mayo clinic rochester tour

Rochester City & Mayo Historical Trolley Tour

Experience the city’s top sites & attractions , join us on our vintage red trolleys for a narrated city tour featuring rochester’s top sites and attractions, including our mayo historical sites explore the early years of the world-famous mayo clinic, while experience the homes and lives of pioneering doctors on this relaxing, entertaining tour, available seven days per week, year-round, for private groups 33 passenger vintage trolley or by coach .

Relax and enjoy this entertaining and informative tour featuring stories and anecdotes associated with Rochester’s major historic, cultural, and architectural sites and attractions. Rochester and the “Blufflands” region boast a rich and fascinating Indian, pioneer, stagecoach, steamboat, and Civil War history. This tour offers an overview of Rochester’s fascinating medical history along with the Mayo family’s ties to Minnesota history. By the end of this tour, you will know the inside story of Rochester’s amazing growth and transformation from a humble Midwestern farm town to world-famous mecca for the medical arts. We guarantee you will be surprised and delighted by the charm of Rochester’s many hidden scenic and cultural gems, as we focus on Rochester’s extraordinary past, exciting present, and much-anticipated future Destination Medical Center (DMC) growth.

HIGHLIGHTS! 

• Mayo Clinic Campus ~ Largest Clinic of its Kind in the World

Downtown Rochester & Peace Plaza ~ Cosmopolitan Shops, Restaurants, & Plazas

Plummer Building ~ Original Mayo Clinic Building Designed by Dr. Henry S. Plummer

Mayo Civic Center & Rochester Art Center ~ Largest Event Space in Southern MN with Beautiful Glass Atrium & Contemporary Architecture 

Silver Lake Park ~ Charming Lake District Featuring Limestone Arch Bridges

Assisi Heights ~ Home of the Rochester Franciscan Community, Founders of St. Marys Hospital 

St. Marys Hospital Campus & Chapel ~ Among the Largest Private Hospitals in the Country, Rich in History 

History Center of Olmsted County & Historic Stoppel Pioneer Farm  ~ Fascinating Sites that Depict the Area’s Pioneer & Settlement Eras  

Mayowood Historic Corridor ~ Dr. Charlie’s Limestone Carriage Barn & Stables, Greenhouses, Cottages, River Bridge, Dam & Lake 

Historic Mayowood Mansion  ~ Former Home of Mayo Clinic Co-Founder Dr. Charlie Mayo, Completed in 1911

Plummer House ~ Former Home of Dr. Henry S. Plummer, Designer of Original Mayo Clinic Buildings 

“Pill Hill” National Historic Residential District ~ Historic Homes Built by Pioneering Doctors & Prominent Citizens 

Mayo Foundation House ~ Former Home of Mayo Clinic Co-Founder Dr. Will Mayo, Completed in 1918

• Soldier’s Field Veterans Memorial ~ One of the Finest Memorials in the Country
• Calvary Episcopal Church ~ Mayo Family Church & Oldest Church in Rochester

Feith Family Statuary ~ Park Honoring Founders of Mayo Clinic & Saint Marys Hospital

LOGISTICS! 

Your group selects the tour date, start time, and pickup location! 

Recommended duration for this tour is 1 hour, 1.5 hours, or 2 hours! 

This private group tour is available seven days per week! 

Transportation via a 33 passenger vintage trolley or by coach! 

Your group will receive a flat discounted private group tour rate! 

Mayo Clinic Tours

200 1st St SW (Street Level) Rochester, MN 55902 507-538-0440

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For Mayo Clinic patients and guests. Not open to the general public. Go behind the scenes of the Mayo Clinic, one of the world's premier health care facilities. Learn about Mayo's historical origins, art and architecture. Tour and movie at 10am Monday through Friday. Art tour at 1:30pm Monday through Friday, both beginning in Judd Auditorium, Subway Level of the Mayo Building. Self-guided tour brochures are also available at the information desks of Mayo Clinic's Gonda Building, Saint Mary's Hospital and Rochester Methodist Hospital.

Nearby Parking

• Kahler Parking Ramp 110 W Center St (96 feet NE)
• Damon Parking Ramp 15 3rd Ave SW (526 feet W)
• Center St Ramp 11 W Center St (662 feet E)
• ParkMobile App (733 feet E)
• Graham Parking Ramp 121 3rd Ave NW (843 feet NW)

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• Movie Theaters
• Mayo Civic Center
• Top Four Historical Sites
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Visiting Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN

Rochester, MN is proud to be the home of Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic is the first and largest integrated, not-for-profit group practice in the world. Doctors from every medical specialty work together to care for patients under the philosophy of "the needs of the patient come first." 

If you or a loved one will be visiting Rochester for medical appointments or treatment at Mayo Clinic, you can expect our community to provide a culture of caring and warmth that will make you feel welcomed. Our city's hotel, restaurant, and retail professionals are experts at offering guidance and assistance to Mayo Clinic visitors and their families, from providing step-by-step directions to your appointments to directing you to restaurants that meet your dietary restrictions.

As you plan your visit to Mayo Clinic, please utilize our listings of  places to stay , maps, Mayo Clinic  FAQs , and information about  how to get to Rochester  and  how to get around  once you're in the city. The staff at Experience Rochester MN is available to help answer your questions - please email [email protected]  or call 800 634 8277 and we would be happy to assist you.  

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Watch CBS News

Rochester trolleys tour the historic homes of Mayo Clinic

By WCCO Staff

July 13, 2022 / 10:58 PM CDT / CBS Minnesota

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- There aren't many places in our state where you can hop on a "trolley" and see the sites. But in Rochester, you can do exactly that, at the Rochester Trolley and Tour Company.

At Peace Plaza in Rochester, a fine mist makes its way across the mall. It does this several times a day -- for a reason.

"Any time an individual passes away or is born at Mayo Clinic, the mist exhausts into the atmosphere," said Laura Elwood.

It's one of many unique things to observe in the city. Site-seeing here can be done by bike, bus, car, and even trolley. Like a little San Francisco, the Rochester Trolley and Tour Company is giving visitors a chance to look at things from a different perspective.

"We have a lot of international guests that come. And stay for a long period of time too," said Elwood.

Since many of them come for the world-famous clinic, Elwood and her staff have created a tour centered on Mayo's history in Southeastern Minnesota.

Each of their five trolleys is named after a member of the Mayo family, or someone who helped the clinic get its start. Every tour has a driver and a guide, like Tom Brown. The Boston native said he enjoys meeting people and loves to talk.

Brown raised his family in Minnesota and became a guide in retirement, where he's learned more than he ever thought he would, including the fact that the Mayo Clinic exists because of a tornado.

"It was devastating and claimed the lives of 37 people. More than 200 people were injured. And there was no hospital here at the time," said Brown.

That happened in 1883, and it prompted Mother Mary Alfred Moes and the Sisters of St. Francis to push for a permanent hospital in Rochester. W.W. Mayo and his sons were doctors and they were skeptical a hospital would work in the city, but they eventually agreed. Today, 60,000 employees work for Mayo.

Architecture is celebrated on this tour, especially houses doctors once lived in. That includes the Foundation House, which was once the home of Dr. William James Mayo. He had a five-story tower built just for his telescope.

"The rest of the house he let his wife decide what should be done, but that was his one specification," said Brown.

The 98-year-old Plummer House was the home of Dr. Henry Plummer and his wife Daisy. The house has 49 rooms and it's as long as football field.

"All the furniture inside is the original furniture," said Brown.

From famous homes to famous people -- one of the houses on the tour Lou Gehrig would stay in while he was being treated for ALS. Gehrig stayed with his doctor in Rochester, which was common practice at the time. Ernest Hemingway did the same thing.

His doctor liked him so much he gave him a key to the house. And when his family would come home from vacation, they'd often find Hemingway reading a book ... one of his own.

There's history like that at every turn. The idea is to keep the trolleys rolling down memory lane.

"There is so much to see here and dig in. We are a hidden gem," said Elwood.

Rochester trolleys also do fall color and haunted tours in the fall, and Christmas light tours in the winter.

The WCCO Staff is a group of experienced journalists who bring you the content on WCCO.com.

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• Visiting Mayo Clinic

Is it far to walk between buildings at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN?

Is it far to walk around? I have appointments in the Gonda building Mayo building and Hilton buildings. I have two bad hips and a bad back. Just wondering how far it is to get between the buildings thank you.

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Welcome @jpunches61 , The Gonda and Mayo buildings are on the same block and the Hilton is in the next block to the south. All of the buildings are connected by a subway and it's easy to get around but does require some walking. Mayo Clinic does have good accessibility services. If you use a wheelchair, or have trouble with your sight or mobility, a patient escort can help you navigate around Mayo Clinic. Escorts transport patients to and from appointments. Just ask for this free service at any Mayo Clinic information desk or patient care area. You can also call 507-266-7100 to request an escort while on campus.

Mayo Clinic offers free concierge services that can answer any other questions you may have. In person: Concierge Services desk Mayo Building (lobby level, in the International Center) Monday-Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. No appointment necessary By phone 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday-Friday: 507-538-8438 Email: [email protected] Online form: http://cdforms.mayoforms.org/mayocliniccom-ahbyn/pages/c9d36544cef4e41180d800155dcfc10f.html

How soon are your appointments?

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@jpunches61 , My experience is that wheelchairs and assistance is readily available for patients. I needed a wheelchair before my organ transplant. Wheelchairs and assistance is readily available. There are many wheelchairs at the transportion drop-off entrances. And if you need/want assistance, there is always someone from the transport staff who will assist you.

The buildings you mention are connected at the "Subway" level. You do not go outside to go between buildings. My recommendation is that you use the Valet parking at Gonda. You can ask for that and a wheelchair when you pull up to the building entrance. An attendant will come to your car. Just tell him/her you want valet parking and a wheelchair. If you don't have someone with you tell the attendant and someone will take you to your appointment.

Also you will arrive at the "Lobby level". When you go to the elevator you will go down one level to "Subway level". From there you will follow the signs to the Hilton building. The cafeteria is on Subway level. Also if you need a bathroom that accommodates a wheelchair there are " Special Needs" bathrooms on every level in Gonda.

The information desk folks at the front door of Gonda are very helpful. And if you are a art lover make sure you see the large hanging glass display between Lobby and Subway done by the famous glass artist Dale Chihully. Its one of his finest works in the world.

Relax and enjoy you visit. It can be a big and intimidating place. But its full of wonderful, helpful people.

I was there last week. There were kind volunteers everywhere who offered help. Minnesota Nice" is real!

I have done it 13 years have only needed a few times. Excellent transport services and concierge

@jpunches61 Chiming in to add support that you’ll be able to manage. There are always folks available to help when you tell them you need it.

@jpunches61 , just checking in. Have you been to your appoint at Mayo Clinic yet? Or are you prearing to go?

I have to be there on October 4th

Surgery on October 14th

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The Carillon at Mayo Clinic

The Mayo Clinic carillon cam provides real-time views of musical performances.

The carillon will be undergoing renovation work  from Monday, July 8, through Sunday, September 15, 2024.

Music plays an important part in the healing mission of Mayo Clinic. Since 1928, our campus in Rochester, Minnesota, has featured a large instrument of cup-shaped bells known as a carillon, located in the tower of the Plummer Building. Now you can enjoy the carillon from any place in the world by watching live performances as they stream on camera, above, or by visiting our library of recorded carillon music, below.

For a behind-the-scenes look at the carillon and the story of how it became part of the Mayo Clinic experience, watch the short film, “Crowned with Music: The Carillon at Mayo Clinic,” at the bottom of this page. Open other tabs for additional information, and please send us your comments and suggestions.

Monday, July 8, 2024 — Friday, September 13, 2024

No recitals

Schedule of Events

The carillon can be heard daily at 3:30 p.m., Mondays at 7:00 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday at 12:00 p.m. (CT).

Recitals featuring the Mayo Clinic carillonneur are scheduled each weekday throughout the year. Typically lasting between 20-30 minutes, recitals are also presented on Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and for other special events. In the summer, Mayo Clinic hosts talented guest carillonneurs from around the world. Recitals are open to the public and free of charge.

In a live performance, carillon music is best heard about 500 feet downwind from the source – ideally, in an open area away from distracting noise. The sound is clearest during crisp, cold weather, though performances can be enjoyed at any time. Enjoyable spots to listen to the carillon on the Mayo Clinic campus in Rochester, Minnesota, include Annenberg Plaza, between the Mayo, Plummer and Gonda Buildings, and the courtyard behind the Harwick Building.

Featured Recordings

Pål på haugen.

Arranged by Dean Robinson, performed by Austin Ferguson

Arranged and performed by Austin Ferguson

Auld Lang Syne

What is a carillon.

A carillon (“care-uh-lawn”) is a musical instrument that consists of at least 23 bronze, cup-shaped bells. The bells do not swing. They are rigidly fixed to supporting beams that are housed in a tower.

The person who plays the carillon is called a carillonneur (“care-uh-lawn-NUR”). He or she sits at a keyboard console called a clavier (“cla-VEER”) that has a double row of wooden keys, known as batons, and a pedalboard.

During a performance, the carillonneur presses the batons and pedals. Clappers, pulled by wires that are activated by pressing the batons and pedals, strike the inside surface of the bells to create music.

The bells are precisely tuned by paring the interior surface, a process that involves shaving metal from various points along the bell’s profile, or shape. When correctly tuned, the numerous tones that make up the bell’s sound, known as its partials, are in harmony with one another to such a degree that many bells may be sounded together, in a variety of chords, with a pleasant result.

The art of playing the carillon originated more than 500 years ago in the area of Europe that now comprises the Netherlands, Belgium and northern France. While many people today associate the carillon with rich, majestic melodies, this instrument began as an accompaniment to market days and folk festivals in the Middle Ages. Therefore, popular tunes are just as appropriate as classical music in the carillon repertoire.

Though the minimum number of bells for an instrument to be considered a carillon is 23, many instruments contain a larger number of bells. Instruments with at least 48 bells are considered “concert” carillons and are suitable for the majority of music written for the instrument. The carillon at Mayo Clinic contains 56 bells. The world’s largest carillon contains 78 bells and is located in Moscow, Russia.

There are more than 180 carillons in the United States and Canada. Most are located at places of worship and educational institutions.

To learn more, visit websites for The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America , The World Carillon Federation and Tower Bells for detailed information on similar instruments found around the globe.

The largest bell is nearly 6 feet high and weighs 7,840 lbs.

“Today we dedicate this carillon to the American soldier, in grateful memory of heroic actions on land and sea to which America owes her liberty, peace and prosperity.”

The Carillon Players of Mayo Clinic

From left: James Drummond, Dean Robinson, Jeffrey Daehn and Austin Ferguson

There have been four official Carillonneurs of Mayo Clinic:

• James Drummond – Originally from San Antonio, Texas, he played the carillon from its installation in 1928 until he retired in 1958. He said his goal was to play music as a way to give “peace and inspiration and a lift of spirit to Rochester visitors, which was the intent of the carillon’s donors, Drs. Will and Charles Mayo.”
• Dean Robinson – A Rochester native, he served as Carillonneur from 1958 until his death in 2004. He studied music at Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio and MacPhail College of Music in Minneapolis. His career included performing and teaching carillon, organ and piano.
• Jeffrey Daehn – Originally from Chicago, he studied music at Valparaiso University in Indiana and Union Theological Seminary in New York City. He came to Rochester in 1977 as organist and music minister at Zumbro Lutheran Church, studied carillon with Dean Robinson and other well-known carillonneurs and served as Carillonneur of Mayo Clinic from 2004 through 2016.
• Austin Ferguson – A native of Longview, Texas, he led the carillon program at The University of Texas at Austin from 2011 to 2015. A Carillonneur member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America, he has served on numerous committees in the Guild, as well as one term on its Board of Directors and another term as an officer. He was named the fourth Carillonneur of Mayo Clinic in February 2017. Outside of Mayo, he keeps busy as a freelance organist and teaching a full piano studio.

Benefactor Support

We recognize with gratitude the following benefactors, who have supported the carillon at Mayo Clinic throughout its history:

• 1928 – William J. Mayo, M.D., and Charles H. Mayo, M.D., donated the original 23 bells.
• 1977 – Mrs. Frances G. Sheets and Mrs. Isabella Gooding Sanders, descendants of Rochester pioneer Alphonso Gooding, donated an additional 33 bells along with a practice console and glass-enclosed performance cabin.
• 2013 – John T. and Lillian G. Mathews donated funds for a computer system to play the “Westminster Quarters,” “Sicilian Mariners” and “St. Clement”.
• 2021 – The Sisters of St. Francis, with gift funds donated by Gerald and Henrietta Rauenhorst, provided support for enhanced audio equipment for the recording and web-based broadcast of carillon performances.

Mayo Clinic Dolores Jean Lavins Center for Humanities in Medicine

Programming of the carillon at Mayo Clinic is administered by the Mayo Clinic Dolores Jean Lavins Center for Humanities in Medicine. The center supports Mayo Clinic’s primary value, the needs of the patient come first, by integrating the arts and other expressions of human culture into the healing environment.

The Center engages interconnected communities of patients, families, staff, learners and the public to promote the artful and compassionate delivery of health care. Music, visual art, dance, theatre, creative writing, lectures and other educational programs all contribute to the healing environment and uniquely touch each of Mayo’s three shields: Patient Care, Education and Research. Furthermore, Humanities in Medicine is a champion and ideal collaborator for Mayo Clinic initiatives such as the institution’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, emphasis on innovation, encouragement of continued professional development and, most significantly, belief in caring for the whole patient. The Center for Humanities in Medicine operates throughout the Mayo Clinic with program staff in Rochester, Minnesota; Jacksonville, Florida; and Phoenix, Arizona.

The Dolores J. and Paul N. Lavins Fund in Humanities in Medicine endowed the Rochester program in 2014. Mrs. Lavins was known for her love of the arts and was a devotee of theatre, opera and dance. As loyal patients of Mayo Clinic, Dolores and Paul valued Mayo’s unique ability to integrate the arts as part of the healing process. After Dolores’ passing in 2010, the Dolores and Paul Lavins Foundation made a gift that names the Dolores Jean Lavins Center for Humanities in Medicine in her honor. This generous gift supports our mission to offer an engaging and reflective healing environment for patients and their families through music concerts, visual art exhibitions and beautiful architecture.

For questions, please contact Mayo Clinic Carillonneur Austin Ferguson at [email protected] .

Crowned with Music: The Carillon at Mayo Clinic

The 56-bell carillon housed in the tower atop the Plummer Building in Rochester, Minnesota, is an important part of the healing mission of Mayo Clinic. – Download the Discussion Guide