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!

We 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.

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! 

One of the biggest and most anticipated events taking place this summer is the Tall Ships Challenge scheduled to begin on July 28th through August 2nd. A fleet of eight international vessels will sail into Duluth’s port, one of only six cities chosen in the US and Canada, and the only Lake Superior port! It’s a rare chance to catch a glimpse, step aboard, and even set sail on some of the grandest ships of yore. The festival grounds open Thursday, July 29 with sounds and sensations ranging from a pirate school for kids to four days of performances of Gilbert & Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance, a musical presented by the UMD School of Fine Arts.

Perhaps one of the most fascinating ships included in the fleet is the Freedom Schooner Amistad. It is the official flagship and tall ship ambassador of Connecticut, and more notably, holds historical significance as one of the ships used in the trading of slaves. The Amistad made history in 1839, when slaves aboard the ship revolted to secure their freedom while being transported from one Cuban port to another. The current mission of the Amistad is to provide visitors an intense and direct reexamination of the history of the Atlantic Slave Trade and its legacy found throughout the nations of the Atlantic Basin.

Of course, while you are visiting this great city, the A. G. Thomson House Bed and Breakfast should be your choice to stay!  We have spent our quiet season continually working on our Inn, improving and increasing our amenities, and looking forward to each guest that walks through our doors!  This year we were named the Best Bed and Breakfast in the area, along with the Best Hotel Rooms and Best In room Dining by Duluth~Superior Magazine – an honor we are very appreciative and proud!

So as you plan your summer vacation; or short getaways this season, be sure to put Duluth and the A.G. Thomson House on your schedule. You will be surrounded by superior natural beauty while taking in some spectacular events and activities along the North Shore. Mark your calendar for the Tall Ships right away and give us a call to book your room!  In 2008, the entire city sold out as soon as news hit the major newspapers!

Join us at the A.G. Thomson House Bed and Breakfast; we look forward to seeing you this summer in spectacular Duluth, Minnesota!!

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 31^st, and will be online by April 1^st.

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!

The Duluth/Superior area is one of the most beautiful, and yet still undiscovered by so many.  If you haven’t been to the A G Thomson House and the North Shore of Lake Superior yet, think about a visit soon!  The John Beargrease Sled Dog race is just around the corner, not to mention Valentine’s Day.  We have just one room left for the weekend of Valentine’s Day so don’t wait much longer!  And if you haven’t had a chance to see those amazing dogs, now is the time – why wait!!  Get here early and watch the Cutest Puppy Contest!

See you next weekend, or on your next visit to Duluth and the A G Thomson House; where you are always welcome!

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!

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.

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!

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!!!