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Tom's Historic Logging Camp
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Tom's Historic Logging Camp

See all things to do
See all things to do
Tom's Historic Logging Camp
4
93 reviews
#28 of 73 things to do in Duluth
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
93 reviews
Excellent
43
Very good
33
Average
11
Poor
3
Terrible
3
Stephanie C
Brooklyn Park, MN141 contributions
A fun little stop!
Aug 2020 • Family
On our way up to Gooseberry Falls, we noticed this little roadside gem. We stopped on our way back, and I'm so glad we did! Stops like this one are what road trips through small towns are all about. Start in the gift shop and buy your "tickets" for the self-guided tour through the logging camp. The price was very reasonable; $5/adult, $4/kid 5 and up, 4 and under were free. Head outside and start at the trout pond. Make sure you have a couple of quarters to buy some food for the animals along the way. The kids won't appreciate the history, but the tour is filled with facts about what logging camps looked like over 100 years ago and there were tons of artifacts from back in the day. The entire tour only takes about 20 minutes, but it was fun! The gift shop is full of the normal souvenir shop garbage as well as some jewelry and taxidermy mounts. The gals behind the counter were extremely friendly and chatty and made the visit that much better. There is a 2nd building that housed the restrooms and it appears that there is normally a little restuarant with quick bites as well as an ice cream parlor. Not sure if this was permanently closed, or if it had something to do with the pandemic, but that would have made for a perfect visit!
Written August 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Sandy O
Sauk City, WI1,093 contributions
A fun place to bring a family
Aug 2020
We enjoyed our stop at Tom's Logging Camp, spending just under an hour here. This would be a good place for a family to enjoy.
You are given a map and do a self guided tour of the different buildings on the site which explain what it would have been like.
There are also areas you can put a quarter in to feed the animals: trout pond and goats. The food goes down a shoot at this time, but at other times it is possibly hand fed?
Your entrance in and out is through the gift shop that seems to have about everything you could want.
The restrooms are located across the parking lot in an area that houses a small cafe that might normally be open, but wasn't this summer.
The only down side I found was that some of the displays had fence material in front of them that made it hard to take a photo.
All in all, this would be a fun place for families.
Written August 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
A.Al3
Wisconsin163 contributions
Great for the kids
Aug 2020 • Family
Finally made a stop here the other day after driving by more than a few times. We are very glad we did. Our two boys thought it was a great adventure and for the price, is one of the most reasonably activities you can do on the North Shore. The staff were very friendly and while the whole experience does not take a long time, it is definitely worth the trip in there. Will come back.
Written August 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Matthew L
Cottage Grove, MN8 contributions
Fun stop
Sep 2020
We stopped here on our way through. I thought it was a fun place and definitely worth the cost. The people that work in the gift shop ( which I believe are the owners) are fantastic, they are chatty and fun to talk to. The walk through is self guided and fun, you can see llamas and goats and the trout pond. I’d definitely stop again!!
Written September 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
John T
Minneapolis, MN427 contributions
Tourist trap....
May 2014 • Couples
This is your typical tourist trap. Nothing of note here except maybe a bathroom break between two harbors and Duluth. On the funny side I was looking at a BBQ sauce that stated High Corn Fructose Syrup free and then in the ingredients list on the sauce what was the first ingredient? High Corn Fructose Syrup. I showed this to my wife and it got funnier. The woman working behind the desk said and I quote, "This is not some vinegar based sauce the use in Kansas City but this is yankee bbq sauce." What made this hilarious is if you know anything about BBQ. North/South Carolina is the capital of Vinegar based sauces and Kansas City is known for its barbecue sauce. It is an integral part of the Kansas City barbecue scene. The sauces found in the region are tomato-based, with sweet, spicy and tangy flavor. I would again only recommend this for a midway bathroom break between Duluth and Two Harbors....
Written June 20, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Tigerman777
922 contributions
COOL CAMP!!!!!!
Jul 2017 • Solo
Visited Tom's Historic Logging Camp en route to Two Harbors and really enjoyed this place!!!! There is A LOT of great information to read and displays of older artifacts. You can see the harness shop, shoeing stall, warehouse, bunkhouse, cook shanty, sauna and blacksmith shop. Ever hear of a cruiser or walker in relation to logging? Here you'll find out about them. How many tools did a blacksmith use? Only three, but how did he make a chain? You'll find out a little about it here. How many men in a log loading crew? Five. What was their responsibility and how did they do it? You'll read about it here. What did the workers generally eat? You'll have to come and read all about it😀. There are things the kids should like as well, such as the old sleds and sleighs. You can feed the goats, llamas and fish as well. The animals were funny when they came to me and realized I had no food for them. The look on the goats faces were priceless😬. I even got really close to a cute little sparrow in one of the buildings😀. The mirrors they have are pretty cool. I never knew I had such a long face!!! The gift shop is nice as well. Everything I looked at is reasonably priced, including the $5.00 entrance fee to see the loggers quarters. The workers were very friendly and conversational. There is some interesting things on the walls to check out, like the "red deer" and the northern Minnesota "Rabbagoat"(lol).
In conclusion, due to the tremendous amount of history, reasonable prices and very nice people working at Tom's Historic Logging Camp, I 200% recommend everyone, young and old to go!!! You'll be a better person for it😀
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Written July 19, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Katie M
Champlin2 contributions
Antique electric chair in display
Jun 2019 • Family
I felt sorry for the animals here. Trout crowded in too small of a pond, one poor lonely llama, and two sad goats that could only turn their heads through a small space to eat without any room to pet them were all the “animal fun” this place had to offer. In one building, they displayed an antique electric chair with a sign on it that claims 14 people were executed on it. I had to quickly divert my kids’ attention elsewhere to spare them such a gruesome and horrible sight. I had trouble sleeping that night due to having the image of that stupid chair on my mind. I cannot imagine any reason a person would want to own that, let alone display it for children to see.
Written June 23, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Nancy F
Minneapolis, MN1,782 contributions
ENJOY IT AGAIN AND AGAIN
Aug 2015 • Family
We have been here many times. We came here before we had kids. Then we brought our own kids. We also have brought several different sets of grandchildren. The kids really like looking at all their unique stuff. You can buy souvenirs at a reasonable prices. I have found the same items on Park Point in Duluth for much more money. They have added animals over the years. We were fascinated feeding the hungry fish and llamas etc. We also fed ourselves. They have good food but we just got big ice cream cones. This was a lovely day trip while we were staying in Duluth. Make sure you take the old highway and not the freeway-- On the way up a mama bear and her three cubs crossed the road right in front of our car. Of course we did not get out of the car but we got good pictures from inside of our car.
Written September 14, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
parentsof5
Wichita, KS980 contributions
Nice Stop
Jul 2014 • Couples
Yes, this may be a tourist trap, it is a nice little shop with a museum out back - adults are only $5. Nice place to stretch your legs. There are several pieces that are very interesting, and they provide some wonderful information about logging camps.
Written July 11, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Theresa N
st paul32 contributions
Retirement Get Away
Aug 2020
Great time. Inexpensive. Great way to break up the drive. Best prices for moccasins. Treasure hunt kids was fun.
Written August 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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