Sally Manzara Interpretive Nature Center

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Sally Manzara Interpretive Nature Center at Sunfish Lake Park, Lake Elmo, Minnesota. Girl playing in a sandboat.

Address: 3554 Kelvin Ave N, Lake Elmo, MN, 55042
Upcoming Events: Jump to Sally Manzara Interpretive Nature Center Events

Website Sally Manzara Interpretive Nature Center
Phone (651) 747-3900
Mon-Sat 9am-3pm
Sun 11am-3pm

Sally Manzara Interpretive Nature Center is a family-friendly nature center within beautiful Sunfish Lake Park in Lake Elmo.  It has a number of interactive, family friendly exhibits and displays, as well as events and programs geared towards families and children, including a Toddler Tuesday program, and a homeschool nature education program.

Sunfish Lake Park

Sunfish Lake Park is a 284-acre natural area managed by the City of Lake Elmo with historical and ecological significance to the area. Kids, families and people of all ages will enjoy exploring, hiking, birding in its lakes, woods, prairies and wetlands.

15 Ideas for year-round family fun

Summer activities

  • Explore the local environment and look for woodland, wetland, and prairie plant communities found within the park. The park includes 17 acres of recently restored prairie wildflowers and grasses. Visitors may want to bring your favorite wildflower identification book or app.
  • Walk or bike the nine miles of trails. Bring your phone to scan QR codes on trail markers to learn more about the natural features of the park. There is also a compass on each trail marker.
  • Go birding or look for wildlife. Many birds spotted in this park are rare or declining in population in the state. Birding Checklist: What to Pack Bird Watching.

Robin feeding its young - Go Birding at Sunfish Lake Park

  • Get messy at the Nature Center’s “Messy Play Area”
  • Play a round of Buckthorn Croquet
  • Go on a Story Walk. Stories change out monthly. Find the pages mounted on the trail that circles the nature center.
  • Print activities like nature journal pages, games and scavenger hunts before visiting. Scroll to the bottom of this page for a link.
  • Watch bees and learn About beekeeping. Safely watch bees in a hive from the indoor observation hive. We’re told that the nature center beekeepers do weekly hive checks on most Thursdays at 10am. Visitors can watch or possibly lend a hand.

Winter activities

  • Snowshoe Borrow free loaner snowshoes at the interpretive center.
  • Cross country ski There are 5 1/2 miles of groomed trails in the park.
  • Fat-tire bike Read more about mountain biking at Sunfish Lake Park at MTB Project.
  • Play in the snow With 248 acres in sunfish lake park, when it snows, there is plenty of it to play in.
  • Sled Listed among our favorite Twin Cities Sledding Hills, the park boasts more than one sledding hill.
  • Hike the nine miles of trails. Hiking trails in Sunfish Lake Park remain groomed through the winter, but note that some do not allow pedestrians. Just like in the summer, the compass and QR code on each trail marker offers useful information.
  • Warm up Stop by the nature center if you are cold. They may even have hot coffee or hot chocolate available.

Girl digging in sandboat at the nature playground at Sally Manzara Interpretive Center in Lake Elmo, Minnesota
Nature play at Sally Manzara Interpretive Center in Lake Elmo, MN

Sally Manzara Interpretive Nature Center

The relatively new nature center at Sunfish Lake Park sits south of the parking lot and is operated separately from the park by the Friends of Lake Elmo’s Sunfish Lake Park, a non-profit organization. The nature center is free to visit, but some activities require a small fee. Family-friendly features of the nature center that make a great day out with the kids include indoor and outdoor exhibits, including:

  • A Messy Play Area nature playground
  • A croquet court with mallets, balls & wickets made with buckthorn removed from the park.
  • A giant birdhouse – whose artist-created occupants changes with the seasons.
  • A big eagle & nest with “giant eggs” kids can sit on.
  • 29 prairie plant demonstration planters created by a local Boy Scout.
  • A “Three Sisters Garden” that combines corn, bean and squash plants in a traditional Ojibway design.
  • A rain garden
  • An upside-down garden display
  • A trail of birdhouses created by local Girl Scouts
  • An indoor observation beehive. Watch the queen and her workers doing their jobs inside the hive.
  • Loaner items can be borrowed at the desk and include kid’s binoculars, magnifying glasses and bug-catchers. You can also pick up a scavenger hunt sheet and a trail map.

Summer camp at Sally Manzara Interpretive Nature Center

The interpretive center hosts 4-day summer camps for kids ages 6 to 10 and 1-day family camps for preschool age kids. Camps cover various nature themes. Find annual prices and dates: Twin Cities Summer Camps: Nature & Outdoor Adventure Camps

We would love to hear about your visit to Sunfish Lake Park or the nature center.  Leave us a comment and tell us how your visit went. What was your family’s favorite part? What would you like to see changed?

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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