Things to Do in Rochester

The Summit Golf Club's Championship Course sprawls with meticulously manicured fairways, tees, and greens composed of hearty bentgrass. Seasoned swingers and wobbly woods-wielders alike will find the course comfortably competitive as it rolls across elevation changes of up to 110 feet. This rise and fall also makes for exhilarating golf-cart rides between holes as you and your party rush through fully grown tree lines and evade booby traps set by herds of feral groundskeepers. Multiple layers of limestone throughout the course ensure that no dancing gopher puppets distract you from scoring a birdie, eagle, or albatross.

Cross Country Soaring owner Don Ingraham brings more than 4,000 airborne hours of experience to his sailplanes' controls, maneuvering the engineless crafts through the air with bird-like agility. Tow planes loft each passenger flight airborne, sending planes thousands of feet up into the sky before leaving pilots and their guests gliding through the atmosphere without the noisy distraction of a typical flight. Each flight is different—sailplanes may gain altitude in thermal updrafts before bottoming out stomachs with daring dives. Picnic tables and couches cluster around the hangar, giving friends and family a comfortable place to watch soaring flights. Students eager to earn their own glider rating and fly solo can take advantage of Cross Country Soaring's experienced instructors, learning the ropes under the hawk-like eyes of seasoned pros.

The sails of the 31-foot sloop Messenger wave in the wind during Sail Pepin’s outings. The staff and crew man the vessel for fun family outings, romantic cruises, sailing lessons, and team-building programs. At their location in the historic Breakwater Building on Lake Pepin’s waterfront, they also entertain guests with a wine bar, coffee shop, and live music.

Reptile & Amphibian Discovery Zoo's troupe of snake-taming animal lovers tend to dozens of species of reptiles and amphibians, creating a nurturing environment that cares for the creatures and educates the public. From lizards and snakes to crocodilians and tortoises, the zoo's menagerie contains specimen both docile and hostile, and visitors often pose for pictures with animals to commemorate their visit to the zoo. After being successfully raised by sage clans of snapping turtles, each keeper draws on their years of experience and love of animals to conduct presentations and seminars during visits to the zoo.

With a front nine that dates back to 1910 and a second nine first designed in 1956, Faribault Golf Club has established a historical legacy that includes hosting the Minnesota State Open and Minnesota PGA Pro-Am. The fairway chain stretches across 6,447 yards of gently undulating terrain, where fairway-side timbers, glassy ponds, and hypnotic tee boxes supply the bulk of the course's difficulty. Water hazards come into play on five holes, including the par 3 eighth, where players must send tee shots somersaulting over a pond stationed directly between the green and the divot-pocked launch pad. The par 5 18th offers a grandiose finish to the round, where a sound approach shot can set up a birdie putt that, if made, grants golfers the right to carve the club's decorative hedges into their favorite acronym. After their round, guests can retire to the Top View Grill, a full-service bar and restaurant with a fireplace, outdoor seating, and splendid views of the 9th and 18th holes.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course

• Length of 6,447 yards from the farthest tees

• Course rating of 70.7 from the farthest tees

• Slope rating of 129 from the farthest tees

• Three tee options

• Download scorecard

With its clubhouse occupying a renovated ivory barn originally built in the 1930s, CreeksBend Golf Course transports golfers back to a bygone era before embarking on a trip across a prairieland course replete with bucolic flourishes. As bluegrass fairways bob and weave across more than 80 acres of ponds and wetlands, quaint footbridges make the course navigable for clubbers and caddies yet to develop gills. Water comes into play on nine holes across the 6,293-yard, par 71 course, including on the signature seventh hole, a 161-yard par 3 where tee shots must clear a creek and avoid hydraulic hazards left of and behind the green. Before rounds, golfers can roll orbs across the 10,000-square-foot practice green to prepare for the course's speedy bentgrass putting surfaces, or share a tender bonding moment with their 3-wood at the grass tee driving range. After rounds, players enjoy retiring to the clubhouse restaurant to refuel with refreshments and casual grill fare.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 71 course

• Length of 6,293 yards from the farthest tees

• Course rating of 70.6 from the farthest tees

• Slope rating of 131 from the farthest tees

• Four tee options