Winona is blessed by location. The stretch of river between Winona and Dubuque, Iowa, lined by towering green bluffs, is the loveliest on the Mississippi, often likened to the Rhine in Germany.

Even starchy Lt. Zebulon Pike was struck by the view on his way up the Mississippi in 1805, calling it "a prospect so variegated and romantic that a man may scarcely expect to enjoy such a one but twice or thrice in the course of his life."

It's most stunning from above, where the Garvin Heights overlook affords views of the town, thick with steeples and domes and spread between Lake Winona and the twisting Mississippi. But it's also striking from the streets, whose stone edifices sport an abundance of turrets and towers, and from the water, where arrowhead marshes and wooded islands dot sloughs and channels.

Quoted from the St.Paul Pioneer Press - Travel Section - June 25, 2006

Winona, Minnesota was founded in 1851 by steamboat captain Orrin Smith. Today, with a population of approximately 27,000, Winona is the largest Mississippi River city in Minnesota south of Minneapolis-Saint Paul. The city boasts recreational sites, natural beauty, historic architecture, Winona State University, St. Mary’s University of Minnesota, Minnesota State College - SouthEast Technical and old fashioned hospitality. This picturesque community is home to five museums and central to five state parks and two National Wildlife & Fish Refuges.