Things To Do

Bitter and Pour

A speakeasy bar in downtown Rochester that serves some of our favorite cocktails! Located beneath ground level and tucked behind a bookshelf door, you must solve the puzzle on the shelf to find your way inside. Many of their ingredients are made in-house, and their drinks are smooth and unique.

Shhhh.

Another speakeasy bar, located inside of ThaiPop on the same downtown strip where Bitter and Pour is located. When you head into the restaurant, let the host know you'd like to be seated in their speakeasy. The restaurant is great too, but downstairs is much cozier - with a whole separate drink menu, as well as the same enjoyable appetizers from upstairs. Come here for unique drinks and Asian-style wings!

Benedict's

One of our favorite breakfast places! Many selections of eggs benedicts, from a Hot Fried Chicken benedict to a Butter Poached Lobster benedict. Located on the second floor of the Hilton Hotel in downtown Rochester, just above Pittsburgh Blue. Reservation recommended.

Hollandberry Pannekoeken

What is a Pannekoeken? Order one here for breakfast and they'll sing it to you. (It's a Dutch Pancake or something). This is one of our favorite spots for brunch with friends! Their muffins are also phenomenal - our favorite is the Caramel Mandarin Orange! They don't take reservations, some days may be hit or miss busier in the mornings. Parking lot is also quite a bit small so it may pay off to park on the street nearby.

Olde Brick House

An Irish pub with an authentic feel in downtown Rochester. They manage to combine both casual Irish classics with nicer, equally tasty entrees for any occasion. We love their crème brûlée, and would kill for their broccoli slaw!

The Tap House West End

Just so we're clear, there's multiple Tap Houses in Rochester. And some of them aren't even owned by the same franchise? Ok, man. BUT, West End is the place to be. Their menu is the extended cut between all of their locations, and they have great indoor and outdoor patio seating. We love their Blackened Salmon Tacos, but if you're feeling adventurous, try their Peanut Butter & Jealousy Burger!

Mezza9 Cafe & Desserts

Only the cutiest fricken patootiest dessert cafe, like, ever. Enjoy a latte, served afternoon tea, or tasty desserts here. They also have Silent Book Club on some Tuesdays, so check their website to see if they have any events going on.

Bebap Korean Eats

Owned by the same chef who opened Mezza9, this restaurant has the best Korean-inspired menu in town. A very similar vibe to ThaiPop, the inside is very modern and cozy, with quality Asian cuisine. Reservation recommended.

The Mess Hall

The Mess Hall features a Paint Splatter Room and a Smash Rage Room, where you're allowed to get messy. In the Paint Splatter Room, you're provided with protective gear and get to splatter and throw paint wherever you'd like, including at each other. The Smash Rage Room comes with protective gear, bats and hammers, and delicates to hit and break. Your goal is to make the biggest mess you always wish you could have. Reservation is recommended, also recommend still planning an outfit you may not care to get dirty with paint, or long sleeves and close-toed shoes to avoid broken glass.

Rochester Trolley & Tour Co

This tour company will take you around Rochester! Book a Rochester historical tour to learn more about the city and the Mayo Clinic, or book a Haunted Trolley Tour that shows you the darker side of Roch if you want to get a little festive and spooky!

Quarry Hill Nature Center

Art Heads Emporium

A lovely shop that offers various arts and crafts classes that allow you to follow along with the instructor and bring out your true inner artist! All classes are welcome to all ages, and they do offer non-alcoholic beverages. However, BYOB is also acceptable! All classes require online booking.

NerdinOut

Are you nerdy like we are? Nerdinout is one of our favorite spots to shop for collectibles! Also be sure to check their calendar for any events like Magic the Gathering, or go to their next door building The Battleground for laser tag and archery tag! Book online at thebattlegroundmn.com

Mall of America®

If Rochester is starting to feel a little cramped and boring for you (understandable), it might be time to branch out to the Twin Cities. Mall of America is a classic, it's the biggest mall in the United States. They have 4 floors of shopping and pop-up events, an amusement park in the middle, and an aquarium underneath. Might even be worth spreading across a couple days! The aquarium tends to sell out fast, so tickets are recommended in advance online.

Nickelodeon Universe

We felt like this one needed it's own section. It's a Nickelodeon-themed amusement park for all ages, INSIDE the Mall of America, sponsored by Pepsi® for some reason? There's rides with characters from many childhood shows, as far back as from Spongebob to whatever the hell is on Nick now. Tickets can also be bought on site while you're at the mall, in case you get there and decide it actually looks really cool and now you actually really wanna do it. Been there.

Science Museum of Minnesota

One of our favorite things to do in the twin cities! An interactive science museum where kids can play and learn hands-on, but it's just as fun for adults too! There's multiple floors of different types of sciences to see and explore. Buy tickets online or when you get there.

Scream Town

If you like spooky Halloween events and you're willing to make the drive, this event is located in the middle of nowhere about 45 minutes west of the Twin Cities. Not only is this the best Halloween event Kim has been able to find in Minnesota since leaving Hollywood Universal Studios Horror Nights behind, we are being so serious when we say it's literally a Scream Town! They've popped up a whole little town of buildings to explore once you're in, with a convenient way to hop from line-to-line between each scare event. There's food, booze, and lots of shopping with local vendors as well! We recommend buying tickets online and plan to go at the earliest time available to ensure you have time to hit everything throughout the evening.

Rochester Horror: FRIGHT at the FARM

If Scream Town is too far of a drive for you, we get it. Fright Farm is just outside of Rochester, about a 15 min drive North. If you're flying into MSP, you'll pass it on your way into to town off of Hwy 52. It's a more local Halloween Scare event located at a local Hemp/CBD farm, that takes you on a scare tour through the whole property! They also offer a Haunted Cannabis Maze - rather than a corn maze - and a disc golf course. They've also got a- ah- 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱. But you can also just attend and enjoy the scary events!