Posts Tagged ‘Duluth MN Bed and Breakfast’

Summer Lovin’

June 24th, 2010 by Angie Allen

It is shaping up to be another whirlwind of a summer at the A.G. Thomson House!  In 2009 the A.G. Thomson House had it’s best year ever despite the recession, and so far 2010 is shaping up to surpass what was an amazing year!  We continue to work diligently to improve and impress.  To name just a few…

The most obvious is the recent launch of our new website!  This process began some time ago with design ideas and has come to fruition to be what we believe one of the nicest sites around.  We have improved the size of the pictures so guests can really see what our rooms look like with no “make-up.” We have added additional pages and kept the navigation easy, but beautiful.  One additionwe are particularly proud of is our “Plan Your Stay” page.  We spent a great deal of time working on putting this page together.  It offers guests an in-depth list of things to see and do around Duluth, no matter what the season.  We have established sample itineraries for Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter because there is always something to do in Duluth – no matter what the season or the weather!!  We know we will continue to improve and tweak the site, but we couldn’t be more proud to offer our guests this great new venue!

Other things keeping us busy this year, besides our wonderful guests that have passed through our doors, are the new Hickory wood floors in the North Shore Retreat and Brule River Retreat.  It’s a truly amazing transformation of these two cozy rooms, among their other wonderful amenities.

All of our rooms have received new Flat Screen TV updates, with the most dramatic in our unbelievable Lake Superior Suite!  The Lake Superior Suite now has a new 40″ High Definition Flat Screen TV – perfect for watching any of our over 500 DVD’s in our movie library, or that baseball, basketball, football game – or whatever your favorite sport may be! 

Another addition to our breakfast is the option to receive a full breakfast delivered to your room – just like room service!  This new addition proudly won us the Best In-Room Dining in the Duluth~Superior Magazine poll this Spring!  It has proven to be a great amenity for our guests!

The Ryerson Suite received another new update with the addition of an outrageously comfortable King Size Bed, making this our third room to offer a King Size bed as an option – very rare in the Bed and Breakfast world!

And last, but not least in our ongoing efforts to make the A.G. Thomson House your home away from home, we have added a new raised bed garden so we can grow and use fresh herbs in our already tasty breakfast dishes.  I’ve already been cutting!  And as we do each year, we have added more beautiful flowers and plants to our perennial gardens all around the Inn, two new fountains, and added more potted annuals around the Veranda than ever before.

One thing is for sure, we will never stop improving the A.G. Thomson House!  We invite you to visit our site, peruse our photo gallery, and even join us on Facebook where we continually add updates, pictures, and information.  And if you are thinking of staying here, book soon!  Our advance bookings are way up this year.  So pick out that perfect room and join us this summer, fall, winter or spring at the AG Thomson House!

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Tourists for a day!

April 21st, 2010 by Angie Allen

In this line of work, we are sending our guests to all of the incredible and beautiful attractions around the North Shore and Duluth nearly every day.  So when the opportunity arose for us to take a little time off from our beautiful bed and breakfast to enjoy our surroundings, we jumped at it and took a day to travel the North Shore of Minnesota and Lake Superior.

Palisade HeadWe began by driving up Scenic Highway 61 along the shores of Lake Superior with our ultimate destination of Tettegouche State Park. One of our first stops was Palisade Head, a rugged lakeside cliff rising nearly 300 ft up from the shores of Lake Superior.  This is a great spot to soak up the sun, have a picnic, and be inspired by the pure natural beauty and view of Lake Superior.  We continued further along the north shore, and did a little hiking along the Temperance River Gorge.  

 

The trail stretches along side the rushing river, and is alive with waterfalls pouring through the gorges – simply spectacular and a must see!  On our return home, we stopped in at Split Rock Lighthouse, a spot we haven’t been in quite awhile, and spent some time walking the grounds and taking in the view.  The lighthouse will be open for tours in just a couple of weeks, but you can enjoy the grounds and the trails nearby now.  A short distance from Split Rock Lighthouse is Gooseberry Falls – a must see along the North Shore.  We walked around the upper and lower falls, which is a nice relaxing trail. But if you want to spend the day at Gooseberry State Park, you will find some great trails of nearly 18 miles; part of the Superior Hiking Trail & several small spur trails to waterfalls, overlooks, up the river and down to Lake Superior.

Temperance River

As we were heading home to our Duluth MN Bed and Breakfast, we were so happy to have been able to take the time to enjoy an absolutely beautiful, sun filled day along the North Shore!  We are now even more informed about these great spots to share with our guests! 

  

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

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A G Thomson House named Best Bed and Breakfast by Duluth~Superior Magazine!

March 25th, 2010 by Angie Allen

We couldn’t be more pleased to announce that we have been named the winner in three (3) different categories from a recent Duluth~Superior Magazine “Best of Duluth~Superior” issue. The “Best of” poll offered readers the opportunity to select their favorite businesses and attractions in the Twin Ports area.

The categories we were named and recognized as the “Best of” are: 

1) Best Bed and Breakfast

2) Best Hotel Rooms

3) Best Hotel In-Room Dining

The April issue of Duluth~Superior Magazine hits newsstands by March 31st, and will be online by April 1st.

We are grateful to all of you who voted for our Inn!  We are proud and humbled with an invigorated sense of purpose – to continue to exceed our guests’ expectations each time they choose our Duluth MN Bed and Breakfast to spend their valuable time and resources.

We have worked very hard to bring back the beauty of this incredible home and the reputation of the Inn as well as the genuine hospitality that our guests deserve each time they step through our doors!  And we thank you for acknowledging our passion and desire to be the best Innkeepers we possibly can – because we believe you deserve it! Thank you, thank you!

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Tall Ships returning to Duluth in 2010!

January 21st, 2010 by Angie Allen

Once again, the spectacular Tall Ships will be returning to Duluth!  This event is one that you don’t want to miss.  It is an opportunity to step aboard and tour one of these magnificent vessels, and even set sail on beautiful Lake Superior.   The fleet will feature international vessels racing to six cities in the US and Canada, and this is Lake Superior’s ONLY port of call for this challenge.   They will begin arriving on July 28, 2010 with the Parade of Sail; the grand entry through the canal and Opening Ceremony on July 29th.  You will be able to tour the ships in the harbor and of the festival grounds from July 30 through August 2.  On August 3rd the ships will depart to their next leg of the Challenge.

Now, needless to say the city will swell to enormous levels during this time, so make your reservations at the A G Thomson House today so you don’t miss out on this event, and a stay at one of Duluth’s finest Bed and Breakfast.  We are ideally situated in Duluth’s historic mansion district, minutes from the event and a great retreat at the end of experiencing this historic event.  Our private, secluded grounds will allow you to wind down, relax, and rejuvenate after a day of experiencing history and the beauty of Duluth, the North Shore, and Lake Superior. 

At our Duluth MN Bed and Breakfast, we are ready to welcome you – always!  But we encourage you to reserve your room now, and secure this time to enjoy a once in a lifetime event.  You won’t be sorry!!!  We will see you soon!

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A G Thomson House Historic Bed & Breakfast Inn featured in premier edition of IMPACT; a Green Hotels Association publication

January 19th, 2010 by Angie Allen

DULUTH, MN, January 19, 2010 – The A G Thomson House Historic Bed and Breakfast in Duluth MN announces its recent feature article in the premier edition of the Green Hotels Publication, IMPACT. A monthly publication distributed in print and online format. “Impact” is a GHA-approved publication published by Faircount Media Group, a specialty publishing company with clients such as Rolls Royce Owners’ Club, Steinway & Sons, Raffles Hotels & Resorts and the PGA.

Owners of the A G Thomson House, Tim and Angie Allen, were approached by Environmental Journalist Judith Stock, Member Society of Environmental Journalists, for a feature story focusing on their efforts to reduce the carbon footprint at their Inn while still providing the modern conveniences and amenities that guests expect from a luxury Bed and Breakfast.

 When Tim and Angie took over the A G Thomson House in August of 2007, included in their efforts in providing guests a fine lodging experience was to reduce their environmental impact while offering the modern conveniences and amenities that their guests expect. Their efforts have led them to become accepted as members of Green Hotels and Green Routes. Tim and Angie are proud to be members of these organizations, and proud of the support of the Duluth, MN community and its efforts toward promoting and encouraging environmental responsibility. Tim and Angie take their responsibility toward the future of our environment and community very seriously, and will continue to expand upon their efforts with future projects scheduled.

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I Love my Kids, BUT…

December 28th, 2009 by Angie Allen

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!

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What a summer so far!!!

August 4th, 2009 by Angie Allen

Whew, we don’t know where to begin! What a wild and crazy busy this summer has been for us so far – and we are loving it!!! A shout out to all of our guests who have joined us and made this such a fun summer so far. Thank you!!
Because it’s been so busy, it seems like a very long time since we’ve updated you on the “goings on” around the A G Thomson House. Earlier in July we had the great honor of hosting two (2) elopement ceremonies. The Lake Superior Suite was the room of choice; and what a great space to begin your life together. And what a great way to get married; no fuss, stress, or big expense. Congratulations to both couples and we know we will see you on future anniversaries to come!
We’ve had the great surprise of receiving a couple of honors/awards this year as well. When taking over the AG Thomson House two (2) years ago, we knew we had one of Duluth’s finest and unique pieces of property. Two (2) acres of towering pines and seclusion in the heart of the city with great convenience to everything. We also knew there was alot of work to be done noth only to the Inn (physically), but in reputation too. Since taking over, and working very hard, we have become Trip Advisor’s #1 Bed and Breakfast in Duluth AND Minnesota! We are very, very proud of this and will continue to make you – our guests – feel welcome and at home when you choose to spend your time here.
This month, in the August issue of Minnesota Monthly and much to our surprise, the A G Thomson House was named a Best Bed and Breakfast for 2009. We had no idea until receiving the issue, and are particularly proud of what they had to say. As mentioned in this month’s issue: “A longtime favorite, this 1909 mansion continues to charm guests in Duluth’s historic hill district with its tasteful combination of classic-not frilly-decor, practiced hospitality, and multi-course breakfast.” Thank you, Minnesota Monthly!!
And just recently, we were awarded the winner for the best Commercial Garden by the Duluth Garden Flower Society for the Gardens on Display Contest. This is a tremendous honor considering the state of the gardens, yard, and grounds when we took over less than two years ago. One of my favorite things to do is spend time in my garden, which is difficult to do during these busy times. But there is a great sense of pride and joy when we look at what we have accomplished and how are grounds are flourishing in comparison. It is without a doubt a work in progress with much, much more to come. After all, there’s a lot more “ground” to cover!!! We look forward to sharing our lovely grounds, perennial and annual gardens, and my absolute favorite – hydrangeas, with you. We have several different varieties thriving and will be continuing to add to the collection.
As we continue through this wonderful summer, we look forward to meeting and making more friends at the A G Thomson House!

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