Duluth, Minnesota four Catholic schools with coverage up to grades 6 or 8, two Protestant schools, two Montessori schools, and six other charter and private schools. Due to its proximity to the Great Lakes, Duluth is the location for the Large Lakes Observatory. The Large Lakes Observatory operates the largest university-owned research vessel in the Great Lakes, the R/V Blue Heron. Built in 1985 for fishing on the Grand Banks, the Blue Heron was purchased by the University of Minnesota in 1997, sailed from Portland, Maine, up the St. Lawrence Seaway to Duluth, and converted into a limnological research vessel during the
Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center The Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center is a museum in Duluth, Minnesota, operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The museum is in Duluth's Canal Park near the Aerial Lift Bridge and overlooks the entrance to the Duluth-Superior harbor. The museum and grounds are all property of the U.S. federal government. All visitors are welcome to visit this museum without paying. Donations are accepted by the Lake Superior Marine Museum Association, and support general maintenance and upkeep of the building, new exhibit development and acquisition, and staffing. Exhibits demonstrate the history and operations