Visitors to the 3,170-acre Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park can stay cool in the summer by exploring the park's cave. The temperature remains 48 degrees fahrenheit. On the tour, naturalists explain the Mystery Cave's underground pools, stalagmites and stalactites. Tours are given in the summer and on weekends in the fall and spring. The site also has above ground activities. The Minnesota Historical Society operates Historic Forestville, a restored 19th-century village. Other outdoor activities include trout fishing, hiking, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling.
Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park
21071 County 118
Preston, MN 55965
507-352-5111
dnr.state.mn.us
The History Center of Olmsted County offers information about the area's history. A museum has exhibits that cover the 1883 Rochester tornado, the Mayo Clinic and IBM, which has had an engineering and manufacturing facility in Rochester since 1957. Children can explore a hands-on cabin from the early frontier days. The center's collections include medical equipment, furniture, textiles and Native American artifacts that relate to the county. Sports fans will enjoy a baseball game played in 1860. The teams use replica equipment, wear replica uniforms and use the game's rules of the time period.
The History Center of Olmsted County
1195 West Circle Drive SW
Rochester, MN 55902
507-282-9447
olmstedhistory.com
The Prairie Island Indian Community owns and operates the Treasure Island Resort and Casino. It features the Midwest's largest non-smoking casino area in the Midwest, according to the resort. Players can choose from slot machines, 40 blackjack tables, Class II games like three-card poker and four-card poker and a poker room that has Omaha Hi-Low, Seven Card Stud and Texas Hold'em. Non-gamblers can golf and bowl. The venue also has concerts with popular musicians like Kenny Rogers and Randy Travis.
Treasure Island Resort and Casino
5734 Sturgeon Lake Road
Welch, MN 55089-9647
651-388-6300
treasureislandcasino.com
