Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center

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Sign: "Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center: Visitors Welcome Daily 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m".; Yellow Arrow points to "Apples"

Address: 12805 St. Croix Trail, Hastings, MN, 55033
Upcoming Events: Jump to Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center Events

Website Carpenter St Croix Valley Nature Center
Phone 651-437-4359
Hours 8am-4:30pm

Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center provides a unique opportunity for families to learn and explore the outdoors. The park is approximately half an hour east of the Twin Cities near the junction of the St. Croix and Mississippi Rivers. Hiking trails wind throughout the pines, savanna, prairies, ravines, an apple orchard, and along the river. Events are offered at both the Minnesota campus and the Wisconsin Campus.

Carpenter Nature Center also offers classes, camps and activities for families, including story times and bird banding.

Two children exploring the Visitor Center at Carpenter-St. Croix Nature Center in Hastings, Minnesota.
Visitor Center

Carpenter St Croix Valley Nature Center Orchard

The orchard boasts 13 varieties of apples. There is not a pick-your-own option, but families can purchase apples when visiting during the harvest season.

Carpenter’s eagle ambassador

Carpenter’s Eagle Ambassador, Phoenix, is a young male bald eagle who was found on the side of a road when he was less than a year old. At the time that he was brought to the Raptor Center, he was very thin, exposed to lead, and unable to fly and unable to be returned to the wild. In May of 2017, he was re-homed to Carpenter and can be viewed at the Visitor’s Center.

Phoenix the eagle ambassador at Carpenter-St. Croix Nature Center in Hastings, Minnesota
Phoenix, Carpenter’s eagle ambassador.

Preschool Storytime at Carpenter Nature Center

Preschool story times are offered once a month on Fridays mornings. Check out the Family Fun Calendar for the next date. These story times are designed to introduce young children ages 2-5 with their grown up to nature in a fun and safe environment. Program includes a nature story, an art or craft project, outdoor exploration, and live animal observation. Pre-registration is required.

Toddler exploring Carpenter Nature Center in Hastings, Minnesota.
Carpenter’s Preschool Storytime includes outdoor time. Dress for the weather.

Carpenter Nature Center annual events

Summer camp at Carpenter Nature Center

Carpenter typically offers three levels of summer camp — a single half-day camp, and week-long camps for ages 5-11 and for ages 10+. All camps have a nature theme. We feature Carpenter Nature Center camps in our annual summer camp guide, where we update prices and dates annually.

Birthday parties at Carpenter Nature Center

Carpenter has facilities available for rent. They also offer Birthday Adventures programs. Choose from pre-planned programs or work with the staff to develop a program geared toward your child’s nature interests. Find this and other nature-centered party ideas in our annual Twin Cities Birthday Parties for Kids: Party in the Park.

More information

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Please Note: FamilyFunTwinCities.com is an independent website run by Twin Cities families for Twin Cities families. We attempt to include the information we find most essential as parents. We make every effort to keep up with changes. However, we are not employed by or connected to this venue, and information sometimes changes without our knowledge. We recommend calling or checking the venue’s website for up-to-date information.

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