While the City of Rochester, Minnesota, has plenty of indoor activities, destinations, and attractions within its city limits, you may have to go outside into the urban and rural wilderness to find indescribable moments of true adventure. With the sun on your back and nature all around you, these outdoor excursions are sure to give you moments that you’ll remember for a lifetime. From golfing to swimming to hunting, here are some of the most amazing adventures near Rochester.
Silver Lake Park
If you’re more of a city slicker than an outdoorsman, don’t fret. Rochester’s Silver Lake Park is a massive urban green space with more than just a few walking trails. Overlooking Silver Lake, the park offers unobscured views of downtown Rochester that are ideal for photo-ops. For better photography, take a canoe or kayak out into the water among the ducks and Canadian geese to snap a few pictures for Instagram or your own private collection.
Fishing is another one of the park’s most popular attractions, offering anglers a chance to catch white sucker, black crappie, or bluegill. Other activities and attractions include a skate park, miles of walking trails, paddle boats, and the Children’s Adventure Playground.
Hunting Expeditions
Hunting wild geese is a favorite pastime of many Minnesotans. Luckily, Rochester is near some of the best hunting grounds for geese in the state. While you can peruse the open expanses of land outside the city, the best plan of action is to go with a hunting company such as Westline Guide Service.
Founded in 1984, Westline Guide Service is the most famous wild geese hunting service in the area. With perfectly set decoys, comfortable blinds, and groups of no more than 12 people, you can get up close to the geese for the perfect shot. Safety classes before the shoot are mandatory, but this family-owned business only hires experienced, passionate hunters whose main concern is your safety.
Golfing
Some may say that golfing isn’t an adventure, but if you’ve ever shot 20 over or 5 under par, you know how exciting or frustrating the links can be. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a newbie to the course, Rochester has seven area golf courses to test your skills or hone your craft. Soldiers Field, Northern Hills, and Eastwood are all public courses with open tee times and minimal greens fees.
But if you want a true challenge, head for one of the private courses in the area. Offering scenic, well-manicured fairways with little room for error, Willow Creek, Rochester Golf & Country Club, and Somerby Golf Course are among the best options in the state.
Zollman Zoo
To entertain the kids, take a trip over to Zollman Zoo. Located in nearby Byron, this zoo houses over 30 native species for people to enjoy up-close. Some of the animals you’ll find in the zoo include bald eagles, owls, wolves, river otters, bison, cougars, and coyotes. The zoo is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
Regardless of what you decide to do or where you decide to go for your adventure, you’ll agree that Rochester has a ton of options to satisfy.
Image by Dan Ox is licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.0
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