Duluth B&B ranks among best in the nation

A.G. Thomson House blends history & comfort
Trip Advisor listed Duluth's A.G. Thomson House Bed & Breakfast at the top of its 25 Best B&Bs and Inns in the United States this week. It was among two Midwest winners for the 2012 Travelers' Choice award. Fleur-De-Lys Mansion in St. Louis, Mo., another great choice, also made the cut.

Angie and Tim Allen

It's a huge honor for A.G. Thomson's owners, Tim and Angie Allen, who make restoring and maintaining a historic mansion look easy. It helps that they have that perfect blend of optimal B&B talent: do-it-yourself remodeling expertise, interior decorating, graciously welcoming personalities and the culinary creativity for special-occasion breakfasts and afternoon treats.

A.G. Thomson House's living room where guests gather.

The living room along, with its beautiful shelving, warm reds and a lovely attached porch, could easily grace the cover of a home magazine. The spacious guest rooms also are expertly put together with high-end beds, beautiful linens, cozy nooks, gas fireplaces and a few extras like a sun porch or upper deck access. If you want a little extra privacy and to burrow in for a weekend, they also have suites in the mansion's carriage house.

The Superior Suite in particular ranks among the nicest rooms I've seen while exploring the region's B&Bs. It's more like a private apartment. If you do stay here, be sure to do a walking tour of the historic neighborhoods. Duluth, like Stillwater, Red Wing and Winona, boomed in Victorian times, with millionaires trying to outdo each other with grand, beautiful homes.

Lake Superior Suite

A sweet start to breakfast.

You'll likely need to walk off the multi-course breakfast anyway. Guests can eat in the formal dining room or dine privately in their room on entrees such as wild rice quiche, French toast with a wild-rice sausage patty, an egg puff with artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes or lemon-blueberry French toast. Extra courses might include a chilled peach and cantaloupe soup with Mascarpone, mango lassi parfait, pistachio and chocolate chunk muffins or white-chocolate and craisin scones.

An example of how gracious and sharing they are: Angie has posted many of the guests' favorite recipes on their website. It's a nice way to bring a little of the B&B experience home and to relive with each tasty bite.

Check out Duluth's other elegant B&Bs

Fireplace at Firelight Inn.

The downside to yet another national award for A.G. Thomson House is it might get harder to make a reservation, especially during peak months for weddings and anniversaries. If that's the case, take a look at www.duluthbandb.com. There are six other B&Bs in the city. Like the homes they're in and the owners who run them, each has its own appeal. 

Artsy fruit at Solglimt.

Old-home lovers can appreciate the exquisite woodwork and vibrant colors of the Mathew Burrows B&B. Musicians must sing or play a few high notes in Olcott House's music room with perfect acoustics. Firelight Inn on Oregon Creek boasts a grand three-season front porch and beautiful fireplace alcove. The Cotton Mansion and Ellery House round out the elegant, historic choices.  

If you prefer modern to historic or need to be on the beach that stretches along Park Point, Solglimt B&B offers another stellar experience with hands-down the best views of Lake Superior.

 --Feature & Photos by Lisa Meyers McClintick

Bundle up for Minnesota's biggest ice fishing festival

Last January, the windchills were 20 below at the  Brainerd Jaycees' $150,000 ice-fishing extravaganza. That didn't seem to bother anyone except posers like me with hand- and toe-warmers and pajama bottoms augmenting long underwear and too-thin snowpants. Truly hearty Minnesotans brought portable heaters to thaw their beer. Bud slushie, anyone?

The sheer spectacle of this ice-fishing contest--10,000 people and 21,000 holes--is worth the grins that freeze to your face. Grab your gear or your camera to witness Brainerd, Minnesota's 2010 contest next Saturday.

Read my full feature, which includes Walker, Minnesota's, annual Eelpout Festival:
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/travel/81712152.html?elr=KArks7PYDiaK7DUqyE5D7UiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr

Cold noses, warm humor
How can you not laugh when:

• Guys drive all the way from Wyoming for the event and joke it's for the good-looking women. (As if you could even tell women from the bundled-up men. This is no place for pretty pink parkas.)
• The music being cranked out across the ice includes takes the classic "Rawhide" music ("Rollin', rollin', Rawhide!") to "Giddy-up, Waaaaaalllleeeyyyee!"

• Locals use the home-court advantage and haul recliners to the ice--comfy and assuredly less frigid than a parade chair.
• Flashbacks to the State Fair are triggered by cheese curd stands and the fact the people-watching is just as good.
• You can shop for serious ice-fishing gear from Minnesota companies or opt for a more whimsical fur-lined horned helmet from Steinarr, "The Crazy Viking."

The Crazy Viking experience
You may have seen Steinarr at Minnesota Vikings games. He dresses like a Medieval marauder, but he also  reigns over the Nordic Inn Bed and Brew in Crosby, Minnesota, about 15 minutes away. It's one of the state's most unique places to stay in that it's part living history site, museum and dinner theater. Guests play interactive games, wear Viking attire, and have to be prepared for a bit of bawdy humor. Steinarr built the bed and breakfast in a renovated church with a Viking ship suspended from the ceiling. That's one of the places guests can sleep.

If you're looking for more unique escapes and ice-fishing contests, angle over to http://www.exploreminnesota.com/.