Lake Superior North Shore Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour
Drive with Action
4.5
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Explore the scenic North Shore of Lake Superior with this self-guided driving tour. Relive tales of harrowing shipwrecks, including the famous tragedy of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Visit historic landmarks like Glensheen Mansion and Pierre the Voyager. Marvel at the cascading waters of Gooseberry Falls State Park and cap off your journey with breathtaking views from Split Rock Lighthouse. This is a drive you simply can’t miss! Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Everyone listens together! After booking, check your email to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action, enter your unique password, and access your tour. These steps require good internet/Wi-Fi access. From there, follow the audio instructions and the route. Buy once, use for one year! Ideal for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months. This isn't an entrance ticket. Check opening hours before your visit.
Departure Point
- After booking the tour, search your emails for "self-guided tour." Your tour is VALID FOR ONE YEAR so follow these instructions NOW to finish setting up the tour while you have Wi-Fi/data. Do NOT wait until you are onsite.
Duration
2 hours - 3 hours
Languages Available
- Audio guide - English
Points of Interest
Stop At: Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center
525 S. Lake Ave, Suite 209, Duluth, Minnesota
This tour begins in the parking lot of the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center, located at 600 Canal Park Drive, Duluth. To begin the tour, exit the parking lot and turn right onto Canal Park Drive. Note: This 47.9-mile-long tour covers the essentials of Lake Superior North Shore in 3-4 hours. Buy once, use for one year! Ideal for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Canal Park
Canal Park Drive & Morse Street, , Duluth, Minnesota
Local legend says in 1870 every man, woman and child in Duluth brought out their shovels and dug the canal here in just three days! In reality, a huge steam dredger did most of the hard work. Not quite as fun, I know!
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Glensheen Mansion
3300 London Road, Duluth, MN 55804
Mining magnate Chester Congdon built it in 1908. It later passed to his daughter Elisabeth, who lived out her twilight years there. That is, until June 27th, 1977, when she was found murdered in her bedroom. Someone had suffocated her with a satin pillow. Nearby was Elisabeth’s nurse, bludgeoned to death with a candlestick.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Duluth
Duluth, Minnesota
As we head for the outskirts of Duluth, you might be wondering where the city got its name. Well, for that we have to meet French explorer Daneil Greysolon Dulhut. He set up camp in this area in 1679, proudly planting the French coat of arms.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: French River
French River, MN 55804
This overlook also features a series of panels highlighting the history of commercial fishing on the lake. It’s big business! The fish sanctuary across the street isn’t open to the public, but it does brisk business catching rainbow trout, raising their offspring, then returning them back to the lake. It’s a cycle that goes on every year and helps maintain our marine ecosystems.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Buchanan Historical Marker
Scenic Drive, Knife River, MN 55609
To see the marker, park in the turnout ahead. Otherwise, continue nutrients from the soil. And just like the trees, wildflowers have intricate root systems of their own. Their roots help stabilize the soil. They then use these nutrients for their own growth, then return the nutrients to the soil when they decompose.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Two Harbors
Two Harbors, Minnesota
This was the seedy part of town where men could be “relieved of their pay.” At its height in the late 1800s, there were 22 saloons in just a two block radius! That’s certainly a lot of places for these men to whoop it up and share wild tales.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Silver Creek Cliff Tunnel
2025 Silver Creek Cliff Tunnel, Two Harbors, MN 55616
Thankfully, workers completed the 3-year project without incident. With the tunnel completed, drivers no longer had to go miles out of their way, driving on a narrow two-lane road that ran right along the cliff’s edge. Talk about a white-knuckling drive! One mistake and the car would have plunged right into the lake.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: S.S. William A. Irvin Ore Boat Museum
350 Harbor Drive, , Duluth, Minnesota
On a clear morning in June 1928, Captain Edward Smith was commanding the SS America, a passenger steamship with 47 on board. The passengers included a number of wealthy citizens heading to their summer vacation homes on Isle Royale.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Gooseberry Falls State Park
3206 Highway 61 East, , Two Harbors, Minnesota
The name actually comes from the Objiwe name for this place. They call it Shabonimikani-zibi, or River Place of the Gooseberries. And they have a very special connection to these small tart berries.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Iona's Beach
As this part of the earth shifted, volcanic eruptions spewed lava onto the surface. The lava filled in cracks and crevices, then hardened into rocks called igneous rocks. The type of stones found at Iona’s Beach are specific kinds known as rhyolite and felsite.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Split Rock Lighthouse
3713 Split Rock Lighthouse Rd., , Two Harbors, Minnesota
Just ahead is a perfect spot to take a photo of the Split Rock Lighthouse. In fact, millions of people have taken a photo from this very spot, making this one of the most photographed lighthouses in the world!
Duration: 10 minutes
Additional Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- How to access: Once you book a tour, you’ll get a confirmation email and text with instructions: • Download the separate tour app by Action • Enter the password • Download the tour MUST DO while in strong wifi/cellular Works offline after download
- How to start touring: Open Action’s separate audio tour guide app once onsite. • If there is just one tour, launch it. • If multiple tour versions exist, launch the one with your planned starting point and direction.
- Go to the starting point No one will meet you at the start. This tour is self-guided Enter the first story’s point and the audio will begin automatically Follow the audio cues to the next story, which will also play automatically. Enjoy hands-free exploring. If you face audio issues, contact support. Stick to the tour route & speed limit for the best experience.
- Travel worry-free: Use the tour app anytime, on any day, and over multiple days. Start and pause the tour whenever you like, taking breaks and exploring side excursions at your own pace. Skip anything you don’t care about or explore bonus content for everything that interests you
- Savings tips: Driving tours: purchase just one tour for everyone in the car
- Buy once, use for one year! Ideal for extended visits and return trips over the next 12 months.
- Easy-to-use app: download Action’s Tour Guide App onto your phone
- Great value: purchase per car, not per person. More affordable than bus or guided tours!
- Engaging storytelling: Uncover unique tales and thrilling history for a memorable journey!
- Perfect narrator: nothing can beat listening to a great voice. Proven with tons of rave reviews!
- Offline maps: no signal, no problem! Works perfectly without cellular or wifi.
- Comprehensive route and stops: See it all, miss nothing, leave no stone unturned!
- Go at your own pace: Start anytime, pause anywhere, enjoy breaks for snacks and photos freely!
- Hands-free: audio stories play on their own based on your location. Easy to use!
Exclusions
- Attraction passes, entry tickets, or reservations
Redemption Instructions
Set your tour up NOW ahead of your trip, while in wifi/cell signal. Do not wait until your travel date, your tour is VALID FOR ONE YEAR.
1. Find The Setup Instructions NOW:
- Email: Search for “Action Tour Guide” with a subject line "Your tour operator sent you a message.". Check All Mail and Spam.
- Text: Search for “Action Tour Guide” sent from 14159804997.
- Viator App Messages: Viator App > Bookings > View Voucher > Contact Tour Operator
- TripAdvisor App Messages: TripAdvisor App > Account > Messages
Can’t find it? Ask Action Tour Guide to resend: actiontourguide.com/redeem/
2. Download The Tour NOW:
You MUST follow the instructions and download your tour BEFORE traveling to the site over WiFi/cellular. Do NOT wait until your travel date to download the tour.
Your tour is VALID FOR ONE YEAR. The tour is not tied to your travel date and is valid any day, any time for multiple visits for one year from your purchase date.
3. Audio Tour Tips
Not familiar with Action Tour Guide’s audio tours? Watch a short video: actiontourguide.com/tutorial
Important Note: Your purchase is for the audio tour ONLY. It does not include entrance tickets to parks or attractions.
CarPlay and Android Auto are not yet supported. Connect your phone via Bluetooth, USB, or Aux for audio. Use the phone speakers if needed.
Support: Action Tour Guide is here to help! For quick answers read the Action Tour Guide website FAQs at actiontourguide.com/faq. For further help, call Action Tour Guide at 1315-291-0634, chat online at actiontourguide.com, or email support@actiontourguide.com.
Voucher Info
Mobile or paper ticket accepted
The tour identified in this promotion is made available through Viator. Groupon is not affiliated with or sponsored by the Drive with Action in connection with this deal. Please contact Groupon customer service for all inquiries related to this offer. Inquiries placed to Viator will be directed back to Groupon.
This offer is not eligible for promo codes.
Need To Know Info
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised goods and services. Offer is not eligible for our promo codes or other discounts. Learn about Strike-Through Pricing and Savings