Make This Your Home Base For Summer Adventure In Southern Minnesota
Add these five regional adventures to a summer itinerary full of local fun in Southern Minnesota’s historic Owatonna.
According to local legend, the Southern Minnesota town of Owatonna got its name from a sickly Dakota princess who was miraculously healed by drinking from the area’s mineral springs. Today, a statue of Princess Owatonna in the city’s Mineral Springs Park commemorates the tale, and her spirit beckons you to drink spring water from the fountain there along Maple Creek.
Just don’t be disappointed if the untreated natural spring doesn’t soothe all your aches and pains. After all, the princess probably never existed and it’s more likely that the city’s name comes instead from the Dakota word for “Straight,” which is the name of the river that runs through town.
Still, finding the spring and taking a sip of the “healing water” is an adventure worth having this summer. In fact, it’s one of many extraordinary experiences when visiting historic Owatonna.
Exploring Historic Owatonna
Centrally located in Southern Minnesota about an hour’s drive south of the Twin Cities on I-35 and an hour west of Rochester on U.S. 14, Owatonna is the perfect place to spend a few days exploring both the charming town of 27,000 people and the broader region.
Owatonna itself is home to more than two dozen beautiful parks with over 700 acres of greenspace and 175 miles of multi-use trails where you can make the most of the short summer season. The Straight River is a designated State Water Trail, too. Just pop into Southern Minnesota’s only Bass Pro Shops store or the locally-owned Straight River Sports & Fitness for all your gear and have a blast exploring the bounty of outdoor recreation in the Owatonna area.
Owatonna also features a historic downtown full of charming shops, restaurants and bars as well as classic summertime events including a Saturday morning farmers market in Central Park and a Main Street Downtown Thursdays music series once each month. In case you don’t make it out to Princess Owatonna’s fountain in Mineral Springs Park, Mineral Springs Brewery is a great spot for a refreshing beverage right in town. You can pair your beer with a delicious pie from Pleasant Grove Pizza Farm
on select summer nights, or head out of town direct to the farm for dinner, live music and hands-on pizza classes.
With more than 700 guest rooms, Owatonna has places to stay for every type of traveler including comfortable and economical brand hotels and motels as well as scenic campgrounds, too.
Summer Adventures A Short Drive From Owatonna
While there are lots of ways to enjoy summer right in Owatonna, there are also many regional attractions just a short drive way. Here’s a look at five summer adventures that are a nice day trip that gets you back to your home base in Owatonna in time for bed:
- Head to downtown Minneapolis for world-class dining and shopping plus arts and culture experiences such as the Minnesota Institute of Art, a tour of historic Fort Snelling and a Minnesota Twins baseball game
- Visit North America’s largest shopping mall at the incredible Mall of America in nearby Bloomington, where there’s nearly 3 million square-feet of retail and entertainment space, more than 500 stores and a 7-acre Nickelodeon Universe indoor amusement park
- Learn all there is to know about SPAM®. No, not the kind hackers send to your email. The kind astronauts eat! The SPAM® Museum in Austin, Minn. offers an extraordinary experience with free admission.
- Drive about 75 minutes northeast to Red Wing for spectacular scenic overlooks on the bluffs high above the Mississippi River. There’s a mix of easy and challenging hiking trails at Frontenac State Park and you can see the world’s largest boot at the Red Wing Shoe Company Museum in town.
- Minneopa State Park about 50 minutes west near Mankato gets its name from a Dakota word for falling water, and Southern Minnesota’s largest waterfall is indeed an attraction. So is a herd of bison that roams a 325-acre prairie enclosure that you can drive right through!