Quarry Hill Nature Center — Attraction in Rochester

We adore Quarry Hill! Whether you are adults going for a hike, or kids looking to visit the nature center; whether you come with a school group and a structured program, or a toddler and preschooler looking for things to do on a gray or cold day: This place has something for you!

In the nature center, there are snakes that are native to Minnesota, fish, turtles, insects, frogs, and information and displays about birds - as well as a climbing structure/"treehouse", in a book room for even the youngest children. There are even fun donation bins available for help feeding the nature center animals and maintaining trails and outdoor buildings.

Outside, there are miles and miles of paths, whether paved, wood chips, or naturally worn in the grass and dirt. There is a beautiful pond in the middle with a very small island you can walk out onto, and even the pond as wildlife such as ducks and geese who stay over or stop by, and even beavers. We were really lucky and saw the beavers diving down to the bottom of the mostly frozen pond, and bringing pond weeds back up to eat on the surface of the ice. The pond never freezes over completely because there is a pump. You cannot walk on the ice! But that's just fine because even a winter pond is home to many animals, and they deserve to have the pond to themselves, in that way.

In the winter, there are groomed trails for cross country skiing, as well as skis available. This year was not good for that because we've had so little snow. But most Winters, outdoors at Quarry Hill is a cross country skiing Destination, in cooperation with local school cross...

This place is amazing, I truly hope you can take the time to visit specially if you have children. The Nature Center is very interesting, they have a small library and a bird observation area. They also keep some animals there like snakes, bees, birds, a tarantula, turtles and fish. We had a lot of fun as a family and we definitely will come back. It's free, but we encourage you to donate whatever you can to support the center. The people who work there are incredibly nice, we had a wonderful young lady showing us around, Brooke, very kind, patient and well informed. The center offers a lot of educational and interactive displays like a microscope, a cavern, a fossil observation spot, and a dinosaur head!. My kids and I had fun and learned a lot. The hiking trails look nice too, we did some exploring around the pond and saw ducks, flowers, took tons of pictures and simply enjoyed being there. Go and check out this...

This place holds a special place in my heart, as my children spent so much time here when younger. This is one the best oasis’s in Rochester, especially for guests visiting the area looking for fresh air & a nice hike. There is a cemetery, cave, old quarry ( the best), tadpoles in the pond, butterflies & bees habitats. You can watch bird tagging, attend a class, have a birthday party, go to summer camp, climb the rock wall, cross county ski, look for fossils, bird watch, snow shoe, hike, or just have a picnic. The options are endless- and they only ask for a donation. Please consider donating if you enjoyed your visit to keep it open & free to all. The giant fish inside, turtles, owls, and snakes add to the excitement too. The library is a perfect spot to wind down Before heading home for a nap. Photo of our hike- we saw an eagle & found morels...