Stumbled upon this little gem yesterday while on our way to the grocery store. Who knew that Richfield had a 150-acre cattail marsh in the middle of the city? We decided we needed to stop and check this place out. Nestled between 35W and Lyndale Ave, this nature center is home to migrating birds and waterfowl, includes 3 miles of walking trails, and a boardwalk through the marsh.
You can visit the nature center Monday-Saturday: 8:30 am-5:00 pm and Sunday: 12:00-5:00 pm. The trails are open daily from sunrise to 11:00 pm. We started our visit by walking through the main building which has all kinds of taxidermied animals native to this area. There are also some tanks filled with turtles and salamanders for kids to observe. There are a few interactive spaces for kids to learn about animal habitats, sounds, and body structures.
After about 20 minutes in the main building, we headed out to the marsh trails. There are a few routes you can take to explore the grounds that extend from 0.1 miles up to 1.8 miles. We took the Boardwalk Trail (0.8 miles) that takes you along the wooden path over the marsh waters. As you walk along the boardwalk you can look for birds, turtles, fish, and salamanders. Teddy thought it was so cool to be walking on a floating path across the water. We watched the fish swimming in the water and laughed as the geese ran across our path. I highly recommend a visit!
6710 Lake Shore Drive
Richfield, MN 55423
612-861-9365
Cost: Free
