FREE Admission to National Parks for Veteran's Weekend (Nov 11-12)

In honor of Veteran's Weekend, there is FREE VEHICLE ADMISSION at all National Parks. YOu have 2 days to get out and enjoy the nature in these places for FREE!

FREE Admission to National Parks THIS SATURDAY

In honor of National Public Lands Day, there is FREE VEHICLE ADMISSION to all National Parks. Enjoy! 

FREE ADMISSION to National Parks THIS FRIDAY

It is the birthday of the National Park Service, so get out an celebrate at your favorite National Park with FREE vehicle admission.

She Is..... Women in the Outdoors Weekend at Eagle Bluff

I believe I have talked about going to the She Is..... Women in the Outdoors Weekend at Eagle Bluff in Lanesboro, MN on this blog before. What maybe I haven't told you before is that this is an event that is open to any women that want to sign up and go to it. I have gone four years in a row now and plan to continue going. This weekend isn't advertised and only spread through word-of-mouth. I had found out about it from another friend who moved away before I could go with her for the first time but I went with the friend that had initially invited her and had been going since this weekend started almost 15 years ago. Over the last 4 years I have had a variety of friends who have joined us and have met a number of new people. Every year when you go there you see a lot of the same familiar faces. There is also a fall weekend, this is the spring one.

I have only ever gone to this spring event. It is held at Eagle Bluff in Lanesboro Minnesota and it is a wonderful facility. 

This year I took classes and beekeeping, rock climbing, Forest Fascination which is taught by a Native American Woman who is the plant lady for their tribe and teaches all of us about how the use all kinds of plants in nature whether it be for food or medicine and how they respect and give back to the Earth. Finally comma the fourth class I took was shotgun. This one was way out of my comfort zone but I wanted to experience it and ask lots of questions because my daughter will be going there for camp this summer for their firearm safety certification camp and we'll be firing both shotguns and rifles while she is there.

We do have a variety of other add-on classes that are optional to take in the evening or an optional Saturday morning yoga which that one I did take. Even though I would much rather sleep in, it feels really good to get up on Saturday morning and stretch everything out before we begin the day.

I can't begin to fully explain to you how empowering it feels to be at these classes. They instruct them in a way that everyone feels comfortable and explain how to do everything safely and correctly even if you have done it a hundred times. 

There is a variety of classes to sign up for this is what I got this year. So if you are reading this and this is something you are interested in then go to the Facebook page and request information so that you get on the email list. The date has been set for the fall weekend. I don't know that I can make it to that one as swim team short course meet season has started. And if you know me personally, let me know that you are interested and I will try to remember to send you the registration when we get it, usually the first week in February. I don't want to bother people about if they want to go or not. I know what kind of fun you are missing out on, but until you get there you don't know what you're missing. Plus it is probably the most reasonably cost women's weekend you will ever have. This year it was $195 for early registration and that includes all of my classes, all of the food, and lodging.

Junior Naturalist Program at MN State Parks

This summer, help your kids become Junior Park Naturalist through the free program at the MN State Parks. The program runs all year long, but why not start this summer and help them earn all 3 badges and fill out their 3 free activity booklets. It will certainly be something they won't forget.

Save $5 on MN State Park Permits

Do you have a Minnesota Zoo Pass?

If so, you already know you get 50% off admission and many zoos across the U.S. 

But did you know that now you can get $5 off your $25 MN State Parks permit.

Read All About It!

Wild Edibles Recipes

I got all these recipes from a wild edibles hike and class I took a while ago and needed to not lose these recipes again. I am taking a similar class this coming weekend, so hopefully I will learn some new interesting ideas for wild edibles to share with my readers.

FREE Admission at National Parks THIS WEEK!

This week through April 23rd is National Parks Week!!! So, All Vehicle Admission fees are waived. A great time to go check them out!

Weaving with Nature

My daughter thought this was such a fun activity to do at the cabin. We had some landscaping to that needed thinning and we used some jute twine to tie between trees and weave flowers and ferns and leaves and stems through it.

Wordless Wednesday: Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area

These pictures were taken in early spring when we went hiking here, we plan to go mountain biking in the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area this summer and fall!

Wordless Wednesday: Turtle Pond at River Bend Nature Center

The turtle pond at River Bend Nature Center is a favorite of my kids. 

FREE Admission at the Minnesota Sculpture Garden on Thursdays

Free Thursdays all day: November through March

Free every third Thursday of the month after 4:30 p.m.: April through October

Other ways to get free admission any time --
* Children 12 & under are always free
* University of Minnesota Students are always free

From now until August 30th, they are having an exhibit of Nature Art with Lego Bricks. We have it on our summer bucket list to go to the arboretum specifically so we can check this out. Of course the rest of the arboretum is pretty awesome as well.

TODAY IS THE 3RD THURSDAY!

GET IN FREE TODAY!

Wordless Wednesday: Minnehaha Falls Regional Park

If you are in the Twin Cities area, a visit to Minnehaha Fall Regional Park is always a nice addition to your plans. You will have to pay to park, but that fee is nominal.