Stayed for two nights last week and absolutely loved this place. Owners David and Jerry are extremely nice/helpful and treat you like family. Beautiful home and architecture. Wine/cheese in the evenings and great breakfast in morning. The best B&B experience I've had...by far. Would definitely stay again and recommend this place to anyone traveling to Duluth. Hotels are just as pricey and cannot offer this environment.

Our recent stay at the Olcott House was just perfection. We traveled from Philadelphia, where we reside. This "house", really a mansion, is like those on the Main Line in Philadelphia, or other mansions along the Hudson in New York. It is hauntingly gorgeous! The Olcott is so well-preserved, my husband and our two grown children and I felt like we actually stepped back in time. We stayed in 3 suites: The Lester River suite, The East Wing suite, and the Olcott suite. The rooms are all furnished lavishly with antiques and original art. The beds and linens are all first class, and there are fresh flowers in the suites. The orientals on the floors in the library and the dining rooms must be worth a fortune - very old. The owners, David and Jerry, are friendly with the tour manager at the Glensheen Mansion, and I have been there before, but I have to say this house (older than Glensheen) is just as well-preserved. It is impeccably clean, the food is excellent, and even my daughter, a vegan, had much to choose from. I'd read an article that David and Jerry lived in New York City and LA a long time, and their care in restoration and maintenance and decorating shows much sophistication from their past experiences. Jerry is from the Duluth area originally, but both hosts were savvy concierges. They assisted us in finding a tour of a fascinating underground mine, tipped us off to a "hidden" Jamaican restaurant, and told us exactly when the huge ships would come into the canal. Jerry even advised us who to talk to at the antique shops he frequents (good deals compared to East Coast pricing.) We travel as a family to London, Spain, and other European countries regularly, and still this historic inn will head the list as a classy and favorite place to stay. It is the real McCoy of a beautifully-preserved mansion, and we thoroughly recommend the Olcott for an unparalleled experience of relaxation and luxury. It is a singularly unique and special place, that offers impeccable service and yet lots of privacy as the rooms are enormous (at least all 3 we stayed in - we were also able to view the Carriage Suite, which is much like a large apartment.) One suggestion: perhaps they could serve red wine in addition to to the white, which is served with the complimentary refreshments. But as we sat on the huge outdoor veranda (think Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island) and the breeze and views were so relaxing, we could have spent the whole day on that veranda without any appetizers. We were at the Olcott for 4 days and it still wasn't enough time for my family. We will definitely be back again, and hopefully very soon!

My soon-to-be wife and I stayed here over a long weekend last October, and I can't recommend it enough! We reserved the Carriage House suite, which was like having our own little cottage for the weekend. The breakfasts were fantastic, and the owners made us feel more like house-guests than lodgers. The house is a standout in an already beautiful neighborhood, and is near enough to the highway that we could get anywhere in Duluth (or head up the North Shore) in just a couple of minutes.

The only downside to our trip was that we were about a week late to see the fall colors, or take in some of the seasonal attractions - but that's definitely no fault of the Olcott House!

The owners of the Olcott have done a great job staying true to the character of the home. The interior decor and furnishings will make you feel like you've stepped back in time and are guests of the Olcott's themselves. David was a wonderful host and made us feel very welcome. Overall, we enjoyed our stay at this grand old place.