CALENDAR

GREAT THINGS HAPPENING EVERY DAY

2025
2026
Jan
Feb
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Dec

January 2025

Winter Break Activities: Winter Survival Game
Free and open to all.

January 2nd, 1:00 pm3:00 pm

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. 

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Winter Break Activities: Cave Tour and MN Bats
Free
Call for Reservations
January 3rd, 1:00 pm2:00 pm

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. 

 

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Bird Banding Program
Free
Call to Register
January 5th, 1:30 pm2:30 pm

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. 

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Cave Tour
Free
Call to register.
January 12th, 1:30 pm2:30 pm

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. 

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Good Natured Kids: Our Feathered Friends
$18
$15/members
Register online.
January 14th, 9:30 am11:00 am

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. 

 

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Friday Night Lights
$8/person

Tickets here.
January 17th, 5:30 pm8:00 pm

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

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Critter Spotlight - Animals Surviving Winter
Free
Call to register.
January 19th, 1:30 pm2:30 pm

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. 

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Cave Tour
Free
Call to register.
January 26th, 1:30 pm2:30 pm

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. 

read more
Friday Night Lights
$8/person

Tickets here.
January 31st, 5:30 pm8:00 pm

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

read more

February 2025

Bird Banding Program
Free
Call to Register
February 2nd, 1:30 pm2:30 pm

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. 

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It's Snow Crazy
February 8th, 1:30 pm3:30 pm

Get ready to experience snow like you never have before!

Bundle up and bring your family and friends for an afternoon of snow games.

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Cave Tour
Free
Call to register.
February 9th, 1:30 pm2:30 pm

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. 

read more
Good Natured Kids: Tracks! Who goes there?
$18/pair
$15/members
Register Online
February 11th, 9:30 am11:00 am

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.

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Valentine's Hike by Candlelight
$15/person

Tickets Here
February 14th, 6:00 pm9:00 pm

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.

 

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Critter Spotlight - Owls
Free
Call to register.
February 16th, 1:30 pm2:30 pm

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. 

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Cave Tour
Free
Call to register.
February 23rd, 1:30 pm3:00 pm

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. 

read more
Homeschool Class: Bird Adaptations, Ages 8-10
$9/student

Register online.
February 26th, 1:00 pm2:45 pm

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.

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Homeschool Class: Examining Life, Ages 5-7
$9/student

Register online.
February 26th, 1:00 pm2:45 pm

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.

 

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Homeschool Class: Winter Survival, Ages 11-14
$9/student

Register online.
February 26th, 1:00 pm2:45 pm

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.

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March 2025

Bird Banding Program
Free
Call to Register
March 2nd, 1:30 pm2:30 pm

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. 

read more
Cave Tour
Free
Call to register.
March 9th, 1:30 pm2:30 pm

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. 

read more
Good Natured Kids: Sticky Sweet Maple Treats
$18/pair
$15/members
Register Online.
March 11th, 9:30 am11:00 am

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!

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Critter Spotlight - Creepy Crawlies
Free
Call to register.
March 16th, 1:30 pm2:30 pm

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. 

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Cave Tour
Free
Call to register.
March 23rd, 1:30 pm2:30 pm

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. 

read more
Maple Syruping Program
Free
Call to Register
March 30th, 1:30 pm2:30 pm

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. 

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April 2025

Good Natured Kids: How Egg-citing, it’s spring!
$18/pair
$15/members
Register Online
April 8th, 9:30 am11:00 am

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: How Egg-citing, it’s spring! 

Get ready to hatch some fun as we investigate what babies are cracking free from their eggs. We will hike through the park scouting for nests and then try out nest building for ourselves. Finally, let’s celebrate the beauty of the egg by adorning some with naturally colored dye.

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May 2025

Good Natured Kids: How does your garden grow?
$18/pair
$15/members
Register Online
May 13th, 12:00 am12:00 am

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. 

May Topic: How does your garden grow?

Get the scoop on how to nurture nature in your very own backyard by starting seeds that will create a delicious wildlife buffet.  First, we will sow some seeds for wildlife in the park and then decorate a flowerpot for the seeds you can grow at home. 

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June 2025

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September 2025

October 2025

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