TOUR OF 10,000 LAKES:  
Destination Southeastern Minnesota
by Jim Maurice, WJON.com

UNDATED -- Throughout the summer, the WJON news team has been taking you on a "Tour of our 10,000 Lakes". As we look for fun and unique things to do in our great state of Minnesota. 

Today we're taking a trip down to Southeastern Minnesota, and Rochester area. When you think of Rochester, the Mayo Clinic is probably the first thing that comes to mind -- but it's also a great tourist destination.

Did you know that it's home to one of the Top Ten natural caves in the country? The "Niagara Cave" is a limestone cave that's been in operation since 1934.

Owner Mark Bishop says there's also a 60 foot waterfall inside the cave. He says they get about 25,000 visitors every summer. The cave is actually found in the small town of Harmony, which is southeast of Rochester.

Another popular destination in that part of the state is the "Spam Museum" in Austin. Spokesman Jerry Whithouse says spam is a product that is known worldwide, and their museum attracts visitors from all over the world.

Whithouse says the man who came-up with the name was given $100. That was back in 1937. There are now 11 different varieties of Spam. The museum in Austin gets about 500-800 people every day.

Southeast Minnesota is also known for their Amish communities. There are about 700 Amish living in the area around Canton and Harmony. Horse drawn buggies can often been seen driving along Highway 52. You can also take a tour of a working Amish Farm.

And finally, if you go, be sure to take your bike with you. TheRoot River State Trail is described as one of the most scenic bike trails in the country, eight communties along the trail for you to stop and check-out.

There's definately enough to see and do in Southeastern Minnesota that a weekend trip will keep you busy, and may even require a second trip.

Next week, we'll stay south of the Twin Cities and visit the beautiful Red Wing area.

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