S.S. William A. Irvin Ore Boat Museum
S.S. William A. Irvin Ore Boat Museum
4.5
About
In the heart of Canal Park, set against the majestic Aerial Lift Bridge, is a Great Lakes vessel you can’t miss—and won’t want to. Despite carrying iron ore and coal for 40 years through treacherous storms, the William A. Irvin remains in pristine condition today. Don’t miss your chance to tour the proud flagship of U.S. Steel’s Great Lakes Fleet. Schedule a group visit, get ticketing information or discover its rich history. Open May-September.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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4.5
420 reviews
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cenzt
Ohio19,854 contributions
Aug 2022
Average trip. We arrived at approximately 12 pm and made our way towards the entrance of the boat to buy tickets. The tickets were pricey and cost 20 dollars for an adult. After buying our tickets, we climbed the steps up into the bat. There were several employees scattered throughout the boat, that provided information about what we seeing in front of us. There were very few informational plaques throughout the boat- I would have loved to see more in order to gain a deeper understanding of what life was like on the boat at the time. We were told to follow a line on the floor that guided us to various rooms in the boat. After touring the top sections of the boat, we made our way underneath, where there was a small gift shop and museum. The museum was EXTREMELY tiny, and only contained several artifacts along with several informational plaques. Once again, I wish they had expanded this section to include more information. I’m sure there were interesting stories to tell.
Tip: I recommend spending 1.5 hours here if you truly want to see everything.
Tip: I recommend spending 1.5 hours here if you truly want to see everything.
Written 22 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rachelle B
Rusk, TX8 contributions
Jul 2021 • Family
We ended up really Enjoying this!
We are visiting Minnesota from East Texas,
While at Lake Superior decided to do an activity last min. Luckily this tour was open and it worked out perfectly.
Very great tour guides that are funny and happy to answer questions. All were enthusiastic about the boat.
Our kiddos are 9 and 13 both enjoyed this tour.
We are visiting Minnesota from East Texas,
While at Lake Superior decided to do an activity last min. Luckily this tour was open and it worked out perfectly.
Very great tour guides that are funny and happy to answer questions. All were enthusiastic about the boat.
Our kiddos are 9 and 13 both enjoyed this tour.
Written 9 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cassbella
Bentonville, Arkansas, USA228 contributions
Aug 2020 • Family
Fun museum for the entire family! Only caution is there are a lot of steps and steep ones at that but that’s expected for a ship I assume.
Really neat to see ship life and was educational for the kids. We were there for about 45 mins, you can stay as long as you want. They have guides positioned at various posts to tell you about the ship.
Really neat to see ship life and was educational for the kids. We were there for about 45 mins, you can stay as long as you want. They have guides positioned at various posts to tell you about the ship.
Written 23 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Emilie MN
35 contributions
Jun 2021 • Family
We didn't expect to like this tour so much! It was interesting to see this ship. We took our 13 yr old and 16 yr old. The stairs are very steep so beware of that! I took out a shin on the 2nd set. I was nervous walking across the top and didn't spend much time standing up there. I would have been nervous carrying a little one up there. Some of the guides worked in the ship or a similar one which was interesting to hear.
Written 27 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
srgauger
West Des Moines, IA339 contributions
Oct 2020 • Solo
I really wanted to take the tour while on vacation and had been told it wasn’t open. Much to my surprise, it was indeed open the weekend I was in Duluth. Loved the history of the boat and enjoyed the tour. Nice to see it all refurbished.
Written 10 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MNadventurecat
Mankato, MN8 contributions
Jul 2020 • Family
Wasn't sure how much we'd like the self-guided tour option, but it was lovely. Nothing felt rushed, guides were knowledgeable, and I felt like I learned a lot. COVID regulations were well explained and thorough. Felt a lot safer than some other attractions in town. Would tour again!
Written 18 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tess J
Apple Valley, MN94 contributions
Aug 2020
Nice tour, short. Staff were nice and willing to answer questions.
Adding a few notes to some of the areas would be nice for example, the crews quarters. What did most crew bring, how long were they on board for? Age of crew? What hours did they work?
Adding a few notes to some of the areas would be nice for example, the crews quarters. What did most crew bring, how long were they on board for? Age of crew? What hours did they work?
Written 23 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Elms4
Champlin, MN107 contributions
Oct 2011 • Family
I'm not sure if I can give an accurate description of the tour as we went during October when it was turned into a haunted ship. That was an excellent thing to do with older children. It's definitely meant to be scary so I wouldn't recommend little children to go. The little guy(6 or 7 years old) in front of us was so scared, Dad practically had to carry him. It is a little pricey though ($10), ask if they have discounts, the night we went, you got a $1 off if you brought a canned good.
Written 27 October 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
parsong
Charles City, IA1 contribution
This tour cost $10 for adults and was well worth it. Our tour guide was a young man who'd been in the Navy. He was very good at explaining the workings of the ship, knew its history, as well as the history of the Irvin family and US Steel. This ship, built in 1938 and retired in 1978, is a page out of maritime history. It served as the flagship for US Steel's Great Lakes fleet and has some unique and beautiful accomodations for VIP's. If you enjoy history, ships, and the sea, you will enjoy touring this vessel. The next time I travel to Duluth I plan on touring it again ! I highly recommend it.
Written 26 June 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Irvin is an awesome experience for all ages. Very educational and enjoyable. The tour guides are experienced and entertaining. The ship is beautiful. I've been back several times.
Written 19 August 2002
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is there a list of all personnel that were employed on the Irvin for each year that it sailed ? My father Carl Oscar Falk sailed for the PITTSBURGH STEAMSHIP/USS company retiring in 1966..am looking forward to visiting the museum! Thank you for any help you can give me! Charles Falk
Written 31 March 2018
Sorry Charles F and that I put my question and that I asked for your answer sorry about that!
Written 16 December 2019
$12 for adults. I don’t recall the cost for kids. They do a military discount if you have an ID card. Also, it’s $5 to park in the parking lot right across the street. There are other options for parking though if you don’t mind walking a little.
Written 16 October 2017
These types of questions are specific for the operation and should be called in. How would I know? Travelers can tell you if it's handicap friendly, weather friendly, and how the tour was.
Written 5 September 2016
I was wondering if it was scary or not? I wanted to bring my 8year old daughter but I just didn't know if they had people in costume scaring people or is it just a tour?
Written 20 October 2015
We were there at the end of September when they were still giving the ship tour but were in the process of changing the ship over to the haunted ship. This recent post (10/17/2015) would answer your question better.
“Great haunted house. Not for the faint of heart”
We had a great time in the haunted ship tour. Lots of excellent make-up and costumes. I was startled quite a bit, even though I was expecting it. They did a top notch job putting this together. If you like haunted houses, you will really enjoy this one.
Visited October 2015
Written 21 October 2015
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