“The Miami of Minnesota,” a Visit Winona marketing campaign, was picked up in a travel writer’s feature in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Lisa Meyers McClintick’s trip to Winona in the Fall was influenced by the tagline and a tongue-in-cheek video of “kids grasping onto flamingos in flight.” She covered a lot of ground but had to forego paddling on the Mississippi River but “enjoyed shoreline scenery with the river reflecting fall colors, marinas lined with boathouses and backwaters shimmering with the light of a rising autumn moon.” She described Winona’s scenic beauty and also how it “buzzes with fresh energy in the fall.”
A hike up to Sugar Loaf, a view of the Mississippi River Valley from Garvin Heights overlook, a stop at Basecamp Provisions, the Minnesota Marine Art Museum and the Watkins Heritage Museum were part of her itinerary. She included a list of of events and attractions, Winona original Festivals, Prairie Island Campground, and Lake Lodge Recreation Center; places to eat, Heirloom Seasonal Bistro, Nosh Scratch Kitchen, Sapori Di Sicilia and Bloedow Bakery; and places to sleep, Express Suite Riverport Inn, Prairie Island Campground and the Alexander Mansion Bed & Breakfast.