Winona, Minnesota is the largest Mississippi River city in Minnesota south of Saint Paul. Founded by a steamboat captain in 1851, Winona’s location made it a transportation hub and one of the world’s richest cities in 1900. This legacy remains in the form of historic buildings and in an ongoing harmony with the river.

Winona has recreation, natural beauty, historic architecture, and fine hospitality. With community festivals such as Steamboat Days in June and the Victorian Fair in September as well as many opportunities for winter recreation, Winona is a great family destination in the area of the Mississippi River Mark Twain called “The Thousand Islands.”

This picturesque community is home to five museums, central to five state parks and two National Wildlife & Fish Refuges, and contains many municipal parks throughout. Boating, hiking, bird watching, biking, camping, fishing and spectacular views of the soaring river bluffs are right at your fingertips.

One of the main attractions located very close to Winona State University is Lake Park. Lake Winona was a former channel of the Mississippi River and contains 300 acres of water which is surrounded by this beautiful park. The park contains a historic band shell, Winona’s Veterans Memorial Park, a 1,000 plant rose garden, outdoor tennis courts, a Frisbee golf course, softball fields and picnic sites, There are also four piers from which to fish, three boat docks and a 5.5 mile paved path around the lake which can be used for biking, jogging, walking and in-line skating.

For further information about the City of Winona, please click here.