Rochester, MN Road Trips

1 Assisi Heights Spirituality Center, 1001 14th St, ☏ +1 507 282-7441. Guided tours M and Sa 2PM by appointment. Additional times may be arranged for groups of 10 or more. It was built as the home of the Sisters of Saint Francis, and now part is being used as a spirituality center. Italian Romanesque structure. Free, donations accepted. 2 Ear-of-corn Water Tower (at the intersection of Hwy 12 (aka 12th Street South) and Hwy 63 (aka Broadway)). See what is probably the world's largest water tower painted to look like an ear of corn. Built in 1931 to celebrate the opening of the Libby Foods facility (now Seneca Foods). 3 Heritage House, 225 First Ave NW, ☏ +1 507 286-9208. Hourlong tours June, July, and August, Tu W Th Su 1–3:30PM or by appointment. Exhibits the way of life of a typical middle-class Midwestern family in the late 19th century. The house has been restored and authentically furnished with antiques, quilts, dolls, and china. $5 for adults, $3 for children. 4 Historic Chateau Theatre, 15 First St SW. Was one of the most elaborate theaters built in the early 1900s. Has French Village decor complete with balconies and turrets. (Not to be confused with the current Chateau movie theater.) (updated Feb 2017) 5 History Center of Olmsted County, 1195 W Circle Dr SW, ☏ +1 507 282-9447. Tu-Sa 9AM-5PM. Rare pictures, maps, diaries, exhibits about Rochester's history. Visit William Dee Log Cabin, Hadley Valley School House, and the George Stoppel Farm. $5 adults, $2 children. 6 Mayo Clinic.

1 Mayo Civic Center, 30 Civic Center Dr SE, ☏ +1 507 361-5040 (main), +1 507 361-5050 (box office), toll-free: +1-800-422-2199. Main event center, check website for calendar of shows, events, etc. (updated Aug 2020) 2 Rochester Art Center, 40 Civic Center Dr SE, ☏ +1 507 282-8629. No permanent collection; check website for which exhibits are open. Adults $5, families $10. 3 Rochester Repertory Theatre, 103 7th St NE. Local theater company, check website for calendar Rochester Civic Theatre, 220 E Center St, ☏ +1 507 282-8481. Community theater. Also offers classes year round. 4 Mantorville Theatre Company, 5 5th St. West, Mantorville, ☏ +1 507 635-5420, [email protected]. Community theater offering summer melodramas and traditional shows year round. 5 Oak Center General Store, 67011 Hwy 63, Lake City, ☏ +1 507 753-2080, [email protected]. Live music Nov-Apr Sa-Su. Rochester has more than 30 parks and 9 golf courses. 6 Carley State Park, 50187 County Road 4, Plainview (15 mi NE of town on Wabasha Co Rd 4). 7 Chester Woods, 8378 14 Hwy SE, Eyota (20-min drive E of town along Hwy 14). Picnic areas. Small beach. Fishing. Canoe and paddle boat rentals. Camping. 8 Douglas State Trail, ☏ +1 507 285-7176. 13-mile blacktop trail between Rochester and Pine Island. Suitable for biking, walking. Starts at Valleyhigh Dr. just east of W Circle Dr NW (parking available). 9 Oxbow Park and Zollmon Zoo, 5731 County Rd 105 NW, Byron (take Valleyhigh Rd NW /Hwy 4) W from Rochester about 15 min; just before stop sign, turn right), ☏ +1 507-328-7340.

The majority of budget dining options are fast-food chain restaurants. A variety of chains exist. Downtown on the second floor of the University Shops are several other budget restaurants, many open only for lunch. 1 El Carambas, 1503 12th St SE (East side of town new Big Lots), ☏ +1 507 281-3104. Hole-in-the-wall type casual in the best sense of the word. Great soft shell tacos. 2 Newt's, 216 1st Ave (Downtown above City Cafe), ☏ +1 507 289-0577. Voted best burgers in Rochester. Beetles Bar and Brother's are also popular similar restaurants. Also has second location on the north side right off hwy 52. 3 Nupa, 1035 Civic Center Dr NW, ☏ +1 507 206-5044. 10AM–9PM daily. Mediterranean fast food. Gyros, hummus, muffaletta, florettas, etc. La Poblana, 909 37th St NW, ☏ +1 507-208-4999. Daily 10AM–8PM. Authentic Mexican eatery, you'll find dishes here you won't find in a typical American-Mexican restaurant. In the back of a grocery store. 4 Pho Tai (Pho Hoa), 1726 37th St NW (North side), ☏ +1 507 281-9993. Vietnamese. In addition to sit-down meals, bahn mi, inexpensive Vietnamese sandwiches on French bread, are usually available for takeout. 5 Pi, 3932 Marketplace Dr NW (Near Target North), ☏ +1 507 424-3885. Wood-fired pizza. Somewhat limited menu, with very unusual ingredients. While mid-range dining is not dominated by chains, there are a number of popular chains in town as well. 6 Canadian Honker, 1203 2nd St SW (across from St. Mary's). Traditional American. Serves fresh fish F-Sa. Often has live music.

1 Beetles Bar and Grill, 230 20th Ave SW, ☏ +1 507 529-9599. Goonies, 1625 Broadway Ave S, ☏ +1 507 288-8130. Live comedy shows F-Sa. Open mic on Th. Kathy's, 307 S Broadway. Whistle Binkies (NE location near Chateau Theatre, and S Broadway location). Very popular pub atmosphere with a very extensive beer menu (easily the largest in town) to choose from. S Broadway location has outdoor seating during the summer months. Variety of menu items. Not for romantic evenings or business talk.

Owing to the large number of visitors to the Mayo clinic, and their unique needs, there is a wide range of sleeping arrangements to fit almost any budget or need, from low-end to high-end, from short-term to long-term, from standard hotel rooms, to rooms with kitchenettes, to fully furnished apartments. While there are some hotels spread-out throughout the city, most of the hotels are grouped downtown (by the clinic), along SW second street (by Saint Mary's), and along South Broadway (where most of the cheaper, non-chain ones are located). Rochester has about 5,400 hotel rooms in the city, which is more than most cities that are twice Rochester's size. Below are only a sample of the available hotels. Most of the cheaper, non-chain hotels are not listed. The following downtown hotels are connected to the clinic, and to the rest of downtown, via the network of above-ground enclosed skyways and below-group passages (called subways). This is very useful in the winter! 1 Brentwood Inn and Suites, 123 4th Avenue NW, ☏ +1 507 288-8011. Brentwood Inn and Suites offers a continental breakfast, free transportation to clinics and hospitals, voice mail and 24-hour front desk service. 2 Kahler Grand Hotel, 20 SW Second Ave, ☏ +1 507 280-6200, fax: +1 507 285-2701. Old hotel, lots of character. Many like it for the character and not looking like every other hotel, others don't like it due to being older. 3 Kahler Inn and Suites, 9 Third Ave NW, ☏ +1 507 285-9200, toll-free: +1-800-533-1655 (Reservations), fax: +1 507 282-4478.

1 Rochester International Airport (RST IATA). 10 miles south of downtown Rochester along Hwy 63. Owing to the large number of visitors to the Mayo Clinic, there are more flights than in comparably-sized cities, approximately 13 flights per day. Make sure you fly into Rochester, MN, not Rochester, NY! Delta Air Lines has flights from Minneapolis/St. Paul. American Airlines offers direct service from Chicago O'Hare. There is also scheduled charter service at the airport. Non-stop service to Laughlin, NV and Biloxi, MS is occasionally offered on Sun Country. The airport is attempting to get more air service into Rochester. The airport directors have contacted the current providers American and Delta, about adding more destinations, and have also contacted other carriers to bring new nonstop destinations to the airport. (updated Apr 2025) There are several car-rental companies located at the airport. Taxis are relatively expensive, approximately $25 between downtown Rochester and the airport. Shuttle service is available, timed to meet each arrival; one-way fare to downtown hotels is approximately $11.50. Some hotels also provide shuttle service. 2 Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP IATA). A 90-min drive NW of Rochester. A major airport, it has flights from most major cities around the world. Dominated by Delta Air Lines. Rochester Shuttle Service offers scheduled shuttle service between MSP and Rochester. Star Limousine Service and Gold Crown Limo offer private sedan service. When flying to Rochester, it is worth checking flights into both airports.

If you are only going to the Clinic, you may not need a car as most hotels provide (free) shuttle service to the Clinic. However, most visitors will want or need a car to get around. The central part of the city is arranged on a more-or-less standard grid. Streets run east-west and avenues run north-south. This divides the city into four quadrants, NW, NE, SE, SW. There are some named streets you might encounter. The dividing line between east and west is Broadway (up to about 25th St north when things get weird). The dividing line between north and south is Center St. Civic Center Drive runs east-west from Hwy 52 to downtown approximately at 5th St. NW. West Circle Dr. (also called CR 22) runs north-south at the west edge of town. There is also an East Circle Dr, but there are fewer businesses there. In case you're wondering, the two circle drives do not meet, yet they are both CR 22. They are both 4-lane expressways. Most of the newer residential development has abandoned the numbered grid system and gone to named curved streets. If you need to find these, there are free maps available in most hotels and the local phone book. In most areas of Rochester, parking is not an issue, with plenty of surface parking. The only exceptions are downtown and near the clinic. It is possible to find street parking downtown, although difficult in the inner downtown. The time limit on parking meters is enforced even for cars with handicap parking placards. The city-owned parking lots are free nights and weekends, with the first hour free during weekdays.