River Bend Nature Center Summer Camps

River Bend Nature Center Summer Camps include activities such as making new friends, playing games, exploring outside, archery, atlatls, shelter building, weaving, fire building, cordage making, science experiments, campfire cooking, outdoor sports, disk golf, canoeing, fishing, climbing, and high ropes courses. Campers may also dig into the past to discover its secrets, search for rocks and fossils, hike, build forts, practice lighting fires with different methods, cook a tasty treat, create art, experiment with art materials made in nature, look for fossils, learn about the important role pollinators serve, meet Animal Ambassadors, try geocaching and orienteering, take part in canoeing and kayaking, make a turtle-themed craft, and complete outdoor themed challenges.

• Ages: 5–14 years old
• Schedule: Full-day camps generally run between 8:30am and 4:00pm, with most River Bend Summer Camps from 9:00am–4:00pm, Adventure Is Out There Camps from 8:30am–4:00pm, and Rotary Family Camp from 10:00am–4:00pm; many sessions are offered in two-day formats.
• Price: $35–$85 per session, with specific listings of $35–$60 for Two-Day Summer Camps for Meadowlarks & Herons and $60–$85 for Adventure Is Out There Summer Camps.

Since 1978, River Bend Nature Center has been stewarding natural habitat, and it was founded in 1978 by educator Orwin Rustad and a team of volunteers. River Bend Nature Center's mission is to help people discover, enjoy, understand and preserve the incredible natural world that surrounds us all, and it operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. In partnership with Faribault Public Schools and Sodexo Food Service, River Bend Nature Center provides free breakfast and lunch for all summer camps with no income requirements, forms or paperwork, and campers may instead bring their own lunch and snacks if they choose. Camps are open to children entering grades K–9th in the Fall of 2026, each camp has limited space and is filled on a first-come, first-served basis, and registration opens first to RBNC members on January 1, 2026, with general public registration beginning January 16, 2026. Rotary Family Camp is structured for youth and their adults to participate in camp activities together, and participants are asked to dress for the weather, including tennis shoes, and pack their own lunches. All activities are subject to change based on weather, and by registering for camp, participants agree that the camper will follow River Bend's Illness Policy, which allows staff to send a participant home if they display symptoms of a contagious illness such as coughing, sneezing, fever, chills, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, vomiting, runny nose, or sore throat. Testimonials about River Bend Nature Center include a 5th grade teacher stating, "I love River Bend because I can see so many ecosystems in one place. Prairies, forest, wetland, they have it all!" and founder Orwin A. Rustad stating, "Nature education is done best in the out-of-doors rather than in the classroom."

Last updated July 26, 2026.