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 are very excited about some outdoor additions and changes we will be making once the weather allows!  Keep posted!

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!

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 (we are Wisconsin natives and pretty excited!) 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!

As relatively new “empty nesters”, and having experienced a few urgent phone calls home from our college freshman, a thought came to mind one day. How many parents out there; whether new, seasoned, or empty nesters, are constantly giving and giving to their kids – selflessly and without a second thought about themselves. We love and adore our children, and want to give them the very best as parents, and the best opportunities that we possibly can in today’s world. But we also need to take a step back on occasion, and put ourselves and our relationships first. We will be better people, better partners, and better parents for it. So as I hung up from the phone call from my fantastic child (we are very lucky parents), I said to myself…”I love my daughter, but…” and hence the new package addition!

Whether it’s this package, or any one of many others that we offer, we urge you to take time for yourselves and your relationships. A stay at the A G Thomson House in spectacular Duluth MN is a great way to start!

As we enter into the 10th year of this century, and our 3rd full year as Innkeepers of this lovely home, and…well you get the picture. This is the time of year when everyone often reflects upon the past and looks forward to the future. It often tends to be cliche, but always with heartfelt sincerity. We can, without a doubt and with heartfelt sincerity, say that this has been an absolutely incredible 2009 for us in so many ways. And we are looking forward to an equally incredible 2010. We cannot reflect on the past year, and years prior since becoming Innkeepers, without giving a HUGE shout out to all of our guests. To all of our new guests (& friends) in 2009, to all of our repeats guests (& friends) from 2009 and before, we are deeply grateful and appreciative. Cliche’…yes…with heartfelt sincerity…yes!

We still feel like new Innkeepers of this gorgeous home, and surely will for awhile. But we also feel we have accomplished a great deal and learned a great deal in a short amount of time. We have tried each day to put ourselves in your shoes. With each additional amenity that we have added, with each new recipe we discover, and with each new detail that we create; it is with your comfort, convenience and relaxation in mind. We are proud to have not only brought back the life to this great Inn in the physical sense, but are also proud to have brought back the reputation of our Inn and the bed and breakfast industry in general. For each new guest that has walked through our doors, we have made sure to provide a wonderful bed and breakfast experience that will keep them coming back to not only our Inn, but Inns across the country! Duluth is truly a fantastic place no matter the season! And we believe that the best place to relax and unwind, is a bed and breakfast – and we will strive to make the A G Thomson House your preferred choice.

So once again, as I write this while enjoying a great football game (and hoping my beloved team will be celebrating in 2010), we thank our guests for choosing to spend their valuable time and hard earned money with us over the past year and years prior. We are humbled, greatly appreciative, and look forward to many, many more years of sharing our home and warm hospitality with new friends across the country and globe. We will not rest on any laurels, but will continue put all of our energy and efforts into making our Inn the absolute best it can be…for you!

Happy New Year everyone! And our wishes for a safe and prosperous 2010 and THANK YOU!!!

We experience many engagements here at the AG Thomson House, but it’s a rare occasion to actually witness one. Today was one of those rare occasions. While preparing breakfast and visiting with our guests, we just so happened to look out the dining room window at our beautiful grounds and at the incredibly comfortable hammock , that’s nestled between two towering pines with Lake Superior in the background. This is where we caught the adorably romantic proposal occuring. It was a lovely morning in Duluth and at our Inn, the view of Lake Superior clear and spectacular, and happily the ideal time and place to propose!

Once again we enjoyed a wonderful weekend of guests here at the A G Thomson House. And once again, a group of first time B and B ers! It has not yet ceased to amaze us how many first time bed and breakfast guests that we have had the pleasure of hosting. It is a wonderful experience to share our home and the experience of staying at a Duluth Bed and Breakfast and watch our guests depart having enjoyed every minute and planning a return. Our Inn offers guests a secluded environment to unwind and relax in a comfortable, casual atmosphere amid the history and beauty of an historic home. They are amazed at the modern amenities of a large, queen size whirlpool, LCD TV with DVD player, a choice of over 450 DVD’s, IPOD Docking station, complimentary beverages, wine and snacks; and the freedom to either hibernate together or enjoy the company of others. We are proud and pleased to offer all of these options.So come and join us at the A.G. Thomson House Bed and Breakfast Inn in spectacular Duluth Minnesota – it’s an experience you will cherish, whether it’s your first time and your perhaps your third!

Seeing many, many deer on the grounds of our Duluth Minnesota Bed and Breakfast is not an unusual thing around here.  It’s a daily occurence; one of the reasons why we believe our location is one of the most unique and ideal spots to share with our guests in Duluth.  Not only do we enjoy over two acres of secluded grounds in the Congdon Mansion District with wonderful wildlife, but also enjoy the breathtaking majesty of Lake Superior right from our front porch. 

Well, we had an amazing treat today.  As usual, we watched our family of deer meander through taking a munch here and there, but were shocked to see a newborn fawn following along today –  Our own little “Bambi” following its mommy.  At the AG Thomson House, there is always romance in the air and apparently the deer have taken advantage of the atmosphere around here too!!

Come and join us; you’re likely to capture some of the romance!

It’s the best Nerdfest in the Midwest – enough said!  Not quite…we were fortunate to have perhaps the best “geeks” stay with us at the AG Thomson House on the 18th of April for Geek Prom!  We had such a great time visiting with Steve and Tasha, and then sending them off to the “PROM” like proud parents!  Below are some pictures that they were so kind to share with us.  We also enjoyed great discussion about our 4 legged family members too, and at their request, were able to introduce one of them.  We always keep our “4 leggeds” in our private space, but will happily introduce them to anyone who is interested.  Also below are Tasha & Steve’s adorable family members, Atticus and Zoey, in pictures!!

A huge thank you, as always!  We really enjoyed sharing our home and this great event with you – your spirit is just wonderful and anyone meeting you is instantly in a great mood and enriched! 

It€™s been quite awhile since our last post, so it€™s about time to catch up! 

This time of the year is supposed to be a Duluth Innkeeper€™s €œquiet€ season; a season where you take some time to relax and plan for the upcoming summer.  Well, it has been anything but quiet around here.  We have been planning for the upcoming season in many ways, while also enjoying the guests that have decided this is not their quiet season!  We feel very fortunate and thank all of our guests who have chosen to stay with us and share our home.  We have and will continue our efforts to improve not only the Inn and each of our rooms, but also the type of amenities and comforts that we can offer our guests. 

Our most recent completion and update took place in the Ryerson Suite.  Guests staying in this wonderful space will find a newly updated and renovated bathroom to match the already updated bedroom and sunroom.    We think this may be our new favorite room!!  The changes that took place include a new, state of the art, Queen Size Aero Massage Whirlpool Tub.  This tub has earned rave reviews from its most recent guests.  By massage, we mean 28 jets of glorious luxury!   The jets on this tub are protected by a check valve that prevents bath water from entering the air induction system, thus offering the ultimate in hygienic protection!  Also, in our continual efforts to live and work green, we have installed a duo-flush commode in the Ryerson Suite providing our guests the option to participate in water conservation.  The soft, warm tones of this room compliment the incredible amenities this room now offers.  We will have new room photos up and posted within the next few weeks to provide the true sense of beauty and luxury this room now offers.
What we are most pleased with in this new bathroom is that it is not only €œstate of the art€ in its amenities, but we have maintained the integrity of this beautiful and historic home by choosing fixtures, tile, and decorating details that work and blend perfectly for its 100^th birthday!
 The Ryerson Suite is not the only room to have undergone a transformation during the €œquiet€ season.  The Brule River Retreat also received a new look!  Guests will no longer find a €œcabin€ at this Bed and Breakfast.  You will instead be treated to an updated and refined look with a beautiful sleigh bed, updated lighting fixtures, mosaic sitting table, and new arrangement in the furniture offering more comfort and space. 

For those guests staying in one of the Upper Carriage House rooms (Brule or North Shore Retreat), you will find a strategically placed mini-refrigerator when you walk through the door.  We have added this amenity particularly to provide our guests some extended options of what guests in the main house receive.  The refrigerator is stocked with sodas and water, and each morning we bring a thermos of hot coffee and hot water, allowing guests to avoid the cold temps first thing in the morning.  It is a wonderful convenience that has been a long time coming!
  Check out our Guest Room page, and our Policies and Information page, for more details on what the A.G. Thomson House has to offer.  We are continually striving to offer our guests the highest level of comfort, convenience, and hospitality.  We keep our ears, eyes, and minds wide open for comments and suggestions; listening and learning from our guests which is the reason why we are here.  Thank you for making the A.G. Thomson House Trip Adivor’s #1 Bed and Breakfast in Duluth AND Minnesota €“ this is truly an honor that speaks to our guests and our commitment to you!