22nd Annual Rhubarb Festival

Lanesboro’s beloved Rhubarb Fest returns to Sylvan Park for its 22nd year, celebrating Minnesota’s sweet-tart spring crop with free tastings, live music, baking contests, a farmers market, and full-on rhubarb-themed chaos for the whole family.

Live performers include Clay Fulton, Matt and Brenda Steir, and the Two Harbors Ukelele Band. There’s a Rhubarb Baking Contest (with tasting!), Rhubarb Olympics, a costume contest for your most rhubarby outfit, and kids’ activities including Rhu-Art, a Reading Tree, and balloon art. Food vendors round it out. Admission is completely free.

Rushford Depot Grand Reopening Party

The historic Rushford Depot throws open its doors for a Grand Reopening Party featuring live music by DFB. The Depot sits along the Root River Trail corridor and has been a beloved gathering spot and community anchor in Rushford. Come celebrate its return with neighbors, cold drinks, and good tunes in a landmark building that’s got real character.

Mystery Cave Tours at Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park

Minnesota’s longest cave — over 13 miles of underground passages — is open for tours all summer. The 2026 season runs May through September, with cave tours available daily. Weekday tours depart hourly from 10 AM to 4 PM; weekend tours run every 20 minutes from 10 AM to 5 PM, with early 9 AM departures on Saturdays.

The one-hour Scenic Tour is fully wheelchair and stroller accessible and follows paved trails through stunning formations — stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, fossils, and luminous underground pools. The cave stays at a constant 48°F, so bring a jacket. Wild Caving tours are also available for those who want to crawl into undeveloped sections. Reservations are strongly recommended, especially for weekends.

While you’re there, explore Historic Forestville — a restored 1890s village with costumed interpreters run by the Minnesota Historical Society. Walk into the Meighen General Store stocked with original 19th-century merchandise and get a taste of frontier Minnesota.

Fillmore County History Center & Genealogy Library

Located at the western terminus of the Root River State Trail in Fountain, the Fillmore County History Center is one of southeastern Minnesota’s best small museums — and genuinely underrated. The complex includes a main exhibit arena, two pole buildings, a restored one-room schoolhouse, and an airplane hangar housing a Bernard Pietenpol aircraft (Pietenpol is considered the father of experimental and homebuilt aircraft, and he was from Spring Valley).

Exhibits cover frontier farming life, a turn-of-the-century newspaper office, an old-fashioned post office, an antique country kitchen, and rotating historical displays. The genealogy library is one of the best-organized local history collections in the state. Open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 AM to 3 PM. Free or by donation.

Bike the Root River State Trail

June is peak season on the 60-mile paved Root River State Trail, one of Minnesota’s most celebrated rail trails. The trail winds through the heart of Fillmore County’s Driftless landscape — past towering limestone bluffs, through the historic downtowns of Fountain, Lanesboro, Whalan, Peterson, Rushford, and Houston, and alongside the cold, clear Root River the whole way.

Rental bikes are available in Lanesboro from multiple outfitters including Little River General Store and Scenic Valley Winery. The trail is rated best for intermediate riders but has flat sections great for families. June brings cool mornings, wildflowers along the banks, and manageable crowds compared to peak summer weeks. Pair the ride with a stop for pie at the Whalan Pie Shop — it’s a Fillmore County institution.

Amish Country Tours of Harmony

Harmony sits at the heart of one of Minnesota’s largest Amish communities, and guided tours are available throughout June. Tours take you by van or buggy through the surrounding countryside, stopping at Amish farms, woodworking shops, bakeries, and craft sellers where you can purchase handmade furniture, quilts, baked goods, and more — all made without electricity or modern machinery.

It’s one of the most unique cultural experiences in all of southeastern Minnesota, and the rolling hills south of Harmony are stunning in early summer. Two operators run tours from the Harmony area: Amish Tours of Harmony and R&M Amish Tours. Reservations are recommended, especially for weekends.

“Natureworks” Exhibition — Lanesboro Arts Gallery

Lanesboro Arts is hosting the Natureworks exhibition featuring sculptures by Alonso Sierralta through June. The gallery at 103 Parkway Ave N is a cornerstone of Lanesboro’s thriving arts scene and regularly features work by regional and national artists. Admission is free and the gallery is open during regular hours throughout the month.

Lanesboro Arts also runs periodic Open Mic nights at the St. Mane Theatre — check their calendar for June dates. The organization has been supporting art and artists in Bluff Country for over 40 years and is the force behind the annual Art in the Park festival.

Lanesboro Farmers Market

Every Saturday morning in June, Lanesboro’s Farmers Market sets up in Sylvan Park with local produce, baked goods, plants, crafts, and homemade goods from vendors across the region. It’s a great way to start a Lanesboro morning before hitting the bike trail or catching a show. Local farms bring early-summer staples — fresh greens, herbs, strawberries when available, and plenty of baked goods that won’t make it back to your car without disappearing.

Peterson Summer Music Series

The tiny Root River town of Peterson punches well above its weight with its Summer Music Series, bringing live performers to town throughout the summer months. Held along the trail corridor in Peterson’s scenic downtown, the series features a mix of folk, country, bluegrass, and rock performers — “vocal-centric” acts with a strong community feel. The series is supported in part by the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council.

Peterson is one of those blink-and-you-miss-it trail towns that rewards people who stop. The Peterson Station Museum is right there, the trail is excellent, and the community is welcoming. Check the city’s event calendar for specific June dates and performers.

Methodist Church Museum & Almanzo Wilder History — Spring Valley

Spring Valley is home to the historic Methodist Church that Almanzo Wilder and his family attended — part of the Laura Ingalls Wilder trail through the Midwest. The Spring Valley Area Historical Society maintains the restored church and welcomes visitors interested in the Wilder family’s connection to this corner of Minnesota. The building itself is a beautifully preserved piece of late 19th-century small-town architecture.

Spring Valley is also the birthplace of Bernard Pietenpol, who pioneered homebuilt aircraft in the 1920s and 30s — his legacy is commemorated at the Fillmore County History Center in Fountain. June is a great time to make a day trip connecting these two towns along US-52.

Juneteenth — Plan Around County Closures

June 19 is Juneteenth, a federal holiday. County offices, libraries, and some government-adjacent facilities in Fillmore County will be closed. If you’re planning a trip around this date, call ahead to confirm hours at the Fillmore County History Center, park visitor centers, and any municipal facilities. The Root River Trail, Mystery Cave, and most private businesses remain open and operating normally.

45th Annual Art in the Park — Lanesboro Arts

Southern Minnesota’s longest-running fine art fair returns to Sylvan Park for its 45th edition. Art in the Park 2026 draws thousands of visitors to Lanesboro’s beautiful park setting under mature shade trees, with 90+ regional artists displaying and selling ceramics, glass, jewelry, fiber, photography, painting, drawing, leather, digital media, and more.

Family art activities run throughout the day alongside live music and food vendors. Admission is free. Accessible parking is available at Sylvan Park. Well-behaved, leashed dogs are welcome. Note that June 20th falls the Saturday before Father’s Day — a perfect combination of gift shopping and a great day out. This is one of the biggest events in Fillmore County all year.

Music in the Bluffs — Whalan’s June Concert

Whalan’s annual Music in the Bluffs free concert series kicks off its 2026 season on Saturday, June 20. The series holds one concert each in June, July, and August, and June’s show is confirmed for the 20th. Live music rings out from the town gazebo right along the Root River Trail, set against a backdrop of 300-foot limestone bluffs that make this one of the most scenic concert settings in all of Minnesota.

Bring a lawn chair or blanket, grab a pie at the famous Whalan Pie Shop nearby (open for over 28 years), and settle in. All ages welcome. No tickets, no cover. This is small-town Minnesota at its very best.

Live Performances at Chatfield Center for the Arts

The Chatfield Center for the Arts is one of the most impressive small-town arts venues in Minnesota — a 500-seat performing arts center in a town of about 2,200 people that consistently draws top-quality performers. The CCA’s 2026 season is packed with concerts, comedy, and community theater from touring artists including Avey Grouws Band and others.

The Center also hosts summer community programming, lawn concerts outside the building, and events through its Ghost Light Lounge. Check the full schedule on their website for specific June dates and available tickets. The venue is at 405 Main St S in Chatfield and is the cultural heartbeat of northern Fillmore County.

Harmony’s Roller Rink Antique Mall & Downtown Shopping

Harmony is home to Minnesota’s only roller skating rink turned antique mall — a sprawling collection of vintage goods, antiques, collectibles, vintage clothing, farm toys, crocks, advertising signage, coins, books, vinyl records, jewelry, cast iron, furniture, and more. It’s a legitimate destination for collectors and casual browsers alike.

Downtown Harmony also has local shops, the Harmony Area Chamber of Commerce, and easy access to the surrounding Amish countryside. June is a great time to spend a half day in Harmony combining shopping, an Amish tour, and lunch at one of the local spots before continuing south toward the Iowa border.

Fly Fishing for Trout in Fillmore County

Fillmore County is Minnesota’s undisputed trout fishing capital. The Root River and its tributaries — including the South Branch, Forestville Creek, and Canfield Creek — run cold and clear through karst topography that keeps water temperatures ideal for native and stocked brook, brown, and rainbow trout. June is one of the best months to fish before summer heat sets in.

Preston, dubbed “Minnesota’s Trout Capital,” has a 9-hole trout fishing course at the city park. Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park offers exceptional stream access with three trout streams on-site. Multiple licensed Orvis-endorsed guide services operate out of Lanesboro and Preston. The fishing opener was in May, but June provides excellent conditions — lower pressure than opening weekend, good flows, and rising insect hatches.

New in 2026: Mystery Cave + Cherry Grove Karst Landscape Tour

Brand new for the 2026 season, the Minnesota DNR is offering a special 2.5-hour guided karst landscape tour that starts inside Mystery Cave and then heads to the surface to explore Cherry Grove Blind Valley Scientific and Natural Area. Participants discover sinkholes, disappearing streams, and other unique features of the Driftless Area’s karst geology — a landscape shaped by dissolving limestone over millions of years.

This is a rare opportunity to understand the surface-to-underground geology that makes Fillmore County so geologically unique. The tour is recommended for visitors 8 and older. Cost is $25 per person. Reserve through the MN DNR reservation system — these will fill up fast throughout summer.