By default there is a shortcut to the terminal shortcut on task bar. From memory it is one of three default shortcuts. (File browser, Terminal, Firefox.) You can also find it by pressing the menu button (the 'start menu'). From there the terminal has a prominent special position where it is always accessible. And if you don't notice it there, you can always start typing to search for it - as with any other installed app. I find that if I type 't', then "Terminal" is the top result; and obviously I can kept typing to eliminate the other results if I want.

So if your difficulty in finding the terminal is your main complaint about about Mint... I'm not sure what to tell you. Do you want it to auto-launch or something?