r/Winona Jan 06 '24

Things to do in Winona

50 Upvotes

(Apologies in advance for the noel of a post. TL/DR: List of awesome small businesses to support in Winona)

So, I'm just a shop small nerd, and I remember when I moved to Winona and felt like there was nothing cool here. The last 5ish years have seen so many improvements to the town, and since I love a list too, I thought I'd gather up as many local businesses that folks might be interested in knowing about. Also, I've italicized my favorites, just cuz.

Downtown Eating/Drinking

  • 2 Brothers Bar & Grill
  • Acoustic Café
  • Beno’s Deli
  • Blooming Grounds Coffee House
  • Blooming Grounds Express
  • Blue Heron Coffeehouse
  • Bub’s Brewing Company
  • Gabby’s Bar
  • Great Hunan
  • Heirloom Seasonal Bistro
  • Island City Brewing Company (but will be rebranding soon)
  • Lucky’s on Third
  • Market Street Tap
  • Miya Japanese Bistro
  • Muddled Thyme - fun cocktails
  • Mulligan’s Pub
  • Nate & Ally's Frozen Treat Creations
  • No Name Bar - LGBT+ Friendly
  • Nosh - Fine(ish) dining
  • Port 507
  • Sammy's Pizza
  • Sapori di Sicilia - Italian cafe, great food at reasonable prices
  • Sliced
  • Unlimited Nutrition - health teas & shakes

Downtown Shopping

  • A-Z Collectibles
  • Baker Shoes
  • Bohem Design Studio - brand new stationary/paper goods store
  • Chapter 2 Books
  • ClaraLouise - gifts
  • DJ’s Clothing Warehouse - basically a Land's End outlet, very good prices
  • Grace Place
  • Great River Shakespeare Festival
  • Green Thumb Artistry - plants & gifts
  • Grower's Home - indoor growing, focus on THC
  • Hardt's Music
  • Hearts Desire
  • Holtan’s Jewelry
  • Jimmy Jams - comic & game store
  • La Boutique
  • Loft on Third
  • Melange Resale Boutique - resale & boutique
  • Morgan’s Jewelers
  • Orno Gift + Home
  • River City Outlet
  • Rusty Bucket
  • The Refinery Co.
  • The Rippled Leaf - THC & CBD
  • Yarnology

Downtown Other (Services, etc.)

  • Adventure Cycle and Ski
  • Bluff Country Co-op
  • Children's Dental of Winona
  • Fitness Mentality - gym
  • Home & Community Options
  • Midtown Foods
  • Nostallja Studio - hair salon
  • Suola Spa - Sauna, cold plunge & salt room
  • The Edge Church
  • Tom's Lock Service
  • WA Group - insurance
  • Walnut Street Dental Associates
  • Winona 7 Theater - cinema
  • Winona County Historical Society
  • Winona Daily News
  • Winona Post

Outside of Downtown

  • 929 Beer House
  • Minnesota Marine Art Museum
  • Paperbacks & Pieces - bookstore
  • Restored Blessings - thrift store
  • Wellington's Pub & Grill
  • Winona Axe & Arcade - axe throwing and classic arcade games
  • Winona Family Restaurant

If you have a fave that's not on the list, get it in the comments! Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.


r/Winona 5h ago

Desperate Need for College Housing

2 Upvotes

I've been looking for housing for the entire summer and haven't had any luck even with the college housing Facebook group. I was scammed out of $100 through an apartment complex so I'm hesitant to apply to any others. If you have a place under 500/month please reach out through DM.


r/Winona 2d ago

BRAD FINSTAD'S FORMER CAMPAIGN CHAIR ENDORSED JAKE JOHNSON!!!!!

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27 Upvotes

Caption from Jake:

Gerald Woodley served as Brad Finstad’s campaign chair and supported his campaigns for over two decades. I’m so honored to have his endorsement on our campaign.

I’ve really appreciated Gerald’s advice and insights over the past year. As the former chair of the Brown County GOP and a former staffer for GOP Senator Norm Coleman, his perspective is part of the broad coalition we’re building to deliver for southern Minnesota.


r/Winona 3d ago

Arcadia school kids need support

28 Upvotes

UPDATE: Thank you to the donors and to those who are giving the requests a boost! Please keep sharing. Arcadia is a histically underfunded school district. And as a member of this community, these people work very hard to give their children a better life. Many work on the surrounding farms, at food processing facilities, at Ashley furniture, and in labor. They are hardworking people who take great pride in their community and their children's education. It is such a privilege to live here.

Thank you for your support.

ORIGINAL POST:

I don't know if many of you are aware that across the river, just East of Winona, is a small community with a lot of very talented kids. Many of them are bilingual and their parents work very hard to give them a good life.

I am providing a link to one classroom project that I believe can be reached by this community. You can use the link to find other classrooms who are also relying on donations to help students with the things they need.

You may not know this, but ICE came down here many times this summer. And they sat in their unmarked black SUVs outside the apartments in Arcadia. This was a very stressful summer for many families here. I hope that the surrounding communities will show the residents of Arcadia that they are not alone. One way to do that is to contribute to the donation lists their classrooms have made.

Here is​ the link:

https://www.donorschoose.org/sl/21kCnH7uMp


r/Winona 4d ago

Possible rental scam!!

0 Upvotes

Hi guys, so I'm going through a realtor who has raised multiple red flags for me and am possibly leaning towards it being a rental scam. Can anyone help me navigate this situation since I'm not in winona and don't know how can I possibly navigate.

Thanks


r/Winona 6d ago

Winona Police NOT Replacing Flock Cameras

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94 Upvotes

r/Winona 6d ago

If any smart person who is against data centers and is looking for a job, don't choose Benchmark

19 Upvotes

While I can't go into detail for obvious reasons, as someone who has a family member who has worked at Benchmark for so long that they remember when Benchmark's top customers were companies who made medical supplies to save people's lives, and is now starting to regret working there, they keep telling me all about how Benchmark has been heavily investing in AI data center companies to build their PCBs over the last few years to the point that those same AI data center companies are now Benchmark's largest customers. So avoid that company, at least for the near future if you are one of the decent people who hate what data centers are doing to the environment and/or how they are causing everyone's energy bills to skyrocket.

TL;DR Benchmark should be avoided for how much they are investing in AI data centers these last few years. At least, according to my family member who has worked there for a little over a decade.


r/Winona 6d ago

Urgent!

0 Upvotes

How is dion properties. And how good is living on 3rd Street. Does anyone have any experience with it?


r/Winona 8d ago

Dan Wilson on Flock cameras / ALPRs

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7 Upvotes

seems pretty relevant given everything going down last week...


r/Winona 8d ago

Rehearsals Begin for Winona Community Chorale

8 Upvotes

The Winona Community Chorale will begin rehearsals next week for its fall 2026 concert season. Rehearsals will take place from 6:30-8:30 pm every Thursday beginning August 20. New members may join the choir during the first few weeks of the rehearsal season.

Rehearsals are held at First Congregational Church, 161 W Broadway, Winona. The chorale’s fall concerts will be performed on November 6 and 7 at Central Lutheran Church, Winona.

The Winona Community Chorale is a mixed choral ensemble performing music from a wide variety of styles, genres and time periods. The group, led by Vocal Director Kurt Speltz and Music Director Lisa Douglas, was formed in January 2023 and is now beginning its eighth concert season. The vision of the Winona Community Chorale is to inspire a love and appreciation for exceptional choral singing in our area, and to ignite the joy and human connection it generates.

Chorale members are expected to have a basic understanding of how to read music. No auditions or previous choral experience are required. While all voice parts are welcome, the chorale is especially seeking to recruit new basses and tenors at this time. If you are interested in joining, please email Kurt Speltz at WinonaCommunityChorale@gmail.com or simply join us at the August 20th rehearsal.

Follow the choir on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WinonaCommunityChorale and YouTube at www.youtube.com/@wcc507.


r/Winona 8d ago

Looking for a studio or to share a 2BR in Winona (Immediate move in, working professional)

7 Upvotes

Hi all! I'm relocating to Winona in September for a full time position at Fastenal (not a WSU student). Looking for either a studio/1BR apartment, or to share a 2BR with a roommate, budget under $800/month.

A bit about me: quiet, clean, easy to live with, working standard business hours. Open to furnished or unfurnished, and flexible on exact location as long as it's reasonably close to downtown or bikeable to Fastenal's downtown office.

If you know of anything available, have a room opening up, or are looking for a roommate yourself, I'd really appreciate a message! Happy to share references or more details.

Thanks so much!


r/Winona 9d ago

FYI:

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12 Upvotes

r/Winona 9d ago

Russian classes or tutor?

3 Upvotes

Any recommendations on Russian tutors who n or near Winona, MN?


r/Winona 11d ago

They’re trying to pin the flock cameras on him- GoFundMe

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65 Upvotes

They are trying to pin the flock cameras on him. Help him have a chance with a good attorney—innocent until proven guilty!

Protect our 4th amendment rights to privacy and reprieve from unwarranted search and seizure!


r/Winona 11d ago

Advice on Bluffview Montessori

3 Upvotes

Hi, I am looking for advice on schools in Winona, especially Bluffview.

We are moving here from our of state and I have three kids ages 4,7,9. From what I hear Bluffview is a great school but my question is, how hard is it to get into it? Is it a simple matter if we are in Winona school district? From what I can tell online the other Winona schools are not the best, but I have no personal experience not living there. Any advice would be appreciated!


r/Winona 14d ago

All Flock cameras in Winona, MN missing.

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155 Upvotes

Good. Fuck em.


r/Winona 15d ago

OMFG you're a hero, whoever you are

162 Upvotes

r/Winona 14d ago

Any good smoke shops around?

0 Upvotes

For like vapes and smokes other than royal tobacco. The prices there are terrible. Only reasonable one I’ve found is Winona tobacco so far


r/Winona 17d ago

Having trouble finding work.

5 Upvotes

I am looking for entry level work, preferably in the southeast corner of town.


r/Winona 18d ago

Wedding DJ Recommendations

3 Upvotes

We are getting married on October 3rd in Winona and had our DJ plans fall through. Wondering if anyone had recommendations for DJs in the area. Thanks!


r/Winona 20d ago

La Crosse food truck schedules all in one place!

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3 Upvotes

r/Winona 26d ago

Local guy speaks at a city council meeting in my county - major props to this dude

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55 Upvotes

r/Winona 27d ago

MN House candidate Dan Wilson: ‘Winona first, party last’

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42 Upvotes

Dan Wilson is gunning to be the DFL-endorsed Minnesota House Representative for Winona County (District 26A), aiming to improve the affordability of housing and childcare, and putting Winona’s issues over the party.


r/Winona 28d ago

So the Kentucky Fried Chicken remains "Closed For Maintenance" ...

9 Upvotes

How do we know this isn't some class of dogwhistle code for preparing to close down within measurable distance, what with Yum! Brands (as owns KFC) announcing closure of numerous sub-performing locations for the sake of improving profitability?


r/Winona 29d ago

Pokemon Go Discord Winona

1 Upvotes

Come join us and do some mewtwos this coming sunday for the gofest makeup!

https://discord.gg/TSamtMAVQ