Friends of Quarry Hill Nature Center

Quarry Hill Nature Center, open to the public since 1974, is located within 329 acre Quarry Hill park in rochester, Minnesota. The Nature Center utilizes the park's resources (a pond, forest, prairie, stream, limestone Quarry and restored oak savanna) to provide innovative and hands-on natural science and environmental education programs and recreation opportunities for more than 100,000 visitors yearly. These visitors include nearly 35,000 k-12 students from rochester and the surrounding community, 2,400 participants in summer Nature day camp, adult learners, bird watchers, outdoor recreation enthusiasts, scouts and a wide variety of other groups. The science education programs offered to schools tie in with Minnesota state science standards. In addition to science classes and naturalist programs, Quarry Hill also offers ski and snowshoe rental, a self- facilitated exploration hall with live animals and special events and exhibits throughout the year. The Nature Center is admission free and is open to the public 360 days per year.