In a reinvented corner of Historic Fort Snelling, kids can solve challenges in the virtual reality-inspired Leadership Portal. They can climb an indoor rock wall, sack out overnight in what used to be a cavalry drill hall and gather around a fireplace built with local limestone and timbers.
On Saturday, Northern Star Scouting — the regional Boy Scouts of America organization — will officially open the doors of its final phase of Base Camp. It's a $26 million urban adventure and leadership camp just off Hwy. 55 that's open to the public, including school, youth and corporate groups.
"We want the entire community to benefit whether or not they ever join the Scouts," said Base Camp Director Kathryn Wyatt. "It teaches teamwork, problem-solving and outdoor skills."
The idea of Base Camp began to take shape more than a decade ago when Scouts leadership decided that if they couldn't persuade every child to join scouting, they'd offer a scouting experience to every child.
"It was a big, audacious goal," said Scouts spokesman Kent York. "It's taking the scouting experience and offering it more broadly in the city."
In 2008, the Northern Star Scouts purchased the cavalry drill hall at Fort Snelling for $4.3 million from the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. The organization spent an additional $4.7 million transforming the 35,000-square-foot building into the TeamBuilding Center that opened in 2010 and welcomed the public — a new strategy for the group that had, in the past, reserved their camps primarily for Scouts.
"We wanted to be a resource for the whole community. It was new to us. We didn't know if people would come," York said.
More than 300,000 kids and adults have flocked to the space since it opened, drawn by its massive indoor rock climbing wall that mimics the bluffs along the St. Croix River at Taylors Falls, a high ropes course, indoor archery range and ample space for indoor camping and games.