Discover Rochester

Rochester combines extensive parkland and cultural attractions with different ways to explore them. If you’re looking for a hotel in Rochester, you can start by considering whether you’d like your stay to focus more on trails and nature, historic buildings or guided art experiences. The sites differ not only in subject matter but also in how visits are organized: tours are required at Historic Mayowood, while the Plummer House offers self-guided interior tours at scheduled times.

Parks and Trails in Rochester

Quarry Hill Park spans 329 acres of woodland, prairie and oak savanna, and includes a fishing pond, sandstone caves and a fossil quarry. Numerous hiking and walking trails complement its natural and geological features. A visit can therefore bring together different interests: you can take in the landscape, explore the trails or focus on the caves and fossil quarry as distinctive park features.

Rochester has more than 3,500 acres of parkland and more than 148 miles of trails. These figures refer to the city as a whole; the 329 acres, by contrast, describe Quarry Hill Park. The park and trail maps cover citywide systems, loop trails and park directories to help plan walks, bike rides and other outdoor activities. They can therefore be useful both for choosing a single park and for planning other outdoor activities.

Historic Sites with Different Ways to Visit

Historic Mayowood is a 38-room house built in 1910. Visits are available only as guided tours; check availability before you go. On the southwestern edge of Rochester, the History Center of Olmsted County presents interactive exhibits, historic buildings, artifacts and local stories for visitors of all ages. The historic offerings thus range from a house visit that requires a guided tour to a center that explores history through different formats.

The Plummer House has a different visiting schedule: from February through November, open-house tours take place every Wednesday from noon to 6 p.m. These offer self-guided interior visits without a reservation. Check the date and time before you go. The day of the week is therefore also important for planning; distinguish this time slot from the guided visit at Historic Mayowood.

Art and Outdoor Activities

The Rochester Art Center offers a variety of guided tours year-round, including tours of public art sculptures, gallery experiences and art explorations in downtown. Since program dates may change, check the latest tour information before your trip.

The Mayowood Corridor is near Historic Mayowood in southwest Rochester and offers opportunities for hiking, running and biking. If you’re planning to include both outdoor exercise and culture in your trip, you can consider the options separately: the Corridor for hiking, running and biking, and Historic Mayowood for a guided tour.

Discover more destinations: Stewartville.

View the broader travel overview: Olmsted.