Explorers Summer Camp
2024-07-10 09:00 - 16:00, 2024-07-11 09:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | River Bend Nature Center, 1000 Rustad Rd., Faribault, MN, 55021
Explorers – Meadowlarks (K-2)
July 10 & 11, Wed-Thurs, 9am – 4pm
$55 ($30 for members)
Come ready to get messy as we dive into nature using our senses of touch, smell, taste, sight, and sound. We will dig into nature as we explore different habitats and create art inspired by what we discover.
Register Here

Storytime with a Naturalist: Prairie Party
2024-07-13 10:00 - 11:00 | River Bend Nature Center, 1000 Rustad Rd., Faribault, MN, 55021
Storytime with a Naturalist: Prairie Party
All ages. Cost: Free
Saturday, July 13, 2024, 10:00 am-11:00 am
Join a naturalist for storytime on Saturdays! Free to attend. Topics coordinate with Family Painting. Make a day of it and sign up for both!

Family Painting: Prairie Landscapes
2024-07-13 11:00 - 12:30 | River Bend Nature Center, 1000 Rustad Rd., Faribault, MN, 55021
Family Painting: Prairie Landscapes
All ages. Cost: Free
Saturday, July 13, 2024, 11:00 am-12:30 pm
Join artist Kate Langlais for a fun, free family painting program. Learn all about owls in Minnesota and how to paint them! Pre-registration is required to ensure enough supplies are available for participants. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board thanks to legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. Themes coordinate with Storytime with a Naturalist. Make a day of it and attend both!

Nature Art Summer Camp
2024-07-15 09:00 - 16:00, 2024-07-16 09:00 - 16:00 | River Bend Nature Center, 1000 Rustad Rd., Faribault, MN, 55021
Nature Art – Meadowlarks & Herons (K-5)
July 15 & 16, Mon-Tue, 9am – 4pm
$55 ($30 for members)
Get inspired by nature, as we have fun making unique projects! Campers will collect materials from the natural world and craft beautiful works of art.
Register Here

Little Sprouts: What's in the water?
2024-07-15 09:30 - 11:00 | River Bend Nature Center, 1000 Rustad Rd., Faribault, MN, 55021
Little Sprouts: What’s in the water?
Cost: $10/child, $5/member child, adults attend free
Monday, July 15, 2024, 9:30am-11am
Take an adventure and explore what lives in the water at River Bend Nature Center. Dress for the weather, as a portion of the class will be outside.
Register Here

Scales & Tails Summer Camp
2024-07-17 09:00 - 16:00, 2024-07-18 09:00 - 16:00 | River Bend Nature Center, 1000 Rustad Rd., Faribault, MN, 55021
Scales & Tails – Meadowlarks & Herons (K-5)
July 17 & 18, Wed-Thurs, 9am – 4pm
$55 ($30 for members)
Reptiles and amphibians are everywhere! Come explore these animals and their amazing super powers that help them survive in the wild. Why do turtles live in ponds? Can snakes climb trees without arms? Come learn all about reptiles and amphibians and even meet some live animals up close!
Register Here

Member Saturday: Animal Ambassadors
2024-07-20 14:00 - 15:00 | River Bend Nature Center, 1000 Rustad Rd., Faribault, MN, 55021
Member Saturday: Animal Ambassadors
All ages. Cost: Free, members only program
Saturday, July 20, 2024, 2:00 – 3:00 pm
River Bend members are welcomed to come and learn about our animal ambassadors! Experience close encounters with our reptiles and amphibians.

Outdoor Sports, AIOT Summer Camp
2024-07-22 08:30 - 16:00, 2024-07-23 08:30 - 16:00 | River Bend Nature Center, 1000 Rustad Rd., Faribault, MN, 55021
Outdoor Sports, AIOT Summer Camp – (6-9)
July 22 & 23, Mon-Tues, 8:30am – 4pm
$75 ($50 for members)
Join us as we enjoy outdoor sports together! Maybe it is your first time or outdoor sports are your favorite. Either way we’ll have fun with activities such as archery, disk golf, canoeing, kayaking, and swimming.
Register Here

Outdoor Sports - Extreme!, AIOT Summer Camp
2024-07-24 08:30 - 16:00, 2024-07-25 08:30 - 16:00 | River Bend Nature Center, 1000 Rustad Rd., Faribault, MN, 55021
Outdoor Sports – Extreme!, AIOT Summer Camp – (6-9)
July 24 & 25, Wed-Thurs, 8:30am – 4pm
$75 ($50 for members)
It’s extreme! This camp is jam-packed full of extremely exciting outdoor activities such as rock climbing, high ropes courses, zip lining, and mountain biking that your camper will love!
Register Here

Storytime with a Naturalist: Cool Coyotes
2024-07-27 10:00 - 11:00 | River Bend Nature Center, 1000 Rustad Rd., Faribault, MN, 55021
Storytime with a Naturalist: Cool Coyotes
All ages. Cost: Free
Saturday, July 27, 2024, 10:00 am-11:00 am
Join a naturalist for storytime on Saturdays! Free to attend. Topic themes coordinate with Family Paint sessions. Make a day of it and attend both!

Family Painting: Cool Coyotes
2024-07-27 11:00 - 12:30 | River Bend Nature Center, 1000 Rustad Rd., Faribault, MN, 55021
Family Painting: Cool Coyotes
All ages. Cost: Free
Saturday, July 27, 2024, 11:00 am-12:30 pm
Join artist Kate Langlais for a fun, free family painting program. Learn all about owls in Minnesota and how to paint them! Pre-registration is required to ensure enough supplies are available for participants. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board thanks to legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. Themes coordinate with Storytime with a Naturalist. Make a day of it and attend both!

Nature Detectives Summer Camp
2024-07-29 09:00 - 16:00, 2024-07-30 09:00 - 16:00 | River Bend Nature Center, 1000 Rustad Rd., Faribault, MN, 55021
Nature Detectives – Meadowlarks (K-2)
July 29 & 30, Mon-Tue, 9am – 4pm
$55 ($30 for members)
Put on your detective hat as we explore the natural world! Campers will learn to identify the many clues that animals leave behind as we explore River Bend.
Register Here

Guardians of River Bend Summer Camp
2024-07-31 09:00 - 16:00, 2024-08-01 09:00 - 16:00 | River Bend Nature Center, 1000 Rustad Rd., Faribault, MN, 55021
Guardians of River Bend – Herons (3-5)
July 31 & Aug 1, Wed-Thurs, 9am – 4pm
$55 ($30 for members)
Come train to be a fearless guardian of River Bend. Discover the land you will protect, learn what wild plants are edible, practice survival skills and create and train with your very own sword. At the end of camp you will be an official guardian of River Bend!
Register Here

River Bend Bounty
2024-08-01 09:00 - 11:00, 2024-08-06 09:00 - 11:00, 2024-08-08 09:00 - 11:00, 2024-08-13 09:00 - 11:00 | River Bend Nature Center, 1000 Rustad Rd., Faribault, MN, 55021
River Bend Bounty in partnership with PCA

Tuesdays & Thursdays, Ages 55+
With the sun, prairie, and woodlands of River Bend Nature Center you can bring new life to your creative work.If you are a knitter, quilter, painter, artist wannabe. and/or naturalist join us to identify colors you can extract from plants, trees & minerals using it to dye natural fibers during the August Course at River Bend Nature Center(RBNC). (For Ages 55+) Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning August 1 from 9AM-11AM with a concluding event August 29th. Time tbd for the final event. Tuition: Member: $120, Non-Member: $144. (Scholarships available.) If you are a member at RBNC, contact the Paradise Center for the Arts to receive the membership tuition price!

Please register here
Thursdays, August 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th

Tuesdays, August 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th

Bagels & Birds
2024-08-03 10:00 - 11:00 | River Bend Nature Center, 1000 Rustad Rd., Faribault, MN, 55021
Bagels & Birds
All ages. Cost: Free
Saturday, August 3, 2024, 10:00 am-11:00 am
Join us on the first Saturday each month. Enjoy coffee and bagels in a relaxed atmosphere while watching wildlife from the comfort of the Interpretive Center through our Windows on the Wild viewing area. Bagels provided by The Inn at Shattuck.

Family Painting: Forest Landscapes
2024-08-03 11:00 - 12:30 | River Bend Nature Center, 1000 Rustad Rd., Faribault, MN, 55021
Family Painting: Forest Landscapes
All ages. Cost: Free
Saturday, August 3, 2024, 11:00 am-12:30 pm
Join artist Kate Langlais for a fun, free family painting program. Learn all about owls in Minnesota and how to paint them! Pre-registration is required to ensure enough supplies are available for participants. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board thanks to legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Sweet Reads Book Club
2024-08-03 14:00 - 15:00 | River Bend Nature Center, 1000 Rustad Rd., Faribault, MN, 55021
Sweet Reads Book Club
Teens and Adults. Cost: Free
Saturday, August 3, 2024, 2:00 pm-3:00 pm
Join us on the 1st Saturday of each month for a one group discussion on topics that include Environmentalism, Forestry, Wellness, Sustainability, Climate Change, Etc…
August Theme: Sustainable Agriculture
Book 1: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall-Kimmerer

Little Sprouts: Prairie Exploration
2024-08-05 09:30 - 11:00 | River Bend Nature Center, 1000 Rustad Rd., Faribault, MN, 55021
Little Sprouts: Prairie Exploration
Cost: $10/child, $5/member child, adults attend for free
Monday, August 5, 2024, 9:30am-11am
Just outside our doors lives a world of possibilities. We’ll venture over to the prairie to see what lies in wait to be discovered! Dress for the weather, as a portion of the class will be outside.
Register Here

Northfield Community Program Partnership
2024-08-06 13:00 - 14:30 | River Bend Nature Center, 1000 Rustad Rd., Faribault, MN, 55021
Northfield Community Program Partnership

Tuesdays & Fridays, Ages 10+
These programs are in partnership with the City of Northfield. Please register here for these programs.

Tuesday, August 6, 1:00-2:30 pm; Geocaching – At RBNC
Tuesday, August 13, 1:00-2:30 pm; Compass Course – At RBNC
Tuesday, August 20, 10:00-11:30 am & 1:00-2:30 pm; Archery – At RBNC
Friday, August 23, multiple sessions from 9am-2:30pm; Canoe & Kayaking – At Alexander Park, Pavillion #4

Ramble Fundraiser
2024-08-10 16:30 - 19:30 | Inn at Shattuck, 1000 Shumway Ave, Faribault, MN, 55021, United States
Ramble: Building Community Through Nature
Cost: $100 /person
Saturday, August 10, 2024
Social hour & games, dinner and fund-a-need ask at the Inn at Shattuck

Please join River Bend staff Saturday, August 10, for social hour & games, dinner and fund-a-need ask at the Inn at Shattuck. All proceeds directly support River Bend Nature Center’s mission to inspire curiosity, respect and care for nature.

Purchase Fundraiser Tickets Here
