Black Bear Casino Resort--Carlton,MN.

Help! I%26#39;ve read the reviews of the Black Bear Casino Resort, and seeing as the ';bad reviews'; are running 2 to 1, as opposed to the ';good reviews';....anyone on this board have any opinions about the place? I%26#39;ve booked 2 nights for next week (Friday and Saturday),and what I%26#39;m wondering is, did I make a mistake in doing so?! I%26#39;d hate to waste my hard earned money.Is the place worth it,or not? Should I change the reservation to one night,and pick somewhere else in Duluth for the second night. Any and all opinions are welcome,and thanks. I%26#39;ll check back tomorrow. We%26#39;re just hoping the place is ';clean,comfy,and enjoyable';,and that I haven%26#39;t made a huge mistake in talking my husband into going to this place.

Black Bear Casino Resort--Carlton,MN.

Hey snowy62

We have stayed a few times there, not for two years. I guess I would just say..it%26#39;s a room to sleep in. If your going to gamble and eat / drink...I would stay. I don%26#39;t remember the rooms being dirty or anything, just nothing special. If you have a chance to check in a bit early- and don%26#39;t like the looks of the room you can always demand a different one -and to look at them first. Have fun..

Black Bear Casino Resort--Carlton,MN.

Thanks for the advice,Dano72. My husband and I don%26#39;t travel a great deal, that%26#39;s the main reason I asked about the place. I was getting nightmares,after reading some of the reviews......

we%26#39;ve stayed at Grand Portage(Lodge and Casino) a few times,and in the past few years,they%26#39;ve come a long way in improving the place--loved the room on our last visit, but the Casino-with it%26#39;s mostly penny and nickel machines,and smoking, made us think there must be a different casino to try,if we%26#39;re going to drive all that way.I have nothing good to say about the Thunder Bay Charity Casino.....

We%26#39;re not planning to spend a whole bunch of money at Black Bear,just looking for a weekend away,and something new to look at.That%26#39;s why I thought of Black Bear----never been there,and what the hey,it%26#39;s like you mentioned,if there%26#39;s something DRASTICALLY wrong with the room,etc., we%26#39;ll simply cancel our reservation for the second night(before the check-in time of 4 p.m.),and drive back to Duluth.We love Duluth--there%26#39;s so much to do and see....the ?Inn on Superior?, really caught my eye.The only question I forgot to ask---should I ask/request,upon check-in, if our room is in the ';newer'; part of BlackBear?Thanx-Snowy

Snowy-

It may not hurt to request the newer section now, either by phone or e-mail. While your in that area- if you want to check out a nice park- Jay Cooke State park is just east of the casino about 15 (?) miles or so. Vey scenic, but I%26#39;m sure notavailable, Ontario is as well.....( ha ha ? )

Thanks,Dano72---I did finally get around to calling Black Bear to make sure we%26#39;re booked into the newer part of the resort, and the helpful front desk person assured me that our reservation is for the new tower. Whoever ';Amanada'; is,that answered my question(s) when I phoned,was cheerful,pleasant,and helpful.The first time I called, I got the distinct impression that the person answering the reservation line was ';less than helpful';---meaning I felt like I was being a pain-in-the-butt by asking more than 1 question..........

I will certainly post something after our stay at Black Bear.I%26#39;m sure there%26#39;s more folk like me,out there,that have more questions than answers about some of the places in Northern Minnesoda.We have stayed at Superior Shores(nearer Grand Marais)---nice place,great rooms,BUT, there seem to be something lacking when we stayed there last.....can%26#39;t put my finger on it,but something was missing from the place.

When you%26#39;re from the North Shore,with all the sleepy towns and villages,you appreciate mother nature at it%26#39;s best,and sometimes lament the lack of ';things to do';.That%26#39;s why I mentioned that Duluth is an ideal get-away.To the East, Sault Ste. Marie pretty much covers ';what to do';.Honestly,I would take the Soo over Thunder Bay,any day.Thunder Bay,is ';ok';,and with the exception of a few ';attractions';,it doesn%26#39;t really have much to offer--they can dish it out,but they can%26#39;t take it.

As I mentioned,we%26#39;d take Minnesoda over ';our neck of the woods';,anyday. The Magazine....Lake Superior Magazine, is the BEST...love it,subscribe to it,and read it!

Well there, I%26#39;ve finally remembered to post something,about our stay at Black Bear.

Our room was good-up on the 6th floor-quiet,clean and comfortable.The only minor inconvience was having to go to the 5th floor in order to get a bucket of ice--ice machines are only available on every other floor....weird. Even thou our confirmation number had been lost,somewhere along the line,we still managed to get a better rate for 2 nights.Again...weird. We booked a King,for 2 nights, Friday and Saturday, perhaps if there%26#39;s a next time,we%26#39;ll try to book for 2 nights during the week.Cheaper rates during the week,as opposed to weekends.

Why do parents bring their little kids to Casino ';resorts';? Besides the pool and arcade area,there%26#39;s really nothing for wee folk to do at Black Bear. DH and I ventured into the pool area twice,and both times we turned around and walked out.Upon anticipating going for a swim,we took the elevator down to the ';pool'; level,only to discover about 6,000 kids and their parents overloading the pool area---thanks,but no thanks.The Chlorine levels were at an all time high---can you say,';red eyes?';.

And even though the resort advertised an ';adults only'; swim from 11 p.m. to midnight,somehow I couldn%26#39;t see us swimming at midnight.....

The food was ';okay';,even though we didn%26#39;t partake of the dining room.Stay away from the ';24/7'; Deli.Trust me on this one. The Buffet is pretty much what you%26#39;d expect--a ton of average food for one price.As DH commented,';I%26#39;ve never processed food quite that fast';......you get my drift.The selection of food at the Buffet was varied,and we didn%26#39;t have to wait long for a table, but just remember,';you get what you pay for';, type of scenario.

The actual Casino part of Black Bear was good--lots of machines,and tables--something for everyone.I give Black Bear ';thumbs up'; for the variety and selection of games, and I%26#39;d go back for another visit.During my stay, the Staff was friendly,helpful,and offered answers to my questions,and I never had any concerns as far as that went....I don%26#39;t have any really horrific complaints about the resort,for us the 5-6 hour drive to get to Black Bear was ';half the fun';.Duluth is always a treat,and the Fall colours really made the journey interesting.It%26#39;s nice to know there%26#39;s something else besides ';Grand Portage Lodge and Casino'; within driving distance,and I%26#39;m sure we%26#39;ll stop for a visit in Duluth next time we decide to head across the border.

Sorry to have rambled on.....hope this helps someone out there.