Nature Centers

1,600 acres of prairie, savanna, and St. Croix Valley woods in Afton, with seven miles of public trails, a restored bison herd, and guided hikes. Free, open daily.

Over five hundred acres of wetland and upland with a boardwalk running from the Lexington Avenue car park through to East Lake Park. Free, and quiet on a weekday.

The Park Board's interpretive center at North Mississippi Regional Park, right on the river — exhibits inside, trails and river access out back. Free.

A nonprofit nature center on the St. Croix river bluffs in Hastings, with valley trails, raptor programs, and an apple orchard. Free; donations welcome.

A nonprofit preserve in West St. Paul with a working farm, prairie, and woodland trails. The trails are free to walk; the farm animals are the draw for kids.

The Three Rivers nature center at Elm Creek Park Reserve in Dayton — trails through prairie and big woods, with exhibits and naturalist programs. Free.

New building on the Mississippi with a wrap-around deck onto the Treetop Trail, river exhibits, and free backpack kits to borrow — trees, birds, insects — before you walk out.

Fifty-two acres of marsh and forest with boardwalk through both, free to walk. The interpretive building is open Tuesday to Saturday 10–4 and Sunday afternoons — painted turtles on the logs, migrating songbirds in spring.

The first public nature center built in the Twin Cities, at Carver Park Reserve in Victoria — trails, exhibits, and a spring maple-syrup season. Free.

The Three Rivers nature center at Hyland Lake Park Reserve in Bloomington, known for its raptors and restored prairie. Trails and exhibits, free.

A nature centre that is also an art gallery, on the bank of Silver Lake. Rotating shows, a café doing local snacks, and canoes and kayaks to rent from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Daily 9 to 5.

A 127-acre Fridley preserve with three-plus miles of trails through woods and wetland, plus an interpretive building and boardwalks. Free.

A 320-acre Ramsey County preserve in White Bear Township, with trails, a discovery hollow, and a big natural play area. Free; donations welcome.

Anoka County's nature center in the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes reserve at Lino Lakes — a lakeside interpretive building, boardwalks, and trails through marsh and woods. Free.

160 acres of prairie, forest, and marsh in St. Louis Park, with three miles of trail — paved, boardwalk, and wood-chip — and a modern net-zero interpretive center. Free.

Richfield's 150-acre marsh preserve, with a floating boardwalk out over the water and an interpretive building. Free.