{"id":2246,"date":"2019-09-17T16:27:46","date_gmt":"2019-09-17T16:27:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/?p=2246"},"modified":"2019-09-18T18:03:02","modified_gmt":"2019-09-18T18:03:02","slug":"the-new-view-of-winona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/2019\/09\/17\/the-new-view-of-winona\/","title":{"rendered":"The New View of Winona"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ice<\/a><\/p>\n

Changes are happening in Winona, bringing new life to the town we know while keeping everything we love about it intact. For the outdoor lover, for the festival goer, for the<\/span>\u00a0culture seeker<\/span>, or just the reminiscer\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 there are new things to see and do around every corner.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

An Outdoor Lover\u2019s Paradise<\/i>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Winona\u2019s Parks & Recreation Department continues to build their vision for the future in this outdoor playground we all love. One of the newer developments is the Winona Ice Park, which\u00a0<\/span>is heading into<\/span>\u00a0its\u00a0<\/span>fourth<\/span>\u00a0season<\/span>. Now located just west of the Sugar Loaf bluff, the park s<\/span>tarted with the help of the Minnesota Climbers Association and<\/span>\u00a0was<\/span>\u00a0inspired by similar parks in Colorado and Sandstone, Minn.\u00a0<\/span>I<\/span>t continues to grow in popularity, attracting climbers from around the state and nation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking ahead, the near future will bring to life the new<\/span>\u00a0master<\/span>\u00a0plan for the Bluffs Traverse,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>which is located along the north-facing\u00a0<\/span>blufflands<\/span>\u00a0overlooking the city<\/span>\u00a0and includes a series of three destination parks:\u00a0<\/span>Bluffside<\/span>, Garvin Heights and Sugar Loaf<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Part of t<\/span>he city\u2019s plan for the Traverse includes the development of miles of paved and unpaved multi-use pedestrian and bicycle trails<\/span>\u00a0that, once complete, will connect the 523 acres of\u00a0<\/span>blufflands<\/span>\u00a0to the larger system of city, county and regional trails.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The City of Festivals<\/i>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Music, theater, film \u2013 we\u2019ve got your festival flavor. Summertime brings the Beethoven, Great River Shakespeare and Dixieland Jazz Festivals. Boats & Bluegrass comes in the fall, followed by the Frozen River Film Festival in winter. And in spring, it\u2019s all about\u00a0<\/span>Mid West<\/span>\u00a0Music Fest. Th<\/span>is year<\/span>, the event was moved to May in order to incorporate more outdoor performance venues as the festival continues to grow, now split into two weekends: one in Winona, one in La Crosse.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/h4>\n

Historic Downtown Charm<\/i>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Levee Park, overlooking the Mississippi River\u00a0<\/span>in\u00a0<\/span>downtown Winona, was an often-underutilized treasure. That has all changed with the completion of the park\u2019s facelift. The park now features an elevated plaza and lawn for outdoor entertainment, a gateway\/pedestrian plaza that provides easy access between the park and downtown, and the same expansive river views we never get tired of. No longer underutilized, the park is a constant destination with events ranging from the Live at the Levee concert series, the Winona Holiday Market, weekly farmers markets, Let\u2019s Levee events, the Big Muddy\u00a0<\/span>Brew\u2019N<\/span>\u00a0Que and more.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Elsewhere downtown, the number of historic renovations continues to grow, with a\u00a0<\/span>new<\/span>\u00a0project taking place at 102 Walnut Street.\u00a0<\/span>Opening mid-2019<\/span>, the refurbished\u00a0<\/span>historic building\u00a0<\/span>will\u00a0<\/span>house\u00a0<\/span>a number of<\/span>\u00a0retail\u00a0<\/span>spaces<\/span>\u00a0and apartments. One tenant\u00a0<\/span>that signed on early was\u00a0<\/span>Nosh Restaurant & Bar, previously located in Lake City, Minn. The project is spearheaded by the same developer who completed renovations to the historic\u00a0<\/span>Latsch<\/span>\u00a0and Riverfront buildings close by.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/h4>\n

New Developments<\/i>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

It won\u2019t only be historic renovations on display in downtown, though.\u00a0<\/span>O<\/span>pen<\/span>ing<\/span>\u00a0early spring 2020<\/span>\u00a0is Main Square Winona – a new development that will cover the entire city block where Hardee\u2019s once stood<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0before closing in 2017. The development will feature both luxury and market-rate apartments with underground parking, retail and office space,\u00a0<\/span>and a Winona Health clinic. And next door to the new complex will be\u00a0<\/span>Main Square Montessori, a\u00a0<\/span>brand new<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>non-profit, independent learning center for toddlers through kindergarten.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Another\u00a0<\/span>planned\u00a0<\/span>addition to the downtown skyline is the new headquarters for Fastenal along the riverfront. A few blocks away, where the YMCA currently stands, will be ample parking space for those Fastenal employees working from the new location. But what about the Y? Not to worry \u2013 after years of planning, the YMCA will be building a brand new facility with views of Lake Winona \u2013 right next to Winona Health along Highway 61.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Continue west down Highway 61, you\u2019ll come across the old K-Mart, which closed in 2014.\u00a0<\/span>With construction underway,<\/span>\u00a0th<\/span>e<\/span>\u00a0building\u00a0<\/span>is on its way to\u00a0<\/span>becom<\/span>ing<\/span>\u00a0a Gundersen Health System clinic providing primary care, urgent care, an outpatient surgery center and a variety of other specialty outreach services. The new clinic is expected to open in phases from late 2019 into 2020.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But these aren\u2019t the only new things to see in Winona if you haven\u2019t\u00a0<\/span>visited<\/span>\u00a0lately.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Here\u2019s a snippet of other changes you can expect to see:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • The Bluff Country Co-Op recently doubled in size \u2013 expanding into the old space which once housed the A&P Grocery Store, followed by a series of bars including Nasty Habit,\u00a0<\/span>Schyde\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0and MC\u2019s.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \n
    • Island City Brewery opened in March 2017, quickly becoming a popular destination and event venue downtown.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    • The historic YWCA building is currently in the midst of being renovated to house Partners in Excellence, a<\/span>n autism center for children<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Two\u00a0<\/span>brand new hotel developments: an\u00a0<\/span>AmericInn<\/span>\u00a0on the west end and Fairfield Inn & Suites on the east.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Changes are happening in Winona, bringing new life to the town we know while keeping everything we love about it intact. For the outdoor lover, for the festival goer, for the\u00a0culture seeker, or just the reminiscer\u00a0\u2013 there are new things to see and do around every corner.\u00a0 \u00a0 An Outdoor Lover\u2019s Paradise\u00a0 Winona\u2019s Parks & […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":233,"featured_media":2300,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[56,689,2],"tags":[944,945,946,375,7],"class_list":["post-2246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-hp-feature-4","category-wsu-magazine","tag-city-of-winona","tag-festivals","tag-parks-recreation-deptartment","tag-winona","tag-winona-state-university"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/09\/ice-climbing-featured-image.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7PQMT-Ae","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/233"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2246"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2246\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2321,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2246\/revisions\/2321"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}