It's game on as you enter our life-size outdoor gameboard to test your knowledge of Minnesota winter! Do you know how to survive in the cold and the snow? Find out as you choose your route along the game trails, answering questions that will reveal the best survival techniques. 

This activity in entirely outdoors and takes 30-45 minutes. You will cover roughly 1/2 mile on uneven terrain. 

Dress warmly to hike for 15 minutes to the historic hand-carved sandstone cave. Learn some bat basics and, with any luck, catch a glimpse of a hibernating bat. The tour is one hour long and covers approximately 1 mile. Space is limited. 

Registration is required. Call Quarry Hill to reserve a spot: 507-328-3950. 

Flock to Quarry Hill and experience birds up close while taking part in the Nature Center's bird banding program. Learn why birds are banded and how bird banding helps with conservation. Then get up close when you learn how to trap, handle, and release wild birds safely! The data gathered from these birds will be submitted to the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory. 

Enrollment is limited. Reservations are recommended. 

Step back in time when you step into the Quarry Hill Cave! Quarry Hill Park was once part of the Rochester State Hospital grounds, and there remain some interesting historic features from a century of agriculture, quarry operations, and more. Learn about some of these historic features and tour the sandstone storage cave, carved in 1882.

Space is limited. Reservations are recommended. 

Offered for 3 & 4 year old kids with an accompanying grown-up, these classes are all about getting outdoors to explore, learn, and connect to the natural world. New topics monthly. 

January Topic: Our Feathered Friends

While some birds of a feather have flocked together and headed south for the winter season, many of our feathered friends will brave the winter right here in MN. Learn about our local winter backyard birds. After trying to catch them through binoculars and a bird net, we will build a bird buffet for you to attract feathered friends to your own home all winter long. 

Embrace Minnesota’s sparkling season and beautiful winter landscape with an evening of hiking by candlelight.

Huddle together, slow down, stock up on food, and use 'antifreeze'—animals have some amazing adaptations to survive the winter weather! Join a naturalist and discover how animals get through the long, cold, snowy winter months. 

Space is limited; reservations are recommended. 

Step back in time when you step into the Quarry Hill Cave! Quarry Hill Park was once part of the Rochester State Hospital grounds, and there remain some interesting historic features from a century of agriculture, quarry operations, and more. Learn about some of these historic features and tour the sandstone storage cave, carved in 1882.

Space is limited. Reservations are recommended. 

Embrace Minnesota’s sparkling season and beautiful winter landscape with an evening of hiking by candlelight.

Flock to Quarry Hill and experience birds up close while taking part in the Nature Center's bird banding program. Learn why birds are banded and how bird banding helps with conservation. Then get up close when you learn how to trap, handle, and release wild birds safely! The data gathered from these birds will be submitted to the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory. 

Enrollment is limited. Reservations are recommended. 

Step back in time when you step into the Quarry Hill Cave! Quarry Hill Park was once part of the Rochester State Hospital grounds, and there remain some interesting historic features from a century of agriculture, quarry operations, and more. Learn about some of these historic features and tour the sandstone storage cave, carved in 1882.

Space is limited. Reservations are recommended. 

Offered for 3 & 4 year old kids with an accompanying grown-up, these classes are all about getting outdoors to explore, learn, and connect to the natural world. New topics monthly. 

February Topic: Our Feathered Friends
Two feet, four feet - small feet, big feet. We all make tracks in the snow!  Bring your valentine, don some snowshoes (weather permitting) and make some 'lovely' tracks of your own as you search for animal tracks and signs. While outside, we will be sure to leave a special valentine for the animals to show them some love, too.

Bring your sweetheart or come with friends for a candlelit evening in nature. 

Follow the glow of candlelight through the woods as you walk through the Valentine themed Love in the Animal Kingdom trivia trail. Then, warm up by the fire inside the Nature Center. Enjoy an adult beverage from the gourmet hot cocoa bar, a sweet chocolate treat, and a nighttime view of Quarry Hill's animal ambassadors. Must be 21+ to attend.

Owls have many adaptations for their life in the forest. Silent flight, sharp talons, and large eyes set forward make them stealthy hunters. Learn about these impressive predatory adaptations and the owl species living in Minnesota. 

Space is limited; Reservations are recommended. 

Step back in time when you step into the Quarry Hill Cave! Quarry Hill Park was once part of the Rochester State Hospital grounds, and there remain some interesting historic features from a century of agriculture, quarry operations, and more. Learn about some of these historic features and tour the sandstone storage cave, carved in 1882.

Space is limited. Reservations are recommended. 

This bird-intensive class will have students observing and identifying birds, live trapping birds for banding, and releasing captured birds to understand how habitat and bird adaptations are related. Data collected is submitted to the United States Geological Survey, which helps scientists understand population, longevity, and migration behaviors.

Have you ever drawn like a scientist? Discover the art of science through this interactive, live animal experience. Students will observe, measure, and scientifically draw to scale a live minnow, beetle, and snail. Paying close attention to the unique features of different bird species, students will work as a group to match a bird's beak to its food to understand how physical adaptations help an animal survive.

Students will learn animal survival strategies, learn about core and extremity body temperatures as they relate to hypothermia, take the ice bucket challenge, and experiment with insulators. Meet at Quarry Hill and dress to be outside for a portion of the class.

Join certified guide and licensed educator, Laura Lenz, and other adults for a Mindful Nature Walk in Quarry Hill Park. These walks are guided experiences designed to immerse oneself in nature.

Join certified guide and licensed K-5 educator, Laura Lenz for a Mindful Nature Walk in Quarry Hill Park. These walks are guided experiences, designed for families, to immerse oneself in nature.

Flock to Quarry Hill and experience birds up close while taking part in the Nature Center's bird banding program. Learn why birds are banded and how bird banding helps with conservation. Then get up close when you learn how to trap, handle, and release wild birds safely! The data gathered from these birds will be submitted to the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory. 

Enrollment is limited. Reservations are recommended. 

Step back in time when you step into the Quarry Hill Cave! Quarry Hill Park was once part of the Rochester State Hospital grounds, and there remain some interesting historic features from a century of agriculture, quarry operations, and more. Learn about some of these historic features and tour the sandstone storage cave, carved in 1882.

Space is limited. Reservations are recommended. 

Offered for 3 & 4 year old kids with an accompanying grown-up, these classes are all about getting outdoors to explore, learn, and connect to the natural world. New topics monthly. 

March Topic: Sticky Sweet Maple Treats

Bring your sweet tooth and discover the natural sugars of Minnesota maple trees. Learn how maple syrup is harvested and made and take part in the process firsthand. Be ready to sample nature's sweet treats!

Throughout the month of March, artist Cassandra Buck invites you to participate in an exciting opportunity to make art that inspires, and contribute to a public art installation at Quarry Hill Nature Center. Whether you're an experienced artist or a beginner, this is a chance to express yourself, connect with others, and leave a lasting mark on the community. 

Throughout the month of March, artist Cassandra Buck invites you to participate in an exciting opportunity to make art that inspires, and contribute to a public art installation at Quarry Hill Nature Center. Whether you're an experienced artist or a beginner, this is a chance to express yourself, connect with others, and leave a lasting mark on the community. 

Throughout the month of March, artist Cassandra Buck invites you to participate in an exciting opportunity to make art that inspires, and contribute to a public art installation at Quarry Hill Nature Center. Whether you're an experienced artist or a beginner, this is a chance to express yourself, connect with others, and leave a lasting mark on the community. 

Love them or not, creepy crawlies are everywhere and play a vital role in our environment! This program highlights the world of invertebrates with an up-close look at a live tarantula, walking stick, and hissing cockroach.

Space is limited; reservations are recommended. 

Step back in time when you step into the Quarry Hill Cave! Quarry Hill Park was once part of the Rochester State Hospital grounds, and there remain some interesting historic features from a century of agriculture, quarry operations, and more. Learn about some of these historic features and tour the sandstone storage cave, carved in 1882.

Space is limited. Reservations are recommended. 

Join us for an exciting hands-on experience where you’ll learn how maple syrup is made! In this interactive program, we’ll take you through the entire process—from tapping the trees to collecting sap and boiling it down to golden syrup. You’ll head outside to see and participate in each step, gaining a deeper understanding of this sweet tradition. To top it all off, you’ll taste nature’s purest sugar—fresh maple syrup straight from the source! Don’t miss out on this fun and flavorful adventure!
Space is limited; reservations are recommended. 

No homework required during this two-day mini camp for grades K-5. Spend your days off enjoying some good-natured fun with a Quarry Hill naturalist discovering the many signs of spring emerging in the park. Explorers and investigators - read on to see which camp is designed especially for your age group.

No homework required during this two-day mini camp for grades K-5. Spend your days off enjoying some good-natured fun with a Quarry Hill naturalist discovering the many signs of spring emerging in the park. Explorers and investigators - read on to see which camp is designed especially for your age group.