Steele County: History, Main Street and Nature

Explore Steele County through a range of visitor themes: Owatonna’s history, events in the historic downtown, and outdoor activities. Start planning by deciding which focus will shape your stay. If you’re planning a hotel stay, you can choose your travel dates based on whether historic places, events, or seasonal recreational offerings are your priority.

Historic Places in Owatonna

The Minnesota State Public School for Dependent & Neglected Children opened in Owatonna in 1886. The Minnesota State Public School Orphanage Museum preserves the stories of the 10,635 children who lived on the historic campus. Audio stations explain the site at the Orphanage Museum.

The History Center of the Steele County Historical Society also offers insight into regional history, with an exhibition hall, research room, and gift shop. The Village of Yesteryear features an Italianate-style, eleven-room house built by Mark Hill Dunnell in 1868–69. Alongside the story of an institution, visitors can explore the history of a campus and an individual historic house as different ways of connecting with the past.

Main Street and Downtown Offerings

Owatonna’s historic Main Street district covers twelve blocks and includes 75 buildings worthy of preservation. The Owatonna Food Tour is a guided tour through the downtown Main Street district and takes place on Saturdays. On the first Thursday from June through September, the historic Main Street district features food trucks, vendors, and live music. Dates may change, so check the specific event dates in advance if you’re planning your trip around them.

A seasonal market in the historic downtown offers fresh local produce, homemade goods, crafts, and freshly cut flowers. The tour, event, and market each offer a different focus: you can plan your time around a guided tour, an event with live music, or the season’s market offerings.

Nature and Outdoor Activities

Steele County’s park offerings include the Straight River Canoe Landing. Steele County’s Beaver Lake Park has a boat landing, fishing pier, swimming beach, and hiking trails. Since amenities may change, it’s best to confirm their status before your visit.

The Steele County Trail System includes 175 miles of groomed snowmobile trails and connects with five neighboring counties. Trail conditions are seasonal, so take that into account when planning. Separate from these are Owatonna’s nature trails, which are used for mountain biking, hiking, and trail running. The Great Outdoors Center on the Steele County Free Fairgrounds offers exhibits, interactive displays, and hands-on learning experiences about local wildlife and conservation. Alongside trail activities, visitors can also explore exhibits focused on nature and conservation.

When to Visit and Getting Around

The Steele County Free Fair takes place in Owatonna for one week each year. If you’d like to plan your stay around the fair, check the event dates in advance. Owatonna is located on Interstate 35, about an hour south of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. This approximate travel time offers a guide for planning without specifying a particular route.

Your choice will depend mainly on the themes you’re interested in and the dates that work for you: the historic school, Main Street district, and house in the Village of Yesteryear offer different ways to explore local history. Events and the market take place on specific days or during a particular season, while snowmobile trail conditions vary seasonally. Plan your hotel trip around the experiences you’d like to make a priority in Steele County.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Owatonna, Stevens, Dakota, Rice County, Washington, Chisago County, Crow Wing County, Carlton County.

For the broader travel overview: Minnesota.