• Coffee, Donuts and Savory Hand Pies for Breakfast
• Visit to Julebyen Christmas Village, a Scandinavian celebration with free time to explore
• Scrumptious Pub Style Lunch at Canal Park Brewery
• Choice of craft beer, cider or house wine with lunch
• Free time to explore Canal Park
• Access to The Winter Village, an outdoor craft winter market along the shore of Lake Superior with free time to enjoy
• Admission to the Glensheen Mansion
• Self-guided Christmas tour of Glensheen
• Locally made Christmas cookies from Sergeant Shortbread for Dessert
• Entry to Bentleyville and free time to take in the 5 million twinkle lights
• Opportunity to shop hundreds of local vendors throughout the day
• Round-trip luxury transportation
• Local Gurus to guide you and sing you Christmas carols

• Private Access to the “broil room” at the historic and James Beard awarded, Pickwick Restaurant
• Elevated 3-course dinner featuring appetizers, salad, and a charbroiled dinner of your choice
• Your choice of  craft beer, house wine, rail cocktail or non-alcoholic beverage

• Private Access to the historic Winter Garden at Glensheen for a one-of-kind Dinner Party at the Estate
• Scrumptious Italian Dinner from Bellisio’s Italian Restaurant catered into Glensheen Mansion
• Welcome reception featuring Appetizers and your choice of  craft beer, house wine, or seasonally inspired cocktail

While we think Minnesota is wonderful year-round, when the snow starts to fall and the Christmas spirit is in the air it really is “the most wonderful time of the year”! Your local Elves (ahem Gurus) want to help you get into the holiday spirit and kick off the season with a holiday-packed day trip to the beautiful north shore. Join us for a full day of exploration as we take in the majesty of this season with multiple holiday villages, delicious food, millions of twinkle lights, and more! New for 2025 – we have created two unique dinner experiences for Saturday and Sunday, so be sure to read on to hear more about these festive and fun options!

Our day will begin in Roseville, MN at our check-in location, where your GetKnit Gurus will be awaiting your arrival with donuts from A Bakers Wife and hot coffee – to start our day off right. Once we’re on our way north in our luxury coach bus, we’ll enjoy a savory hand pie of your choosing from The Buttered Tin! At time of registration, you’ll be able to choose between their Ham and Pimento Cheese; Brie Cheese, Caramelized Onion and Potato; or the Chorizo Sausage, Cheese and Potato.

Our first stop of the day will be to the small, charming town of Knife River, MN to the Julebyen Christmas Village, a Scandinavian holiday festival nestled along the shore of Lake Superior in this sleepy fishing village. This fest features outdoor craft markets, ethnic foods from local restaurants, crafts, holiday decorations, music, and more! Here we’ll have time to explore the festivities at our own speed: explore the variety of different booths and vendors in the markets, explore the “Troll Village”, eat your way through the different local foods offered, or any combination of the above!

From there we’ll travel back down the coast to one Duluth’s Canal Park Brewery along the shore of Lake Superior in Canal Park. Here we’ll order up your choice of craft beer, cider, house wine, or non-alcoholic beverage. For lunch, we’ll enjoy a hearty pub style meal. At time of registration you’ll be able to choose between a Bacon Cheese Burger, Brew Company Cobb, Portabella Fresca Sandwich, Fish and Chips, or Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wrap.

Once we’ve filled up, we will embark on the “choose your own adventure” part of the day. While in Canal Park, you’ll have time to continue your holly jolly day trip with a visit to the very popular Duluth Winter Village. In 2021 this holiday tradition moved to the shore front of Lake Superior just outside of the heart of Canal Park. This community event features dozens of local vendors selling everything from reclaimed wood to clothes to handmade jewelry being sold out of their very own “cabins”. If shopping isn’t your thing you can set out and explore the iconic Canal Park. No matter if you want to go for a long walk along the newly renovated lake walk, shop the different local stores throughout this historic area, or visit some of the other local breweries, bars or distilleries you can make this time yours.

We’ll then re-group and our Christmas adventures will continue with a self-guided tour of the historic Glensheen Mansion. Each year they “Deck the Halls” and give guests the opportunity to take a step back in time and see how the Congdon family would have celebrated the season.

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Saturday, December 6: Elevated Dinner Featuring a 3-course Meal at Pickwick Restaurant

If you choose to join us on Saturday — After we’ve had time to explore the festive-filled halls of the mansion, we will be hop back on to our bus and head just down the road to the historic, James Beard awarded Pickwick Restaurant and Pub, which has been a local landmark since 1914 and known for it’s rustic charm and incredible chargrilled menu offerings. We will first be welcomed with some family style appetizers including their house-made Artichoke Dip, which features Italian sausage, artichoke, spinach, and cheeses mixed into a soft cream cheese and served with garlic toasted crostinis; along with their famous Onion Rings, which they boast that “people travel from all over” to enjoy these handmade onion rings. As we enjoy our first course, we will order up your choice of craft beer, cider, house wine, rail cocktail or non-alcoholic beverage. As we toast to our festive-filled day, we will be treated to our salad course featuring a mix of house-made dressing. For dinner, we will be treated to an elevated plated dinner of your choice. At time of registration, you will be able to choose between their New York Strip Steak, A tender 12 oz cut from the strip cooked to your liking, served with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables; Canadian Walleye, a “Pickwick classic”, prepared either battered or broiled, served with wild rice and seasonal vegetables; Jack Daniels Glazed Pork Chop, an 8 oz. tender chop chargrilled until delicious and covered with a delicious Jack Daniels glaze, served with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables; or the Jambalaya Pasta, shrimp, chicken, andouille sausage sautéed with peppers, onions and tomatoes in a creamy Cajun sauce and tossed with fettuccine. In true form to the holidays, for dessert we will be treated to a mix of Christmas Cookies on our bus from Sergeant Shortbread based out of the Twin Cities, as we head to our final stop for the evening!

Sunday, December 7 – Scrumptious Pasta Dinner Catered Into the Historic Glensheen Mansion

If you choose to join us on Sunday — After we’ve had time to explore the festive-filled halls of the mansion, we will be invited into the historic Winter Garden for a truly one-of-a-kind dinner party at the estate! Here, we’ll kick off the evening with your choice of craft beer, cider, wine, or a seasonally inspired cocktail from our very own private bar in the Winter Garden and graze a mix of appetizers featuring both Bruschetta with Tomato Concassé and fresh basil, and Herbed Cream Cheese Puffed Pastries. After we’ve mixed and mingled in true VIP fashion, we will get seated for a delicious Italian feast catered into the mansion by Duluth’s beloved Bellisios’s Italian Restaurant. For dinner they’ve prepared a hearty Italian buffet featuring Chicken Tetrazzini – savory chicken breast pieces, mixed with a rich Swiss cheese Mornay sauce, served on penne pasta topped with a mozzarella cheese cap; Beef Lasagna – layers of pasta, meat sauce, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses; a house-made caesar salad and breadsticks. In true form to the holidays, for dessert we will be treated to a mix of Christmas Cookies from Sergeant Shortbread based out of the Twin Cities.

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To round out this epic winter day, we’ll head to the famous Bentleyville “Tour of Lights” at Duluth’s Bayfront Festival Park. Here we’ll stroll under the glow of over 5 million lights in a 20-acre park that’s perched on the shores of Lake Superior, while enjoying the collective festive spirit of the season.

This special holiday day trip will leave you with wonderful memories, a completed Christmas shopping list, a full tummy, and a renewed Christmas spirit that will help you ring in the holiday season ahead!

“Oh by golly have a holly jolly Christmas” with GetKnit this year!