Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park

This place is so thoroughly awesome, you won’t be able to decide whether to spend the day above ground or below. If you stay up in the sunshine, you’ll experience Forestville, a restored 1800s village operated by the Minnesota Historical Society, complete with old general store, historic bridge, bizarre sinkholes, and limestone cliffs that rise above the Root River. Venture to the lower depths of Mystery Cave and you’ll find an underground turquoise lake, a collection of gnarly stalagmites and stalactites, and a generally breezy 48 degree escape from the midwestern humidity above ground. The park service offers several ways to explore the caves, from photography tours and geological expeditions, to “wild caving,” which involves crawling around on your knees with a flashlight. Whichever you decide, it’s pretty much impossible to be disappointed by this southern Minnesota gem.