11 Bad Online Reviews Of The Aerial Lift Bridge In Duluth
One of the biggest landmarks in Duluth is the Aerial Lift Bridge. The bridge was built in 1905 as the United States' first transporter bridge. It happened to be one of two ever constructed in the country. The other one was called the Sky Ride in Chicago.
The Lift Bridge has been talked about quite a bit recently due to that one video from 2020 resurfacing and going viral again. You know the one that shows a woman frantically sprinting across the Aerial Lift Bridge as the crossing gates lowered and alarm bells sounded ahead of a pending ship that would be heading under the bridge. *Just a heads up, there is some language in the clip*
I actually used to live on Park Point and summer's were rough when you would get 'bridged'. Just for fun, I decided to see what people on TripAdvisor thought of our beautiful bridge. There were about 1,698 reviews on the bridge and honestly, most of them were pretty good. However, there was definitely some negative feedback. Here are some of the worst reviews I found for the iconic bridge:
11 Bad Reviews Of The Aerial Lift Bridge In Duluth
“Lift Bridge More Like Jipped Bridge”
I have seen so many bridges in my life, in fact many have called me a connoisseur of bridges, but this bridge does not satisfy my expectations of a bridge. When you see the majesty of the Golden Gate Bridge or the dizzying height of the Mackinac, you know you've found an emotional experience. When I visited this bridge i found my self in the opposite of a "lift" in fact I was very disappointed. When I did some amateur sleuthing I found that this bridge won a contest for design in Duluth many years ago. I wonder who the designer had to bribe to get that to happen... After spending hundreds of dollars on the journey to see this bridge all I can say that I feel is jipped.
“What'd Ya Gonna Say”
It's the only way to access Park Point unless you're a strong swimmer. Wouldn't ever stay on the park side for safety sake. How do they handle medical emergencies? The only event I've participated in is the art fair and that was a little disappointing in that the offerings were mediocre. Had all the flavor of a flea market in a bad neighborhood.
“Cool To See In Action - But Sort Of A One And Done.”
It's a neat looking bridge in and of itself - but to see it in action, when the road lifts up and is suspended, to allow a boat to pass through - now that's pretty cool! However, once you've seen it, it's not something you'd need to watch over and over. If you're in town and nearby - a nice stop - but it's not the end of the world if you miss it. Lit up during the winter months - I've heard it's beautiful then
“It's Just A Bridge!”
At the time of this writing, this is the #3 thing to do in Duluth. That's sad. The park near the bridge and lakefront trail is very nice. I could see spending the day on the lakefront and spending some time at the bridge. It is a very interesting bridge and I'm sure architecture and engineering students find it fascinating, but it is just a bridge. Turn towards the lake and view real beauty.
"It's Really Just A Bridge"
Its just a bridge that lifts to let ships or bug boats pass under it. Views are good but nothing extra-ordinary. You get to see it when you are in canal park area.
“Not Worth A Long Detour”
The aerial lift bridge was listed in several top ten travel attraction lists I reviewed when planning our trip to Minnesota. It was easy to spot from the freeway and we saw it up from a distance (one way) on our way to the North Shore Drive and then drove across the bridge on a side trip on our way back from the North Shore Drive. Unless you are really into bridges or fascinated by the uniqueness of it, I didn't feel like it measured up to many, many other attractions in the Twin Cities area or along the North Shore Drive. I would have been very disappointed if we'd gone way out of our way to see it.
“Don't Go Out Of Your Way To See This”
If you have never seen a draw or lift bridge take a look. Otherwise it's mildy interesting. We watched it rise for a boat once, that was enough.
“It's A Wait...”
It's a wait is about all I can say...it takes a while for a ship to go through and once you see it it's not as impressive! Personally I enjoy a lot of the other things in the area and waiting to see it sometimes can be a drag, but should be an experience to be seen for someone in the Duluth area.
“Neat But Not Amazing”
It's cute to watch as you're strolling along but I wouldn't count it as part of a tourist destination.
“Very Interesting Bridge”
A different type of draw bridge. Still working, and raises often to allow lake ships to enter or leave the harbor.
"A Bridge Too Far..."
Nothing special to see there. More historical than awe inspiring. Tour guide told us there used to be a ferry there and it was replaced by the bridge. With all the harbour traffic, probably a pain in the rear for automobiles and pedestrians who can't cross, every time a boat comes in or leaves.
Apparently some people can't appreciate a good bridge when they see one. If you think these were bad, check out the bad reviews of Canal Park:
12 Bad Reviews Of Canal Park In Duluth
11 Bad Reviews Of Minnesota's North Shore Scenic Drive