Winona's Historic Downtown: Stained Glass and Museums

Winona grew up on lumber and river trade in the 1800s, and it shows downtown. Here's how to spend a day there, rain or shine. 

Stained glass. Winona is often called the stained glass capital of America, thanks to the studios that have worked here for generations. Start at WNB Financial, 204 Main Street, where the windows were designed by George Maher and made by Tiffany Studios; there's a free museum upstairs. Then visit Merchants Bank, a 1912 Prairie School building by Purcell, Feick & Elmslie with large stained-glass windows and a mural of the valley. You can see the lobby during weekday banking hours. For more, download the free eATLAS app and follow the "Glorious Glass" tour's 16 stops. 

Museums

• Minnesota Marine Art Museum, 800 Riverview Drive, on the riverbank. Closed Mondays and federal holidays. 
• Winona County History Center, 160 Johnson Street. 
• Polish Cultural Center & Museum, 102 Liberty Street, in an 1894 lumber company office. More than 8,000 items on Winona's Kashubian and Polish communities. Open seasonally. 
• Watkins General Store and museum displays, 150 Liberty Street. Free, with company history going back to 1868. 

The Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka. The domed church that Winona's Polish community dedicated in 1895 became a minor basilica in 2011. It's an active parish, so plan around services. 

Then walk to the river. Levee Park is a few blocks from Main Street, with a riverfront plaza and picnic tables facing the Mississippi. 

Downtown is about 15 minutes from Winona KOA Holiday. 

Photo: McGhiever, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.