Tour De Nature Centers - Richardson

On our way home from the Cleary Lake camping trip we stopped by Richardson Nature Center. The exterior building design AND the indoor interpretive center space blew us away! If you live in the city with children and you want a nature-filled place to go without driving far, this is your place!

 

From the indoor viewing windows, we checked out the four resident beehives, hummingbirds, bluejays, chickadees, and a wild turkey!

Outside we encountered a goose and her babies, a painted turtle, and a fort-building space!

Again, we are worried about the summer mosquito population, but we just might brave it anyway to bring Mane and a group of her homeschool buddies out for a day of fort-building.

Tour De Nature Centers - Cleary Lake

While technically not a nature/interpretive center, Cleary Lake Regional Park offers plenty of wide open space and nature-centered activities for nature-seekers like ourselves! The building features a "snack shop," fireplace, and indoor/outdoor seating.

We camped at one of the "hike-in" campsites in the Basswood Campground over Memorial weekend. There were carts for hauling stuff to the campsite. (Alas, if only we could have snagged one of those on this busiest of all busy camping weekends, though none of the sites were so far from the parking space that hauling everything was overly burdensome.)

The campground does not have showers, but it does have clean pit toilet buildings (solid wood structure, cement floors  - not standard outhouses), and the main visitor center and beach building both have flush toilets and sinks with running water.

We enjoyed a trip around the two islands in Cleary Lake on a paddle boat. The park rents out paddle boats, canoes and kayaks. (And there's a group camp site on one of the islands!)

The beach was a busy place during the daytime, but the chilly mornings & evenings found it still and  quiet:

Cleary Lake also offers a Pavilion rental space for events. They were setting up for a wedding inside. Otherwise, I might have taken more photos! The round fireplace in the center of the building, along with the vaulted ceiling and windows overlooking the lake make the building both seem cozy and expansive...

A view from the campground peninsula of the beach & rental building across the lake:

We are a little worried that the mosquitoes might be bad here in the summer. There are lots of little marshy areas and ponds. But it was a lovely place for a spring camping trip - less than 40 minutes from home and tucked back in the trees!

Summer Fun 2014

It's that time of year again! There are so many things to do in our beautiful city over the summer and so many of them are FREE! I need a place to keep track of them all, and a blog post seemed like the natural place to write it all down and SHARE it, too!!

Minneapolis Music and Movies in the Park:
There are free concerts and movies in the park EVERY night in Minneapolis all summer. The inflatable mobile movie screen makes an appearance at a different park each night. Bring your picnic blankets and/or lawn chairs, snacks, drinks, and bug repellent! We tend to go early to appreciate the playgrounds, pools, splash pads or large fields for flying kites! Lots of kids come in pajamas with their pillows for an easy transition to bed once the movie is over.

Nine Nights of Music:
Tuesdays, July 1st-August 26th. Dance instruction by the Tapestry Folkdance Center begins at 6:30pm. Concerts are from 7-8:30pm. Each night features a different culture and style of music.

Ordway's Summer Dance Series:
Offers free dance lessons and live music at Rice Park in St. Paul on Thursdays June 19th-July 24th. Lessons at 6pm, Music at 7:15pm.

Cromulent Shakespeare Company:
Presents free performances of The Comedy of Errors in various parks around Minneapolis and St. Paul throughout the month of June.

Minnesota Orchestra:
Presenting Symphony for the Cities June 30th in Hudson, WI and July 1st in Plymouth, MN. These are free evening outdoor concerts! 

The Medalist Concert Band:
A group of 70 volunteer musicians from around the Twin Cities offer free concerts at various locations in June and July (including Como Pavilion, Lake Harriet Bandshell, and Centennial Lakes Amphitheater). We have a friend playing in this one! 

MN State Fair Non Fair Events Calendar:
Check out the Non Fair Events Calendar and find horse shows, pet a palooza, car shows, book sales, jewelry shows, train shows, beer events, etc, etc, etc... all year round.  (Note: some of these events are NOT free.)

Como Park Groovin' In the Gardens:
A free outdoor concert series at Como Park Zoo & Conservatory every Wednesday June 18th-August 6th 6-8pm. Entertainment includes, not just music, but a climbing wall, bounce house & lawn games!

Three Rivers Park District:
Visit a nature center! The Three Rivers Park District nature centers are phenomenal! Offering both indoor and outdoor exploration, for any kind of weather, these are some of our favorite places to get out of the city hubbub.

MN State Parks:
Check out the MN State Parks calendar of summer events! Most of the events are free, and there are a variety of parks within reasonable driving distance of the Twin Cities.