Need a long weekend or day trip location? Try Rochester, Minnesota!

A few years ago, we were looking for a fun place to travel that wasn’t too far for a weekend trip. If you’ve followed me for a little while, you know that I have a dinosaur loving son. We found out that Quarry Hill Nature Center does fossil hikes during the summer and knew that Rochester had to be our destination. It did not disappoint!

Now, recently, we decided we wanted a small getaway for MEA, but didn’t want a location that would break the bank as we’ve had several unexpected life expenses come up this fall. I know we aren’t the only ones! While in Rochester this time, we managed to spend gas money and under $15 total for everything else. This was made possible because we used IHG hotel points that we had collected for our free hotel stay (we even got a suite!) and I packed all meals from home besides breakfast at the hotel. I’ll highlight some of our favorite spots from both of our trips here.

We’ve stopped at two different spots on our way to Rochester as I’m a firm believer that the journey is sometimes just as fun as the destination. One stop was in Waseca to stretch our legs and play at a fun park called Northeast Park. The kids loved the mix of playground equipment and especially, loved all the climbing equipment. It was also, a perfect spot for a picnic with lots of places to sit and still be able to watch the kids play.

Another spot that we have stopped on our way to Rochester was at Oxbow Park and Zollman Zoo. This is a must-visit place! I have a whole blog post here about this gem and we always make a point to stop there on our way to other adventures. Not only is the zoo all Minnesota native animals, but they have an amazing natural playground for kids. It’s also donation-based. Recently, they re-did their nature center and it’s a fun spot with some play, learning, and animals.

For our initial visits to Rochester, we stayed at the Courtyard by Marriot Rochester Mayo Clinic Area/Saint Marys. The hotel was very nice, super clean, and easy walking distance to many places. Their pool and hot tub were great for our stay and we swam everyday. We stayed in one of their suites for a little more room to help with sleep for the kids. Another thing that the kids thought was interesting about this hotel was the helipad nearby. Our hotel room looked out right onto Mayo Clinic and the helipad. You can imagine our shock when the helicopter flew so close to our window and landed the first time. This would not be ideal for some kids and sleeping, but it didn’t seem to bother our kids. On our most recent trip, we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Rochester South Mayo Area. Breakfast was delicious while our room was nice and had plenty of space.

These are the places I would suggest visiting while staying in Rochester:

Cascade Lake Park: This park was recently re-done and was truly amazing. Essentially a Montessori playground, there are several different areas where kids can play, climb, use their imagination, and meet sensory needs. Located on a beautiful lake with a walking path, this spot is gorgeous just walking up. Then, as you begin to explore, you are welcomed with Adirondack chairs, a nature playscape area, a wooden playground area, sand play, and even a sensory garden with information about what’s growing. We will definitely be back to visit this park and could have stayed here for much longer.

Silver Lake Bike Playground: Home of Minnesota’s first bike playground, this is a unique concept that teaches kids bike safety and encourages imaginative play. Painted on a blacktop, this bike playground has “pretend” roads, including stop signs and a round-about. Along the playground, there are different buildings painted. Although the black top is not in the best shape, my kids really enjoyed this spot. They loved using bike skills while racing through the town and playing pretend.

Gamehaven Reservoir: A complete hidden gem, we found this location solely because of where our hotel was located for our most recent trip. Inside this park, there is an oasis of activities including disc golf, mountain biking trails, walking trails including a boardwalk, a nature playscape, skiing trails, and a reservoir that is beautiful. Pulling up to Gamehaven, the nature playscape didn’t look very large. Yet, when you walk down the hill, you are surprised at the amount of play areas hidden within the hill. A rock climbing wall, an area full of building materials and logs, a long slide, a tire swing, a tunnel, and a sand/water area that allow for a wide variety of sensory and play experiences await. During our most recent trip, we actually visited this spot twice because the sun was setting as we arrived the first time. This allowed for beautiful views, but not a ton of time for play. On our next trip, we let the kids go mountain-biking on the trails, which they enjoyed and we loved seeing the fall foliage. I also, walked along the boardwalk which gave stunning panaromic views of the city. My son was very intrigued by the disc golf courses as they had unusual and fun obstacles, but we had forgotten our discs. This spot is definitely a must-visit location when you go to Rochester!

Roy Sutherland Playground: Just around the corner from Field of Fun Playground, this is another park that has a lot for kids to do. It’s a mix of accessible playground equipment, including an accessible teeter-totter for wheelchairs, and regular playground equipment. There is a spot for older kids and a preschooler/toddler park as well. My middle daughter loved the small play house and quickly began to play school.

Field of Fun playground- This playground was such a hit with our kids for two reasons. It’s an old wood playground, which kids just find fascinating and unique. The theme of the playground is kind of nature based, with a corn wood maze, an old barn, a little canoe, and a fish climbing wall. Second, they have a huge sand pit with not only sand, but a ton of construction vehicles and sand tools. My kids LOVED this part. We brought a picnic here and ate while the kids played for a long time in the sand.

Flapdoodles Ice Cream- This place has such great ice cream! Whenever we visit Rochester, we always make a stop here. Ice creams come with a “sail” on them (aka…a piece of an ice cream cone). One of the co-founders helped name the shop after his dad which also, just makes me love the place even more!

Quarry Hill Nature Center- We spent a large chunk of our time here and have gone back several times since this trip. Originally, we signed up for a guided hike for finding fossils on our first trip here. Yet, it got rained out. Despite the rain, we decided to go hiking on our own after grabbing some rain jackets and our umbrellas. It was the best decision ever! The whole family had so much fun exploring in the rain. On our next visit, we did end up going on a guided hike. I highly recommend doing this as we learned so much. My son, the dinosaur lover, enjoyed looking and finding fossils. Fossils that are smaller than your palm are allowed to be taken home, which is also a unique souvenir. Since this trip, our son regularly finds fossils on his own with the knowledge he gained from the tour. As a side note, the tour is geared towards older kids as it’s definitely a hike and steep in some areas. Our daughter was 2 at the time of the hike and since she was used to hiking at that point, she had no problem.

After we finished the guided hike, we visited the nature center. It was incredible! Definitely one of the best ones we’ve been to in the state. There were animals, hands-on activities, and so much to learn. Employees from the nature center were very knowledgeable and so kind with the many questions my kids showered at them. On our most recent trip, we again spent a large chunk of time here. Excited to see fall foliage, we set out on a hike and surprisingly found a lot of fossils this time. The views were beautiful and again, were very doable for our two year old now (different kid!) Since our last visit to the nature center, they had changed some things around. Now, there is a reading nook in a pretend tree that my girls adore. Many hands-on experiences are available to everyone who wants to feel or use a microscope and see up close details of different nature items. We did check out binoculars from the nature center for free to take on our hike. These are always a hit with our kids and definitely add an element of fun to an adventure.

SPARK- Although, we didn’t visit this children’s museum on this trip, it’s a definite favorite. The perfect size for little ones, but with a large enough variety for the older kids. When we visited, there really was something for all three of my kids. My older daughter enjoyed the market areas and open art area whereas my younger daughter loved the toddler area and a sensory table. Lego race car building and racing was where my son spent the majority of his time. If I’d let him, he would have stayed there all day. Located in the mall, it allows for not too overwhelming of an experience. For more on this spot, check out this blog.

Nerstrand Big Woods State Park- This is close to a 55 minute drive from Rochester, but it felt worth it for us. Depending on where you are driving from, you could stop at this on your way or after visiting Rochester. A waterfall is a short, easy hike. The waterfall is beautiful, although I would not recommend touching or swimming in the water. Several other fun hiking paths made this experience even more enjoyable. Our kids also, enjoyed the natural play area before most of the hikes. Nerstrand is a beautiful state park and well worth the drive to see!

Overall, Rochester is an easy drive from most locations in the Twin Cities or Southern Minnesota. It boasts many fun places for families to visit in all seasons. One thing I like about the town is that it’s not your normal tourist attraction town, so there is plenty to do, but they aren’t things just for tourists. Hope your family takes a chance and visits Rochester to enjoy all that it has to offer!

Until my next adventure,

Allie