Sleepy Eye is a small town with plenty of activity and amentities
Named for a Dakota chief from the 19th century, the small city of Sleepy Eye is about 14 miles from New Ulm in rural Minnesota. Surrounded by cornfields, the town has parks like Sleepy Eye Lake as well as a downtown strip with local restaurants and businesses in historic buildings. Seasonal festivals and traditions bring the community together, and the city has plenty of amenities, including a grocery store and a medical center. Its Cap Index Crime Score of 2 out of 10 is lower than the national average of 4.
Fishing and boating on Sleepy Eye Lake and swimming at the pool
Sportsman’s Park is along Sleepy Eye Lake, offering fishing docks and a public boat launch. Lakegoers without their own watercraft can rent them at the park, and the spires of St. Mary’s Catholic Church are visible from the water. A trail connects Sportsman’s Park to Allison Park, where there’s a playground, disc golf, basketball and sand volleyball. Sleepy Eye Golf Course has a nine-hole course open to the public, and the nearby Sleepy Eye Family Aquatic Center opens in summer with two waterslides.
Historic Nationals alongside midcentury ranch-style homes
Nationals and bungalows from the late 1890s and 1910s sit behind sidewalks on Sleepy Eye’s tree-lined streets. These homes typically sell for $30,000 to $150,000, some in need of repairs before they’re move-in ready. Ranch-style homes built mostly in the ’50s and ’60s sell for $160,000 to $320,000.
Sleepy Eye's converted historic buildings throughout downtown
Located in what was once the historic Pix Theater, the Sleepy Eye Coffee Co. and Sleepy Eye Brewing Co. transform the space into a morning coffee shop and an evening brewery, plus food trucks on Friday and Saturday evenings. Downtown storefronts also include furniture stores, clothing boutiques, antique shops and a stained-glass studio. The Dawg Haus Bar and Grill serves standard American fare, like pizza, burgers and wings. Schutz Family Foods is the city’s grocery store, and Walmart and Aldi are about 12 miles away in New Ulm.
Public and private K-12 education options in Sleepy Eye
Sleepy Eye Elementary School receives a C-plus from Niche. It’s in the same building as B-rated Sleepy Eye High School, which serves seventh through 12th grade. High school students can join sports like football, basketball, wrestling and competitive dance. For a private option, B-rated St. Mary’s Catholic School has been a Sleepy Eye institution for over 100 years. The K-12 school partners with local high schools to offer Shared Time classes, where older students can take classes at nearby high schools if St. Mary’s doesn’t offer a particular course.
Sleepy Eye's summer festivals and winter holiday traditions
Every August, the Sleepy Eye Summerfest has festivities across the city, typically including a parade, food trucks and live music. During the holidays, Sleepy Eye Holiday Lights in Motion sets up in Sportsman’s Park, decking out the park in holiday cheer. The event tends to get bigger and bigger, with the record being 500,000-plus lights strung across the park. Visitors can go through the park at their own pace or hop on free rides.
A hopsital in Sleepy Eye and a private airport in New Ulm
U.S. Route 14 goes through the center of Sleepy Eye, becoming Main Street in town. The highway links the city with New Ulm, about 14 miles away. Sleepy Eye Medical Center is located in the city. While New Ulm has a municipal airport for private flights, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is about 105 miles from Sleepy Eye.
Written By
Caroline Ernst
