Both rival and best friend of bigger Duluth across the harbor, despite the “superior” name, Superior (pop. 27,368) is often the butt of jokes, usually regarding its comparatively lower geography (which means Superior catches all of Duluth’s flotsam), its hardy, blue-collar mentality, its forests of grain elevators (rather than trees), and its mountains of coal. It is also proud, along with Duluth, of being one of the busiest harbors in the nation, shipping millions of tons of ore a year from the nation’s most-inland port.
Superior’s lack of pretense is perhaps its biggest attraction. The route on US-2 through the city is decidedly industrialized, featuring a seemingly endless amount—almost 30 miles—of bay shore crowded with trains, tracks, elevators, and spindly working piers jutting out into the lake almost to the horizon. The city itself is sedate but offers a few things of historical or Great Lake interest, including its biggest draw, Fairlawn Mansion (daily; $5), the sprawling 42-room ex-residence of a lumber and mining baron, now the main local-history museum. The main stretch of US-2 through town is looked over by a stern statue of an early industrial magnate, James J. Hill, “The Empire Builder,” who made a fortune building and running the Great Northern railroad whose tracks still parallel US-2 west to Puget Sound.
There are plenty of places to stay along the main strip through town, including a nice Days Inn ($60; 715/392-4783) a couple of blocks north of the junction of US-2 and Hwy-53. For food, try the Town Crier, a full service, family-oriented café at 4927 E. 2nd Street. For more information, contact the visitors center (715/392-2773 or 800/942-5313), on US-2 at the west end of town, giving superior views both of the lake and town.
