The clouds and rain may come, but there's always something to learn and explore through the state's many interactive nature centers. Here are some of the standouts:
Lowry Nature Center at Carver Park, Victoria: The first public nature center in the Twin Cities includes cellphone audio stops for learning about its tamarack bogs and hardwoods, a seasonal nature-themed playground with giant flowers and a beaver lodge, and a nearby sledding hill and pond. The center rents sleds, kick sleds, all-terrain wheelchairs, walking poles, snowshoes and explorer skis.
Richardson Nature Center, Bloomington: With lively, detail-rich murals and hands-on activities for children, this center sits within Hyland Park. There are trails through prairie, along lakes and among its wooded hills that make the center popular for winter skiers, snowboarders and disc golfers.
Great River Road Visitor Center, Prescott, Wis.: Just across the Mississippi from Hastings, this free destination offers a great overview of the Great River.
Jay C. Hormel Nature Center, Austin: This southern Minnesota visitor center opened this year with resident raptors, a dark area for learning about nocturnal critters and sounds, and a prairie display with pop-up observation bubbles for children.
(This is part of the Big List here)
LISA MEYERS McCLINTICK
