the public and there is free parking at all locations.
