Doors OPen Duluth FAQs

Have questions about Doors Open Duluth? We’ve got answers.

Whether you’re planning your route, looking to volunteer, or wondering what to expect, this FAQ covers the basics—and then some.

If you have a question that isn't addressed, reach out to will@rethos.org.

  • New in 2025! Doors Open Duluth 2025 is a one-day event taking place on October 4, 2025. It is an “open house” event that is FREE and invites participants to explore the city's story through its buildings and meaningful spaces.

    The event gives building owners and caretakers a chance to share their spaces with the public, gain visibility and community recognition, and tell the story of their space and organization with the public. This inaugural event is meant to activate an area of Duluth centering on Lincoln Park and Rice's Point.

  • Doors Open Duluth is happening Saturday October 4, 2025. Participating event venues will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The event takes place at more than a dozen venues in the Lincoln Park and Rice’s Point neighborhoods in Duluth.

  • Follow Doors Open Duluth on:

    Facebook: facebook.com/doorsopenduluth

    Instagram: Instagram.com/doorsopenduluth

    Use #DoDuluth when sharing your Doors Open adventures on social media!

  • Rethos is a non-profit charitable organization that supports historic preservation. We’ve been the organizers behind “Doors Open Minneapolis” since 2023. It has turned into one of the city’s biggest and most successful annual events.

    Rethos has had a presence in Duluth since 2023, and it has become our organization’s second home. We are the caretakers of the North Pier Lighthouse and we currently run our Minnesota Main Streets program from an office in the Zeitgeist Arts building – so organizing a Doors Open event in Duluth is a natural extension of our work.

    Rethos believes people are more likely to value the important places in their community when they can experience them firsthand. Doors Open gives participants fresh eyes to see their city — and new reasons to engage with it.

  • Doors Open Duluth is free – thanks to the generous support we get from our sponsors! Visit our sponsor page to see who helped make this event possible and let our sponsors know what their of Doors Open Duluth means to you. If you would like to donate to help keep Doors Open Duluth free, you can do so here.

  • No, the event is free for everyone. If you want to support Doors Open and the other work that Rethos does, we’d welcome your membership: https://www.rethos.org/ways-to-give.

  • See the map and list of participating venues on the Doors Open Duluth Venue page. The full list will be released by September 1, 2025.

  • Start anywhere! You can peruse our venue list and map to plan your route beforehand or you can be spontaneous. There is no specific order you need to follow, and no wrong way to do Doors Open – it's your adventure!

  • Yes! Some sites have activities made specifically with children in mind. Take a look at the programming descriptions and look for the “kid’s activities” tag.

    Some ticketed tours may have age requirements and other safety considerations that would make them less appropriate for young children, make sure to read their descriptions fully.

  • Yes. Participating venues will list key accessibility information—including wheelchair access, restroom availability, and tour format—on the Doors Open Duluth Venue pages. (Available after September 1)

  • Doors Open Duluth will go forward rain, shine, or snow – as long as we can be sure that venues and participants are safe, the event will go forward.

  • There are multiple ways to support Doors Open!

    • Volunteer – Doors Open is a huge production, and we can’t do it without our amazing volunteers! Learn more and sign up here! (link: DOD specific volunteer page)

    • Donate – Doors Open is a free event operated by Rethos, a 501c3 charitable organization. This event is almost entirely sponsor- and crowd-funded. Every dollar helps us continue to provide this citywide event to the public! Learn more and donate here. (link: DOD specific donate page)

    • Attend – Get out and explore our city on October 4!

  • Believe it or not, the first documented Doors Open event occurred in Paris in the 1980s. Milwaukee, Chicago, Buffalo, Omaha, Boston, and several other cities all host similar Doors Open events, though they are all operated by different organizations.

    The first Doors Open Minneapolis happened in May of 2019. At that time, it was its own nonprofit run by Founder and Executive Director Scott Mayer. After a very successful inaugural event, it went on hiatus due to the global pandemic. In Fall of 2022, Rethos acquired the event and produced it for the first time in May of 2023 and has producing it ever since!

    2025 will be the inaugural year for Doors Open Duluth. This first year we’re having a limited event focused around Lincoln Park. In the future we’re going to expand the event and include the whole city.