What to do in Rochester…
The following is a list of activities that can easily be done in Rochester. Some may seem trivial, silly, or even dumb to you, but to the eye of a person from another land, these are all great ways to show/experience a slice of Americana. And as you think of your own ideas, don’t discount something because YOU wouldn’t want to do it or you’ve done it a hundred times.
Rochester-area specific:
1) Main entrance of world-famous Mayo Clinic Mayo Building/Gonda building
2) take them to the top floors of Gonda Building and look out the windows (eastward)
3) Sit in the subway – people-watch!
4) Visit the small shops below Kahler/Mayo
5) Silver Lake
6) Picnic at Oxbow by the river!!
7) Minnesota animals at the Oxbow Zoo (12pm – 4pm)
8) Quarry Hill Nature Reserve
9) Soldier’s Field Memorial
10) Mayowood mansion
11) Plummer House
12) Historical Society Center – pioneer farm & school
Tour a:
13) Fire station
14) Police Station / the jail
15) school
16) hospital
17) IBM
Slices of Americana to see and experience:
Don’t just drive by places – go inside, no matter how silly it may seem.
18) Walmart
19) Dairy Queen
20) Video Stores
21) Some “Mom ‘n’ Pop” stores (though Rochester has a lot of chain stores)
22) McDonald’s
23) Subway “What?! You have *fresh* sandwiches made in the US?!”
24) Famous Dave’s
25) A restaurant or two - a steak house!
26) Into a bar …only to look at (The German teens have undoubtedly been inside many German bars)
27) Menards/Home Depot
28) A bakery / bread store
29) Your bank, while running some errands
30) Your favorite grocery store
31) Another grocery store
32) A gas station & pay-at-the-pump
33) The library
34) A near-by farm
35) A construction site
36) Your school
37) Another school
38) Your church
39) Another church
40) drive around and count the number of American flags on houses/businesses/car dealerships/cars
41) To the mighty Mississippi – It’s world-famous! (Hot tip: Alma, Wisconsin)
42) Minneapolis – numerous possibilities
43) Mall of America
Miscellaneous ideas that they’ll enjoy/learn from/get a kick out of:
44) bake an apple pie
45) bake chocolate chip cookies
46) Picnic at a park (Essex is a bit quieter)
47) Use drive-through at a bank, coffee place, or fast-food (not found in Germany)
48) Take a test drive in an American luxury car or an SUV!!!
49) Let them veg out in front of the TV
50) news shows / prime time TV / Jerry Springer / soap operas (standard AND unique shows)
51) Watch some movies, Make popcorn…. milkshakes…
52) Talk radio – MPR (generally not much of this in Germany)
53) Go to Aquarius whatever it’s called? (age limit?)
54) Eat Mexican food!
55) Play video games
56) go play paintball
57) Use the computer and let them be online continuously! (Germans often pay by the hour)
58) teach them a card game (game-rules knowledge is a light “souvenir” take home)
59) play a board game (international games like chess break the language barrier)
60) go to a Honkers game (St. Paul Saints, Twins)
61) play catch – they’ve likely never worn a baseball glove
62) take them to the batting cage
63) go to a softball game (city league at McQuillan / church-league)
64) play mini-golf
65) theater
66) Rochester tour of city areas and types of homes
67) drive/walk through back streets and neighborhoods, ones you’ve never been down, too
68) Native American things / cowboys
69) John Wayne movie-night
70) Little House on the Prairie episodes (Hallmark Channel in the a.m.)
71) Pioneer Days
72) GO CAMPING
73) show your photo albums
74) walk through a cemetery (old country-side ones are fascinating)
75) book shopping!!
76) live bands, outdoor concerts
77) Go for walks in your neighborhood
78) Visit your neighbors, relatives
79) Grill out
80) ride your bike along the river through town
81) Take them to work for an hour or two
82) Go to any local festivals – check online (Rochester website?)
83) Swimming at Foster-Ahrens
84) get 8 – 12 together for some sand volleyball at Rookie’s or Whistlebinkie’s South
85) Go out with your friends for burgers & pop / pizza
86) Call up other guest/host combo to learn of any special happenings
Unfamiliar Foods:
87) bagles & cream cheese??
88) Mt. Dew
89) root beer
90) frozen pizzas (I thought Germany’s were awful! ☺ )
91) wild rice
92) peanut butter
93) Oreos
94) Jello
95) pudding
96) macaroni & cheese
97) Mexican
98) chocolate chip cookies
99) an American cake (they will likely thinks it’s insanely sweet & maybe not like it)
100) cranberry juice
Other ideas from along the way:
101) Hand them a Rochester catalog or visitor guide and let them page through and select a thing to do/see