Hey Guys!
This post continues our time exploring the Great Lakes.
Our travel dates were June 25, 2025 – July 6th, 2025.
Read Day 1 here & Day 2 here & Click here to see links to all of my posts
Today we’re heading to Bayfield, WI, where we’ll spend the next night as part of our Great Lakes Adventure.
Click here for the 28 best things to do in Bayfield
But before we leave Duluth, we had a couple more things on our list to see.
If you’ve been following along since my first post, you’ll remember the Aerial Lift Bridge –a standout landmark and must see in Duluth.
We wanted to get a closer look at the bridge, along with the two lighthouses that sit nearby.
After checking out of our hotel, we drove over and parked near the popular Grandma’s Restaurant.
We had actually put this restaurant on our list to try, but unfortunately, we ran out of time.
Read reviews here
Tip: The weekend before we arrived they had Grandma’s marathon so don’t show up on that weekend!
After parking, we walked a short distance to the first lighthouse called, Duluth Harbor North Pier Light.
This black and white lighthouse was built in 1910.
Its lantern shines up to 16 miles in clear weather.
Yes, picture time in front of the lighthouse. 😉
The other lighthouse, the Duluth Harbor South Breakwater Outer Light, can be seen from the North Pier Lighthouse.
So, instead of making the long walk to photograph it, we decided to just take pictures from the North Pier Light.
This brick and white lighthouse, with its distinctive red roof was built in 1901.
It emits a fixed green beam that is visible for up to 17 miles.
As you are walking to these lighthouses, you will also be right next to the Aerial Lift Bridge.
There is another lighthouse that sits next to the bridge called Duluth South Breakwater Inner Light.
It was constructed to work in tandem with the Outer Light as a range light system, helping guide ships safely through the Duluth Ship Canal and under the Aerial Lift Bridge.
This lighthouse was originally built in 1900. The current skeletal-style tower that stands today was erected in 1958, replacing the original enclosed tower.
As I mentioned in my first post, the Aerial Lift Bridge is one of Duluth’s most famous and recognizable landmarks.
It was originally constructed in 1905 as an aerial transporter bridge but was converted in 1929 to a vertical lift bridge.
It is one of the few working aerial lift bridges in the world!
The center span of the bridge lifts straight up, powered by enormous counterweights.
It can rise 135 ft in about one minute. The bridge lifts about 20-30 times per day during peak shipping season.
You can walk across the bridge so we couldn’t leave until we walked at least halfway across!
It was so cool!
From the bridge, you can photograph both the North & South Pier lighthouses in a single frame.
We had a nice couple offer to take our picture while standing on the bridge.
After getting our pictures, we headed back to our car to begin our 1 hour 40 min drive to Bayfield, WI.
We passed the “Determined Mariner” sculpture in downtown Duluth.
Driving through downtown Duluth.
Crossing over another cool bridge along the way.
In Port Wing, WI, we passed a beautiful historic building that was originally constructed as a Catholic Church in 1896.
It is now being used as a quilt shop called Quilting Up North.
We later passed the Herbster Community Church that was originally built in 1916 as the Herbster Town Hall.
Arriving to Bayffield, WI.
It’s such a charming little town!
Click here for things to do in Bayfield
Tip: The population of Bayfield is around 600 people — making it the smallest incorporated city in the state.
We had booked a 3.5 hour boat tour of the Apostle Islands so that was our first stop.
After getting parked, we headed to check in for the boat tour.
We were given a map of all the islands we would be seeing on the tour.
The Apostle Islands are a group of 22 islands scattered in the northwestern corner of Lake Superior.
They are known for their pristine beaches, sea caves, sandstone cliffs, historic lighthouses and old growth forests.
The islands and a portion of the mainland make up the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.
Most of the islands are only accessible by boat, kayak or ferry.
Tip: You can also do a boat tour of the lighthouses. There are 8 historic lighthouses on 6 of the islands.
As I mentioned, the Apostle Islands are located on Lake Superior.
Lake Superior is a freshwater giant – stretching 350 miles long and plunging to depths over 1300 ft!
It is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world! It holds 10% of the world’s surface freshwater! It’s bigger than South Carolina and nearly as deep as the Grand Canyon!
The Apostle Islands boat.
On the boat
Ok ya’ll, I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about this boat tour because unfortunately I was bored to tears!
The captain basically just talked about the history of each island.
And they all looked the same!
The color of the water was really beautiful!
The only worthwhile things we saw on this boat tour were two historic lighthouses, two bald eagles, a historic fishing camp, and the sea caves at Devil’s Island…..where I thought the devil himself was determined to flip our boat!
You are not even guaranteed to see Devil’s Island if the water is too rough and that is the main highlight of the tour.
Tip: Make sure you take something for motion sickness because the water can get very rough!
Tip: Sit on the left side of the boat for the best views
I was never so glad to be off a boat in my life! I personally do not recommend this tour…it was way too long and there are better ways to spend your time when in Bayfield!
Read reviews here
After the boat tour, we walked through town looking for somewhere to eat.
The town is really cute and colorful!
Right along the water, we spotted a little place called Hoops Fish & Chips. With a view like that, it was an easy decision to eat there!
Their menu was very limited. They only offered, yes you guessed it, fish!
We were totally fine with that because we both love fish and it tastes even better when you have water views!
Everything was cooked fresh, right after we placed our order!
The food was hot and delicious ….and look at these views!
Read reviews here
After enjoying our lunch, we decided to go look for a t-shirt and coffee cup.
We never leave a state without purchasing a t-shirt and a coffee cup….we have now accumulated hundreds of coffee cups over the years!
Our goal is to visit every state in the US and we only have about 10 states left…well, that is after we visit New Mexico later this year!
We passed this beautiful water fountain along the way.
Click here to read about 5 waterfalls located in Bayfield County
We walked alongside the water with views of the marina.
Shopping for our souvenirs
After making our purchases, we continued our walk through town.
We spotted the Sweet & Salty Ice Cream store so we decided to stop in for a sweet treat.
This place was so cute on the inside!
We both ordered two scoops and it was so good!
It was way too much but I couldn’t stop eating it and I paid for it afterwards! I felt so sick after eating all of that ice cream! I rarely eat sweets and I think my body didn’t know how to process all of the sugar!
Read reviews here
After our ice cream, it was time to check into our hotel.
For this stay, I had booked our very first bed and breakfast stay in a historic house called the Old Rittenhouse Inn.
However, when I booked this property, I didn’t realize at the time, that they had actually booked us in their sister property. the Le Chateau.
We had to check in at the Old Rittenhouse.
The Old Rittenhouse is a historic Queen Anne Victorian mansion that was originally built in 1890 as a summer home.
It became Wisconsin’s first bed and breakfast when Mary & Jerry Phillips purchased it in 1973.
The inn’s name honors Charles Rittenhouse, an early Bayfield investor, and Rittenhouse Avenue, the town’s main street, also bears his name.
The house was gorgeous! I was only able to take a few shots of the inside since we were only checking in and not staying in this house.
After getting checked in, they gave us the keys and the directions to their sister property ….which was only like a 1/2 mile from the Rittenhouse.
While we were driving to the Le Chateau, we passed the historic Christ Episcopal Church. The church was built in 1870.
Arriivng to the Le Chateau.
In 1987 the Phillips’ purchased Le Chateau, built in 1907 by lumber baron Frank Boutin Jr.
This house was absolutely stunning!
We had never stayed in a historic home and we were so excited to stay here after seeing it!
I’m not sure sure how many square feet this house was but it was huge!
The grounds were beautiful too!
After taking pictures of the outside of the house, we headed inside to check it out.
We first headed to our room which was located on the 3rd floor.
It was beautiful!
It had a king size bed, a sofa, fireplace, garden tub and more!
There was a sitting area that had beautiful views of Lake Superior!
The bathroom was huge!
Views from the bathroom window
After getting settled into our room, we headed back downstairs to check out the house.
We couldn’t get over how gorgeous this house was!
From the moment we stepped inside, we were taken by the home’s rich character – ornate woodwork, period furnishings, and beautiful architectural details that spoke to its 19th century origins.
Every room was warm and inviting.
The huge front porch was equally as inviting!
The views from the front porch.
The home features seven guest rooms and breathtaking views of Lake Superior.
After exploring the house, we decided to take a short drive and check out some of the other homes in this area.
We love looking at homes when visiting new places.
All of the houses we saw were restored older homes ….
They were so cute!
We passed this cool looking “treehouse”…..someone had taken the stump of a dead tree and used it in the most creative way!
We also passed the Apostle Islands Visitor Center.
And another historic church called the Holy Family Catholic Church built in 1888.
We decided to drive part of the Fruit Loop.
The fruit loop is a scenic 1o mile loop that includes several family run berry farms, apple orchards, ciberiers and more.
These farms have earned Bayfield the nickname “Berry Capital of Wisconsin” thanks to its abundant production of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, cherries and apples.
There are more than a dozen farms that offer over 40 apple varieties and a full range of berries with each orchard having its own personality — from bakery treats to cider flights to artisan markets.
During the first weekend in October, they hold an annual apple festival.
Unfortunately, the orchards were all closed by the time we were able to do the drive…it was after 6 pm.
So, we headed back to the house to enjoy some time on the front porch.
Later, after a nice soak in the garden tub, I sat in the cozy nook and enjoyed watching the sun set over Lake Superior.
After relaxing for a while, we called it a night!
Thanks for reading!
Stay tuned for Day 4!
Read Day 1 here & Day 2 here ….Click here to see links to all of my blog posts.