Looking to learn about local wildlife and spend time outdoors with your family? Southeast Minnesota has plenty of nature centers worth checking out.
Quarry Hill Nature Center
Location: 701 Silver Creek Road Northeast, in Rochester
Phone: 507-328-3950
Quarry Hill Nature Center is a gem in our community, and sits within the 329-acre Quarry Hill Park. Inside Exploration Hall, you’ll find 35 species of Minnesota-native animals including a kestrel, turtles, salamanders, frogs, and snakes, and a massive 1,800 gallon aquarium filled fish commonly found in Minnesota.
Quarry Hill Nature Center is a hands-on learning space, with microscopes to see shells, antlers, bones, and rocks up-close. Quarry Hill’s resident honeybee hive has an indoor viewing area, so you can see the construction of a hive and bee movement all year round! Identify and watch birds at the outdoor feeders from the bird observation room. Cozy up in the library in the climbable reading while flipping through pages of nature-themed books.
Outside, walk around the three-acre pond to spot ducks and other wildlife, or follow trails to explore the limestone fossil quarry and sandstone caves along the more than eight miles of trails throughout the park. Quarry Hill regularly hosts cave tours, nature classes, bird banding programs, and more.
Ask staff about free Adventure Packs to use during your visit, and in the winter, take advantage of ski and snowshoe rentals so you can explore year-round.
Check out our interview with Pamela Meyer, Executive Director at Quarry Hill Nature Center.
Follow Quarry Hill on Facebook and Instagram for more information.
River Bend Nature Center
Location: 1000 Rustand Road, Faribault, MN
Phone: 507-332-7151
River Bend Nature Center spans 743 acres of prairie, forest, wetlands, and river habitat, with 10 miles of trails open year-round.
Inside the Interpretive Center, meet animal ambassadors like a tiger salamander, gray tree frog, and a few different snakes, and explore hands-on displays with skulls, bones, and taxidermy. Free Adventure Packs are available to borrow during your visit. Be sure to check out Kids in the Wild, an outdoor play area for building shelters, climbing logs and rocks, and playing games.
Riverbend also offers snowshoe rentals and groomed cross-country ski trails for easy winter exploring.
Follow them on Facebook and Instagram for more information.
Jay C. Hormel Nature Center
Location: 1304 21st Street NE, Austin, MN
Phone: 507-437-7519
This 500+ acre space includes forests, wetlands, and prairie, with 9 miles of trails to explore. The Interpretive Center has interactive exhibits and live animals like a great horned owl, red-tail hawk, turtles, salamanders, frogs, and snakes, and plenty of hands-on activities for kids.
A mile hike will take you the three-story observation tower for sweeping views of the prairie, marshes, and oak savannah. A short half-mile walk brings explorers to the popular Lion’s Covered Bridge, and nearby stepping stone bridge that cross Dobbins Creek. You can rent cross-country skis and snowshoes in the winter, or canoes and kayaks in the summer.
From late spring to early fall, the Sola Fide Observatory opens twice a month for free moon and deep-space viewing. And be sure to check out the historic log cabin and sugar shack, where maple syrup is made.
Follow them on Facebook and Instagram for more information.
Houston Nature Center at Trailhead Park
Location: 215 West Plum Street, Houston, MN
Phone: 507-896-4668
The one-acre natural playground at Houston’s Nature Center has a treehouse, stone tunnels, slides, sand areas, and water play with a hand pump and sluice. Houston Nature Center is part of the larger 17-acre Trailhead Park with native prairie and wetlands, with wooden observation decks and walkways to experience the natural beauty up close.
Inside the Nature Center, explore hands-on exhibits featuring mounted animals, reptiles, fossils, and local history displays, plus a live observation honeybee hive.
On summer Wednesdays, enjoy live music at the Trailhead Park bandshell before heading home.
Follow them on Facebook for more information.
International Owl Center
Location: 126 East Cedar Street, Houston, MN
Phone: 507-896-6957
Meet live owls at the International Owl Center! The ambassador owls changes daily, but a typical day has 3 to 5 owls on display for visitors. Meet a great horned owl, eastern screech-owl, barn owl, or even a burrowing owl.
Learn how owls live, hunt, and survive at the interactive exhibits, and find out what people can do to help protect them. There’s always an educator on hand to answer questions, share fun facts, and keep things engaging for kids and adults.
Before you leave, check out the owl-themed gift shop, packed with books, plush owls, jewelry, and locally-made items. If you’re up for some exploring, look for the Parade of Owls Tour, featuring 12 larger-than-life owl sculptures placed around town year-round.
Follow them on Facebook and Instagram for more information.
Oxbow Park and Zollman Zoo
Location: 5731 County Road 105 NW, Byron, MN
Phone: 507-328-7340
For an easy, all-in-one stop for outdoor fun and wildlife learning, head to Oxbow Park and Zollman Zoo.
Inside the Nature Center, explore animal exhibits containing reptiles, turtles, fish, and birds. Hands-on displays and nature-themed play is perfect for young kids to explore.
After exploring the Nature Center, head outside to see over 30 different species of animals native to Minnesota. The zoo is open year-round, offering a view of how animals who call this area home are adapted to the changing seasons.
Make a day of it at The Path of Imagination Natural Playscape. Kids can dig in the sandpit, spot tadpoles and frogs in the pond, explore a solar system model, build stick forts, play music on outdoor instruments, crawl through the rock tunnel, and climb on the small hills and rocks.
The park offers over 8 miles of trails for hiking through prairies and woodlands. In the winter there are 2 miles of groomed trails for cross-country skiing. Seasonal equipment rentals are available to help you get outside year-round.
Follow Oxbow Park & Zollman Zoo on Facebook and Instagram for more information.
Whitewater State Park
Location: 19041 Highway 74, Altura, MN
Phone: 507-312-2300
Known for its rugged bluff scenery, Whitewater State Park offers trails for all experience levels that take you from river valleys to scenic overlooks.
Start at the Visitor Center, where staff can help you plan your visit. The Discovery Room features nature displays, interactive exhibits, and a bird-feeding station. You can also borrow free gear like birding or fishing kits, GPS units, and discovery kits for kids.
Out on the extensive hiking trails, look for fish in Trout Run Creek, enjoy a picnic or swim at the beach, or join one of the park’s year-round interpretive programs. For a memorable view, climb more than 600 wooden steps to the top of the 100-foot Elba Fire Tower, just five miles away.
Follow Friends of Whitewater State Park on Facebook for more information.
Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center
Location: 28097 Goodview Drive, Lanesboro, MN
Phone: 507-467-2437
Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center sits on a 250-acre campus overlooking the Root River Valley, with restored prairie, hardwood forest, and scenic Bluff Country views. While best known for outdoor school programs and camps, it’s also a great place for families to explore nature together.
More than 9 miles of trails are free and open to the public from dawn to dusk. Eagle Bluff also hosts public events year-round, from winter family camps and guided astronomy hikes to indoor rock climbing, nature workshops, and summer high ropes challenges.
