Looking for things to do in Rochester MN? You’ve come to the right place! Rochester, Minnesota is known as the home of Mayo Clinic, but I will forever argue that it’s a Minnesota destination that needs to be on your radar!
We were invited to Rochester last weekend to attend Social ICE – Rochester’s ice bar event that happens every year. To see our photos from the event, click here! We’ve been wanting to visit Rochester for a while, so we decided to spend an extra day exploring the area. Here’s a round up of our favorite spots!
Where we stayed
First things first, you need a place to stay. We stayed at the Home2 Suites by Hilton, a new hotel in Rochester, and I would recommend it to anyone! The best part about this hotel is the staff. You can tell the people who work here love their town, and wanted to make sure we had the best time possible exploring their city. We were given so many recommendations and were overall blown away by the hospitality.
Besides the people, we also loved the design. Home2 Suites meets all the expectations you have when staying at a Hilton property, but it’s so much cuter! Three things that can make or break my hotel experiences are water pressure, sheets, and breakfast. This place knocked them all out of the park! Amazing water pressure (it’s the little things people!), the softest sheets, and a breakfast that offered healthy options (make sure to get the oatmeal!).
Donuts at Drift Dough
Speaking of healthy options 🙂 grab some donuts at Rochester’s newest donut shop. Located in the same building as Forager Brewing (more on that below), Drift Dough has some of the most inventive flavors of donuts I’ve ever seen! But they don’t overdo it with the sugar like other crazy donut shops you see out there. Flavors change from day to day, but we ordered the churro and blueberry crumble. Get there early before they sell out!
Coffee at Fiddlehead
Fiddlehead just opened a new location and I AM OBSESSED WITH IT. Just look at it! We ordered an iced and regular coffee while we planned out our day in Rochester. The coffee was good and the aesthetic was even better. A great escape from the snowy tundra outside!
Shop local at the Castle Community
I’m a sucker for indoor shopping when it’s the middle of winter in Minnesota! The Castle Community is a new concept that just opened in Rochester and it houses a local restaurant, coffee shop, workout spots, a book and record store, and a few artist shops. It’s a unique place to hang out, meet a friend, or get some work done. I would also recommend this place if you have kids! We visited on a Saturday afternoon and there were lots of arts and craft activities for kids. Our favorite stop was the The Collective Books and Records where we took home a few fun records!
Lunch at Forager Brewery
When I asked my Instagram followers for Rochester recommendations, Forager Brewery was by far the most recommended! We heard that the pizza and the burgers were a must-try, so we ordered the Stoned Love pizza and Fuego burger. Both were amazing! Forager Brewery has the best beer in Rochester and is such a cool space. Try to sit in the library if you can!
Ritz Crafters event
While we were driving around town we saw signs for the Ritz Crafters pop-up market. We love shopping local, so we stopped by to see what we could find! I fell in love with the leather canteen bags from Julie Meyer handbags. I picked up the yellow one and can’t wait to use it this spring! There’s always some sort of event happening in Rochester, so be sure to check out Minnesota’s Rochester and Downtown Rochester for more ideas!
Pauley Alpaca Company
We’re always looking for the unique and different, so when we saw there was an Alpaca farm in Rochester, we had to stop in! Note, Pauley Alpaca Company isn’t usually open in the winter unless it’s for special events. The best time to visit would be Spring – Fall. Anyways, the farm has 13 alpacas total and 2 miniature horses named Prancer and Oliver. They’re also getting fainting goats this spring! The owners are incredible and answered all our questions. This would be the perfect place for a birthday party – they have a loft in the barn with a game room and gift shop!
Dinner at Terza
Terza is a Rochester favorite for upscale Italian. In the summer you can even head up to the rooftop, La Vetta for some awesome views of the city! We warmed up with some sangria and ordered the fried cheese balls and charcuterie for our appetizer. For dinner, we tried the gnocchi and Cole ordered a special that was filled with the most amazing seafood! We loved every bite and rolled out of the restaurant we were so full!
Social ICE
The main event! If you’re looking for something really unique to do during the Minnesota winter, Social ICE is for you! The event takes place every year in Rochester, so be sure to watch out for it next year. Click here to read more!
Thanks to Downtown Rochester and Minnesota’s Rochester for hosting us!
