Outdoors and Recreation
Music in the Park
The 42nd annual Music in the Park concert series, formerly known as the Chester Creek Concert Series, features a variety of live music on Tuesday evenings throughout the summer. This summer all shows are at Lincoln Park while chalet renovations happen at Chester Bowl Park. The series is presented by Duluth Parks and Recreation and the Chester Bowl Improvement Club. The Twin Ports Express food truck will be on site and attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair.
For weather-related cancellations or updates, call the Music in the Park hotline at 218-730-4321 after 3 p.m. the night of the concert or visit duluthmn.gov/parks/cancellations.
Schedule
June 16 – Palisade
June 23 – The Shane Nelson Band
June 30 – The Windjammers
July 7 – Tab & Nicole (6:30-7:10 p.m.) The Mahon Brothers (7:20-8 p.m.)
July 14 – Rory Van James
July 21 – The Gemstones
July 28 – Peat Boggs
Aug. 4 – Lydia Boyum & Ryan Lane (6:30-7:10 p.m.) Four Mile Portage (7:20-8 p.m.)
Aug. 11 – Indecent Proposal
Concerts on the Pier 2026: Sydney Hansen with The Roadside Lupines
Food trucks for the night include UpDawg, Bowlz n Thangz and Oasis Del Norte.
Glensheen’s Concerts on the Pier are an opportunity for Duluthians to wander the Glensheen grounds and enjoy free live music. Attendees are invited to bring a lawn chair or blanket. Food and drinks are available for purchase but small outside snacks and non-alcoholic drinks are allowed. Do not bring in large coolers. Service animals only are allowed on the estate. It is also encouraged to bike, boat, walk or kayak to the concert since parking is limited. Openers perform from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., continuing with headliners from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
This year, Glensheen is offering a skip-the-line package. The package includes a punchcard to all nine concerts, allowing folks to skip the line with early access, a 2026 Concerts on the Pier t-shirt and a sticker. Those can be purchased at tickets.umn.edu.
Wednesday Night Sailboat Races
Duluth Yacht Club runs sailboat races every Wednesday night at 6:15 from mid May to early September on Lake Superior and the Duluth-Superior Harbor within approximately 10 miles of the Duluth Shipping Channel. Fitger’s Brewing Complex Courtyard and other stops along the Lakewalk offer particularly good vantage points.
[arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD4nrLin9Lw” /]
Carnivorous and Odd-ball Plants Field Trip
The Sax-Zim Bog is a network of habitats that allows for a large and interesting diversity of flowering plants. Some species are especially odd considering the ways they have adapted to thrive in less-than-ideal conditions, like those found in bogs and the shallow, acidic soils of northern Minnesota. This field trip places a special focus on the plant “weirdos” found within the Sax-Zim Bog, including pitcher plants, sundews, ghost pipe, pinesaps, coralroots, bladderworts and more.
Field Trip attendance is free for Friends of Sax-Zim Bog members. The $25 membership fee covers free entry to all field trips and programs, excluding workshops, in a 12-month period.
Registration is required at saxzim.org. Registrants meet at the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center and Lois King Education Center at 10 a.m. The field trip concludes at 3 p.m.
Upland Forest Plant Community Investigation
The Sax-Zim Bog is a network of habitats, but what makes those habitats so distinct from one another? Environmental conditions like precipitation and temperature help mold ecosystems, as do the soils that influence the plant communities. While upland forests are not what most visitors seek out during the winter, they are beautifully diverse during the summer season and offer some good hiking opportunities. This new field trip is focused on learning how to define and better know upland forest plant communities.
Field Trip attendance is free for Friends of Sax-Zim Bog members. The $25 membership fee covers free entry to all field trips and programs, excluding workshops, in a 12-month period.
Registration is required at saxzim.org. Registrants meet at the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center and Lois King Education Center at 10 a.m. The field trip concludes at 3 p.m.
Planning Your Lake Superior Circle Tour
Attendees can learn about the landscape, 1.1 billion-year-old geology, industrial “ghost lines” in the forest and deep Indigenous history. This class for adults is led by Emily Macgillivray, a PhD-trained historian and veteran of the Circle Tour who taught field courses for college students about the watershed.
Music in the Park
The 42nd annual Music in the Park concert series, formerly known as the Chester Creek Concert Series, features a variety of live music on Tuesday evenings throughout the summer. This summer all shows are at Lincoln Park while chalet renovations happen at Chester Bowl Park. The series is presented by Duluth Parks and Recreation and the Chester Bowl Improvement Club. The Twin Ports Express food truck will be on site and attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair.
For weather-related cancellations or updates, call the Music in the Park hotline at 218-730-4321 after 3 p.m. the night of the concert or visit duluthmn.gov/parks/cancellations.
Schedule
June 16 – Palisade
June 23 – The Shane Nelson Band
June 30 – The Windjammers
July 7 – Tab & Nicole (6:30-7:10 p.m.) The Mahon Brothers (7:20-8 p.m.)
July 14 – Rory Van James
July 21 – The Gemstones
July 28 – Peat Boggs
Aug. 4 – Lydia Boyum & Ryan Lane (6:30-7:10 p.m.) Four Mile Portage (7:20-8 p.m.)
Aug. 11 – Indecent Proposal
Concerts on the Pier 2026: Maria and the Coins with Dead End Friends
Food trucks for the night include Johnny B’s, Gumbeaux Guys and Oasis Del Norte.
Glensheen’s Concerts on the Pier are an opportunity for Duluthians to wander the Glensheen grounds and enjoy free live music. Attendees are invited to bring a lawn chair or blanket. Food and drinks are available for purchase but small outside snacks and non-alcoholic drinks are allowed. Do not bring in large coolers. Service animals only are allowed on the estate. It is also encouraged to bike, boat, walk or kayak to the concert since parking is limited. Openers perform from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., continuing with headliners from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
This year, Glensheen is offering a skip-the-line package. The package includes a punchcard to all nine concerts, allowing folks to skip the line with early access, a 2026 Concerts on the Pier t-shirt and a sticker. Those can be purchased at tickets.umn.edu.
Wednesday Night Sailboat Races
Duluth Yacht Club runs sailboat races every Wednesday night at 6:15 from mid May to early September on Lake Superior and the Duluth-Superior Harbor within approximately 10 miles of the Duluth Shipping Channel. Fitger’s Brewing Complex Courtyard and other stops along the Lakewalk offer particularly good vantage points.
[arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD4nrLin9Lw” /]
Moths and More Evening Field Trip
At nearly 900 species documented in the greater Sax-Zim Bog, moths are the most species-rich group documented so far. Even though they are one of the most diverse groups of insects in our region, moths often don’t get the same attention as their day-flying relatives, butterflies. Moths are worthy of special attention and often exceed their cousins in interesting color, pattern, behavior and their specialized relationships to plants. This field trip will serve as a good introduction to the moth diversity in northeastern Minnesota. Attendees may also have the opportunity to enjoy listening for night-singing insects, birds, mammals and more. Because this field trip is at night, plan on bringing a head-lamp or flashlight. This field trip can also be fairly stationary, so feel free to bring a folding chair.
Field Trip attendance is free for Friends of Sax-Zim Bog members. The $25 membership fee covers free entry to all field trips and programs, excluding workshops, in a 12-month period.
Registration is required at saxzim.org. Registrants meet at the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center and Lois King Education Center at 8:30 p.m. The field trip concludes at 11 p.m.
Earth Rider Makers Market
Unique, sustainable, handcrafted, locally-grown and freshly-brewed goods are sold at the Earth Rider Brewery Fest Grounds on the first Saturday of the month from June to August. The market features a variety of what Twin Ports makers have to offer.
Species Finding Field Trip: Lesser Rattlesnake Plantain
With all the biodiversity in the greater Sax-Zim Bog ecosystem, seeing the uncommon, rare or difficult-to-find species can require special, targeted effort. This field trip focuses on spotting one of the most difficult orchid species to find in the greater Sax-Zim Bog ecosystem: Lesser Rattlesnake Plantain. This orchid is small, specialized and a real stunner.
This is a strenuous field trip with almost all the hiking done off-trail in uneven and wet conditions.
Field Trip attendance is free for Friends of Sax-Zim Bog members. The $25 membership fee covers free entry to all field trips and programs, excluding workshops, in a 12-month period.
Registration is required at saxzim.org. Registrants meet at the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center and Lois King Education Center at noon. The field trip concludes at 5 p.m.
Music in the Park
The 42nd annual Music in the Park concert series, formerly known as the Chester Creek Concert Series, features a variety of live music on Tuesday evenings throughout the summer. This summer all shows are at Lincoln Park while chalet renovations happen at Chester Bowl Park. The series is presented by Duluth Parks and Recreation and the Chester Bowl Improvement Club. The Twin Ports Express food truck will be on site and attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair.
For weather-related cancellations or updates, call the Music in the Park hotline at 218-730-4321 after 3 p.m. the night of the concert or visit duluthmn.gov/parks/cancellations.
Schedule
June 16 – Palisade
June 23 – The Shane Nelson Band
June 30 – The Windjammers
July 7 – Tab & Nicole (6:30-7:10 p.m.) The Mahon Brothers (7:20-8 p.m.)
July 14 – Rory Van James
July 21 – The Gemstones
July 28 – Peat Boggs
Aug. 4 – Lydia Boyum & Ryan Lane (6:30-7:10 p.m.) Four Mile Portage (7:20-8 p.m.)
Aug. 11 – Indecent Proposal
Concerts on the Pier 2026: Lazerbeak with Little Fevers
Food trucks for the night include UpDawg, Gumbeaux Guys and Oasis Del Norte.
Glensheen’s Concerts on the Pier are an opportunity for Duluthians to wander the Glensheen grounds and enjoy free live music. Attendees are invited to bring a lawn chair or blanket. Food and drinks are available for purchase but small outside snacks and non-alcoholic drinks are allowed. Do not bring in large coolers. Service animals only are allowed on the estate. It is also encouraged to bike, boat, walk or kayak to the concert since parking is limited. Openers perform from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., continuing with headliners from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
This year, Glensheen is offering a skip-the-line package. The package includes a punchcard to all nine concerts, allowing folks to skip the line with early access, a 2026 Concerts on the Pier t-shirt and a sticker. Those can be purchased at tickets.umn.edu.
Wednesday Night Sailboat Races
Duluth Yacht Club runs sailboat races every Wednesday night at 6:15 from mid May to early September on Lake Superior and the Duluth-Superior Harbor within approximately 10 miles of the Duluth Shipping Channel. Fitger’s Brewing Complex Courtyard and other stops along the Lakewalk offer particularly good vantage points.
[arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD4nrLin9Lw” /]
Species Finding Field Trip: Subarctic Darner
With all the biodiversity in the greater Sax-Zim Bog ecosystem, seeing the uncommon, rare or difficult-to-find species can require special, targeted effort. This event is the third of this year’s new, species-focused field trip series. It is focused on finding one of the few odonates with special conservation status in Minnesota: Subarctic Darner. This is a large dragonfly of open peatlands, with a preference for areas with Buckbean.
This will be a strenuous field trip with almost all the hiking done off-trail in uneven and wet conditions.
Field Trip attendance is free for Friends of Sax-Zim Bog members. The $25 membership fee covers free entry to all field trips and programs, excluding workshops, in a 12-month period.
Registration is required at saxzim.org. Registrants meet at the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center and Lois King Education Center at noon. The field trip concludes at 5 p.m.
Music in the Park
The 42nd annual Music in the Park concert series, formerly known as the Chester Creek Concert Series, features a variety of live music on Tuesday evenings throughout the summer. This summer all shows are at Lincoln Park while chalet renovations happen at Chester Bowl Park. The series is presented by Duluth Parks and Recreation and the Chester Bowl Improvement Club. The Twin Ports Express food truck will be on site and attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair.
For weather-related cancellations or updates, call the Music in the Park hotline at 218-730-4321 after 3 p.m. the night of the concert or visit duluthmn.gov/parks/cancellations.
Schedule
June 16 – Palisade
June 23 – The Shane Nelson Band
June 30 – The Windjammers
July 7 – Tab & Nicole (6:30-7:10 p.m.) The Mahon Brothers (7:20-8 p.m.)
July 14 – Rory Van James
July 21 – The Gemstones
July 28 – Peat Boggs
Aug. 4 – Lydia Boyum & Ryan Lane (6:30-7:10 p.m.) Four Mile Portage (7:20-8 p.m.)
Aug. 11 – Indecent Proposal
Concerts on the Pier 2026: Climes with Skarlett Woods
Food trucks for the night include Johnny B’s, Gumbeaux Guys and Oasis Del Norte.
Glensheen’s Concerts on the Pier are an opportunity for Duluthians to wander the Glensheen grounds and enjoy free live music. Attendees are invited to bring a lawn chair or blanket. Food and drinks are available for purchase but small outside snacks and non-alcoholic drinks are allowed. Do not bring in large coolers. Service animals only are allowed on the estate. It is also encouraged to bike, boat, walk or kayak to the concert since parking is limited. Openers perform from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., continuing with headliners from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
This year, Glensheen is offering a skip-the-line package. The package includes a punchcard to all nine concerts, allowing folks to skip the line with early access, a 2026 Concerts on the Pier t-shirt and a sticker. Those can be purchased at tickets.umn.edu.
Wednesday Night Sailboat Races
Duluth Yacht Club runs sailboat races every Wednesday night at 6:15 from mid May to early September on Lake Superior and the Duluth-Superior Harbor within approximately 10 miles of the Duluth Shipping Channel. Fitger’s Brewing Complex Courtyard and other stops along the Lakewalk offer particularly good vantage points.
[arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD4nrLin9Lw” /]
GGTA North Shore Bike Ride & Roll
The 26th annual North Shore Bike Ride is an annual celebration of the Gitchi-Gami State Trail. This year again features 8-, 28-, 34- and 55-mile ride options, and kids under 18 ride free with a paid adult participant.
Online and mail-in registration options are available at ggta.org.
Lowland Conifer Forest Plant Community Investigation
The Sax-Zim Bog is a network of habitats, but what makes those habitats so distinct from one another? Environmental conditions like precipitation and temperature help mold ecosystems, as do the soils and substrates that influence the plant communities. This field trip seeks out the beautiful lowland conifer forests the greater Sax-Zim Bog ecosystem is most known for. Participants learn how to define and better know Lowland Conifer Forest Plant Communities.
Field Trip attendance is free for Friends of Sax-Zim Bog members. The $25 membership fee covers free entry to all field trips and programs, excluding workshops, in a 12-month period.
Registration is required at saxzim.org. Registrants meet at the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center and Lois King Education Center at 10 a.m. The field trip concludes at 3 p.m.
Bog Bathing: Sensory Immersion in the Wetlands Workshop
This two-hour, slow, sensory-rich immersion experience is inspired by forest bathing principles, adapted specifically for the unique wetland ecosystem of Sax-Zim Bog by Amelia Chapman, Friends of Sax-Zim Bog host/naturalist and Mental Health Practitioner. Participants are guided through intentional practices to slow down, attune to the landscape and experience the bog as a co-regulator for their nervous systems. This is profoundly slow and sensory-focused — not a typical nature walk. Participants might only cover a short distance, stopping frequently to truly receive what the bog offers. The group explores how trees exist in relationship and communication with each other, and practice feeling the capacity for co-regulation with the living world. All invitations are optional; participants practice listening to their own body’s wisdom.
The cost of this event is $30 for Friends of Sax-Zim Bog members and Minnesota Master Naturalists. The $40 for nonmembers fee includes a membership.
Registration is required at saxzim.org. Registrants meet at the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog Welcome Center and Lois King Education Center at 1 p.m. The workshop concludes at 3 p.m.
Concerts on the Pier 2026: Brothers Burn Mountain with Long Sleeves
Food trucks for the night include Johnny B’s, Gumbeaux Guys and Oasis Del Norte.
Glensheen’s Concerts on the Pier are an opportunity for Duluthians to wander the Glensheen grounds and enjoy free live music. Attendees are invited to bring a lawn chair or blanket. Food and drinks are available for purchase but small outside snacks and non-alcoholic drinks are allowed. Do not bring in large coolers. Service animals only are allowed on the estate. It is also encouraged to bike, boat, walk or kayak to the concert since parking is limited. Openers perform from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., continuing with headliners from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
This year, Glensheen is offering a skip-the-line package. The package includes a punchcard to all nine concerts, allowing folks to skip the line with early access, a 2026 Concerts on the Pier t-shirt and a sticker. Those can be purchased at tickets.umn.edu.
Wednesday Night Sailboat Races
Duluth Yacht Club runs sailboat races every Wednesday night at 6:15 from mid May to early September on Lake Superior and the Duluth-Superior Harbor within approximately 10 miles of the Duluth Shipping Channel. Fitger’s Brewing Complex Courtyard and other stops along the Lakewalk offer particularly good vantage points.
[arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD4nrLin9Lw” /]
Concerts on the Pier 2026: Adam and The Dynamite Club with Squid City Slingers
Food trucks for the night include UpDawg, Bowlz n Thangz and Oasis Del Norte.
Glensheen’s Concerts on the Pier are an opportunity for Duluthians to wander the Glensheen grounds and enjoy free live music. Attendees are invited to bring a lawn chair or blanket. Food and drinks are available for purchase but small outside snacks and non-alcoholic drinks are allowed. Do not bring in large coolers. Service animals only are allowed on the estate. It is also encouraged to bike, boat, walk or kayak to the concert since parking is limited. Openers perform from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., continuing with headliners from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
This year, Glensheen is offering a skip-the-line package. The package includes a punchcard to all nine concerts, allowing folks to skip the line with early access, a 2026 Concerts on the Pier t-shirt and a sticker. Those can be purchased at tickets.umn.edu.