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 of upper Great Lakes commercial shipping and the Aerial Lift Bridge. Many visitors particularly enjoy the three historically accurate replica cabins and a pilothouse from typical ships which plowed the waves of Lake Superior in years past. A three-story steam engine, 50 scale models and many interactive displays are available for visitors to explore. Thousand-foot-long freighters pass within 200 feet of the building, underneath the Aerial Lift Bridge, which lifts up to allow them to pass through. Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center The Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center is a museum in Duluth, Minnesota, operated by the United States Army