A smaller state park by acreage but still full of beauty. Over Memorial Day weekend there were…read morestill plenty of wildflowers even if the big boom of bluebells had passed. Parking lots are at the trailheads and the vault toilets were cleaned and well taken care of. Very pleasant!

A beautiful State Park in the state system with well marked hiking trails and absolute peace and…read morequiet. Enter on well maintained dirt roads and pick up a map at the self-serve kiosk as there is no headquarter building. The beauty of the trails is found along the north branch of the Whitewater River. There is a year round trail in an outer ring for snowshoeing. Expect primitive toilets and a water station. Plenty of camping lots and a large picnic area. There are some surprise picnic areas along the trail with views of the river.

Multi-use trail (biking, hiking, skating, horseback riding & mountain biking on the side of the…read moreasphalt trail, snowmobiling), stretching 12.5 miles from Pine Island to Rochester. Relatively flat (an abandoned Chicago Great Western Railroad spur) with an unpaved natural trail alongside it. Wonderfully shaded and scenic views! Trailheads in Rochester and Pine Island with plentiful parking. Named after the tiny town of Douglas, it is a great spot to stop and explore the Douglas Saloon & Social Club. This is a free State Trail and worth checking out!

Beautiful little lake surrounded by trees and nice public sandy beach. The inflatables are…read moreincredible and staff is super friendly!! Highly recommended!

This is one of our favorite parks here in rochester. Very clean and well taken care of. Very close…read moreby to downtown too ( maybe about 5-10 min drive). It has two play grounds, one for little kids and another for bigger toddlers and adolescents. What we also really love is the volleyball sand court! We've had so many good games there. There's also a shelter for groups to eat and sit around. We used it several times with friends for birthday parties and potlucks. Have I mentioned the lake yet? Really nive Lake with a little sand beach. You can swim there too. They do hold several sport events there for swimming during the year. People also bring fishing poles and go fishing there. During the winter, the lake is frozen and people come here to do ice fishing. I just love coming there and reading or chilling around sunset time.

This is an awesome dog park!…read more We stopped here twice while visiting and both times were enjoyable. There's plenty of space for the dogs to run/play, as well as lots of places for owners to sit. We attempt the jumping posts but our dog was not having it- cool for the dogs who figured it out! If you keep walking to the back of the dog park you'll see another gate. Go through the gate and follow the path for a couple of minutes and you'll find a creek. It's a nice area for dogs to be able to run and get wet. The walking trail is always nice if you're dog free but looking for a way to get some fresh air.

Park was clean and spacious. There were lots of other dogs there and there was plenty for all of…read morethem to do!! Also love the location and that it is connected to other trails and areas.

This is my second time floating this river with Zumbro Valley Canoe Rental and I cannot say enough…read moregood things about the experience. The staff and owner were great and made sure we had a safe and enjoyable trip on the river. We saw bald eagles, giant blue herons and other wildlife.

The float from Zumbro Falls to Hammond is a beautiful, peaceful 3 hour trip in kayak or canoe. That…read moregave my rating the fourth star. The establishment itself is a 3 star because the overall condition of the kayaks. The kayaks are Old Town which when new were high quality. However, most of the kayaks here are in pretty rough shape. My wife and I had two that were ok, but several had missing peddles and/or major damage to the fiberglass. So beware, before you pay make sure your kayak meets your approval. After all you're going to be in it for 3 hours. The canoes looked in better shape. The price of $35 per kayak was reasonable and Sully gave us excellent advice on how to navigate the river.

St. Marys Park is roughly a ten-minute walk from St. Marys Hospital, which is a part of the Mayo…read moreClinic. I decided to drop by on a rainy Saturday afternoon, just before the temperature dropped and freezing rain happened. I don't know why there isn't an apostrophe in St. Marys. I find it weird. What's interesting about this park is that it's on a hill. If you like killing yourself doing a brisk walk up an incline, come here. You cannot miss a water tower that is at the top of this hill. It's made of concrete and is cylindrical. It was built in 1924 and has a capacity of 200,000 gallons. It's on the National Register of Historic Places. There were roughly four parking spots at this park when I visited. You get free parking for two hours. I don't know how often this parking period is enforced. There was a slide and play area for kids. I saw a couple of squirrels having a nice time climbing up trees. I have a feeling that a lot of staff and students at the Mayo Clinic take advantage of this park when they need a break. It's probably nice to check out in the summertime, as opposed to my doing it when it's Winter. It was a cool find. I'd like to come back and check it out when it's much warmer. (503)

It's nice to see a more robust tribute to the military in a place called Soldiers Field than what…read morewas here years ago. The track is nice, the golf course is okay, but this makes a fitting remembrance. Rochester really did a nice job in creating a memorial wall honoring veterans and the military. Made of etched granite, the wall briefly depicts in pictures and words major military actions since the Revolutionary war. It has the names of deceased veterans from SE Minnesota beginning with the Civil War. The pictures of the major conflicts etched into the granite are striking. Visually it's almost too much to process in a short visit. As you walk in, there are paving stones with names of veterans and allies. Around the memorial are trees, one representing each state, or benches dedicated to specific families or people. There's a book from the dedication listing the names on the wall or stones, and giving directions to locate it. It's nicely done. Unique among most memorials, this was built by donations instead of tax revenues. While the names are focused on SE Minnesota, this site really honors all veterans. It's an easy walk from the Mayo Clinic and on a nice day is a quiet respite from the nearby traffic.

First, I must apologize for the tardiness of this review. How could I have overlooked it?…read more A few months ago while visiting Rochester, I took a short 10 minute ride on a free Centerstone Plaza Hotel shuttle from the nearby Mayo Clinic to Soldier's Field. While Soldier's Field may not compare to some of the other National Memorial Parks and Cemetaries around the country, it was still a humbling experience nonetheless. The first and most obvious sight you'll see, is The Wall of Remembrance. The Wall of Remembrance was created to honor Veterans from Southeast Minnesota who died while fighting for our country. More than 3,000 service men and women are honored here. As you stroll along, look down at The Walk of Remembrance. It is made up of approximately 6,000 tiles honoring US Veterans and Allies for their service. Last, but not least, The Trees of Remembrance. The trees line the open grass area of the field, and each of the 50 trees represent every state in the United States of America. I was here at just about the start of Spring. It was overcast, cold, and the trees were still pretty bare. But I loved how still and serene everything was. The grounds are well maintained, and of the other pictures I've seen, it looks beautiful during different times of the year too. So if I make a return visit, perhaps it'll be when I can see The Trees of Remembrance when they are full and green. If you plan to drive over, there's plenty of free parking directly in front of the field.

We enjoyed our afternoon with the silver lake boat and bike rentals during our visits in Rochester…read more The staff are so friendly and helped out our kids with life jackets. They are very polite and patient with our family. The price is reasonable and the paddle boats are very easy to use. It even has motor to save some leg power. Recommend!!

Their bikes aren't fancy but I rented one that was good enough to go for a 40 mile ride. Most…read morepeople just go on the trails around the lake and nearby along the river, which is also pleasant. The owner was super friendly and accommodating and works with you if you're not sure if you'll be out for an hour or two or the whole day. Also, as far as I can tell, it's the only place in town to rent a bike