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Bunnell House
At the Bunnell House, visitors step back into the 1850s and into the lives of one of Winona’s earliest and…
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Castlerock Museum
Come and see authentic arms and armor from Romans, Dark Age Warriors, Vikings, Crusader Knights, and Renaissance “Knights in Shining…
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International Owl Center
Experience the whoosh of an owl’s wings as it flies and meet several live owls at the only all-owl education…
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National Eagle Center
Where Eagles Soar Beyond The National Eagle Center encapsulates a world in which the iconic power and presence of eagles…
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Pickwick Mill
The Pickwick Mill was built from 1856 to 1858 by Thomas Grant and Wilson Davis and is one of the…
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Polish Cultural Center & Museum
Come Learn About Polish & Kashubian History The Polish Cultural Center & Museum of Winona educates visitors from across the…
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Remlinger Muscle Cars & Event Center
The Finest Private Collection of Vintage Drag Race Cars in the Midwest! Original HEMI and Max Wedge Race Cars Featuring…
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Rollingstone Luxembourg Heritage Museum
The former city hall, constructed in 1899-1900, is now the local museum which houses thousands of items from the area and from Luxembourg. Immigrants from Luxembourg founded the city of about 700 people. Also of note is a church constructed in 1869, an interesting cemetery, Main Street, a beautiful city park and bike path. Admission is free. Open year round.
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Watkins Heritage Museum and Gift Shop
Nestled in the Mississippi River Bluff town of Winona, Watkins has been America’s pioneer in natural living since 1868. As America’s original natural apothecary manufacturer, Watkins uses only the finest natural ingredients in its diverse lines of personal care, home care, remedies, and organic flavorings.
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Winona County History Center
Operated by the Winona County Historical Society, the History Center has three levels of traveling and permanent exhibits, including award-winning children’s interactive exhibits, trace Winona’s history . One of the finest local archives in Minnesota, the Laird Lucas Memorial Library researches family records for those with local ancestors.
Winona’s Natural Abundance
Winona, Minnesota is a place shaped by nature—and it shows. Nestled along a dramatic bend of the Mississippi River, Winona sits within the Driftless Region, a rare pocket of the Midwest untouched by glaciers. While much of North America was flattened by ice, this area was left gloriously rugged. Ancient meltwater carved the Mississippi River Valley hundreds of feet below the surrounding landscape, creating the towering bluffs that frame the city today. Here, the river curves west to east, with Wisconsin just across the water, delivering sweeping views, striking scenery, and a setting unlike anywhere else in the state.
Millennia of History
For thousands of years, Native Americans prized the fertile Mississippi River Valley for its abundant fishing and wildlife, protective hardwood forests, and temperate climate. Winona’s storied past as a Native American home centers on the tribe of Dakota Indians led by a succession of Chiefs Wapasha.
This city and county derived their names from “Winuŋna” (wee-NEW-nuh), a Dakota descriptive word meaning “first-born who is a daughter.” Over the centuries, writers recorded the name as Wenonah, Weenona, and Wynona. Others called this area “Wabasha’s Prairie,” “The Island City,” or “Wing Prairie.”
The trail of names and spellings hints that this place along the Mississippi River means many different things to many different people. We invite you to discover what it means to you.
From river settlement to regional hub
With the signing of the Treaty of Mendota forcing the Dakota out, Winona was resettled in 1851 by Euro-American settlers, with immigrants soon arriving in search of opportunity and a better life. By 1856, Winona had become a bustling river town, welcoming nearly 1,300 steamboats each year. Just a few years later, in 1860, the population reached 2,456, and growth surged from there. Within the next decade, Winona ranked as the fourth-largest milled wheat port in the nation and the eighth-largest lumber port in the Midwest. The city even held the title of Minnesota’s third-largest city until the late 1880s. By the early 1900s, population growth leveled off, settling into the vibrant community of about 27,000 people that calls Winona home today.
Lumber and wheat once powered Winona’s rise, building both its economy and its iconic landscape. While the mills moved west, Winona evolved—diversifying, adapting, and thriving. Today, the city shines as a destination known for its stunning architecture, dramatic natural scenery, vibrant arts scene, beautiful parks, rich historic character, diverse local businesses, and strong educational institutions, offering visitors a place where heritage and creativity live side by side.
Gateway to the West:
Winona's History
When the first riverboat captains traveled up the Mississippi River searching for new frontiers, they found Winona as an expansive sandbar prairie in the midst of the river, labeled only as Island 72. In 1851, Captain Orrin Smith created the first white settlement here, referring to this place as Wapasha’s Prairie after the Dakota chief leading its resident tribe, and droves of pioneers stepped off of boats to stake land claims.
