River Bend Nature Center Summer Camps

River Bend Nature Center Summer Camps include activities such as making new friends, playing games, exploring outside, and looking for fossils. Campers may explore dinosaurs, learn about the important role pollinators serve, explore River Bend, create art inspired by what they find, and experiment with art materials made in nature. Other activities include taking hikes, building forts, practicing lighting fires with different methods, cooking a tasty treat, discovering different habitats, trying to catch a glimpse of animals, meeting Animal Ambassadors, learning the basics of archery and atlatls, shelter building, weaving, fire building, cordage making, doing science experiments, campfire cooking, outdoor sports, archery, disk golf, canoeing, fishing, climbing, archaeology, searching for rocks and fossils, high ropes courses, outdoor themed challenges, and chances to run, bike, hike, cross country ski, and snowshoe.

• Ages: 5–14 years old (children entering Kindergarten through 9th grade in Fall 2026)
• Schedule: Two-day sessions, generally Monday–Tuesday or Wednesday–Thursday; River Bend Summer Camps run 9:00am–4:00pm and Adventure Is Out There Camps run 8:30am–4:00pm
• Price: Two-Day Summer Camps for Meadowlarks & Herons: $35 for members and $60 for non-members; Adventure Is Out There Summer Camps: $60 for members and $85 for non-members

River Bend Nature Center Summer Camps are organized into Meadowlarks for campers entering K–2nd grade, Herons for campers entering 3rd–5th grade, and Adventure Is Out There Camps for campers entering 3rd–5th and 6th–9th grades. Each camp has limited space and is filled on a first-come, first-served basis, and by registering, participants agree that the camper will follow River Bend’s Illness Policy, which requires sick participants to stay home and allows staff to send participants home if they display symptoms of contagious illness. Campers may bring their own lunch and snacks or opt in to free breakfast and lunch provided for all summer camps in partnership with Faribault Public Schools and Sodexo Food Service, with no income requirements, forms, or paperwork, and all equipment is provided for archery and atlatls. Adventure Is Out There Camps meet at River Bend and then travel in a 15-passenger van to various destinations, and some of these camps may explore areas that include River Bend and Quarry Hill Nature Center.

River Bend Nature Center’s mission is to help people discover, enjoy, understand and preserve the natural world. Since 1978, River Bend Nature Center has been stewarding natural habitat after being founded by educator Orwin Rustad and a team of volunteers. River Bend Nature Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supported by income from memberships, event registrations, and grants, and depends on community support through membership, volunteering, attending events, or making donations. One 5th grade teacher said, “I love River Bend because I can see so many ecosystems in one place. Prairies, forest, wetland, they have it all!”

Last updated February 22, 2026.