Cancellation Policy
Activity fees are nonrefundable. No full or partial refunds will be given, except for camp cancellations with advance notice.
Activities
Experience Nature All Year Long
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List of Events
One Last Wild Day (West St. Paul) Grades 1-2
$70
Registration for this program is closed. Visit the Activities Calendar for more upcoming programs. One last camp-style adventure awaits before the school year begins! Nature will be your playground as you hide in the tall prairie grasses, climb trees in the woods, and look for turtles and toads around the pond. Meet cows, sheep, chickens, and more animals on the farm. Gather around the campfire to send off summer with a toasty treat. What to bring Kids will spend most of their…
Find out more »One Last Wild Day (West St. Paul) Grades 3-4
$70
Registration for this program is closed. Visit the Activities Calendar for more upcoming programs. One last camp-style adventure awaits before the school year begins! Spend the day exploring, creating, and playing in the woods, wetlands, and prairie of Dodge. Discover the lives of plants and animals, make forts and shelters, and enjoy snacks around a campfire you’ll build yourself. Send summer off the Dodge way. What to bring Kids will spend most of their time outside—dress for the weather in clothing that can get dirty…
Find out more »One Last Wild Day (Cottage Grove) Grades 1-2
$70
Registration for this program is closed. Visit the Activities Calendar for more upcoming programs. One last camp-style adventure awaits before the school year begins! Nature will be your playground as you learn and play in the big woods and farm fields of Shepard Farm. Meet cows, sheep, chickens, and more animals on the farm. Gather around the campfire to send off summer with a toasty treat. What to bring Kids will spend most of their time outside—dress for the weather in clothing…
Find out more »One Last Wild Day (Cottage Grove) Grades 3-5
$70
Registration for this program is closed. Visit the Activities Calendar for more upcoming programs. One last camp-style adventure awaits before the school year begins! Spend the day exploring, creating, and playing in the big woods and farm fields of Shepard Farm. Discover the lives of plants and animals, make forts and shelters, and enjoy snacks around a campfire you’ll build yourself. Send summer off the Dodge way. What to bring Kids will spend most of their time outside—dress for the weather in clothing that can get…
Find out more »Intro to Beekeeping
$280
Have you always wanted to keep honeybees, but didn’t know where to start? Here’s your chance! Learn beekeeping from Dodge staff at Shepard Farm in Cottage Grove. You’ll work bees throughout the entire season, starting from a new package in spring, harvesting honey at summer’s end, and preparing the hives for winter. Protective gear (bee suit, gloves, and veil) is required to work in the hives. Participants must provide their own gear. We recommend Mann Lake Bee & Ag Supply for gear needs.
Find out more »One Last Wild Day (Cottage Grove) Grades 1-2
$70
Registration for this program is closed. Visit the Activities Calendar for more upcoming programs. One last camp-style adventure awaits before the school year begins! Nature will be your playground as you learn and play in the big woods and farm fields of Shepard Farm. Meet cows, sheep, chickens, and more animals on the farm. Gather around the campfire to send off summer with a toasty treat. What to bring Kids will spend most of their time outside—dress for the weather in clothing…
Find out more »One Last Wild Day (Cottage Grove) Grades 3-5
$70
Registration for this program is closed. Visit the Activities Calendar for more upcoming programs. One last camp-style adventure awaits before the school year begins! Spend the day exploring, creating, and playing in the big woods and farm fields of Shepard Farm. Discover the lives of plants and animals, make forts and shelters, and enjoy snacks around a campfire you’ll build yourself. Send summer off the Dodge way. What to bring Kids will spend most of their time outside—dress for the weather in clothing that can…
Find out more »First Heat: Coal Forge Blacksmithing Sampler
$115
Join blacksmithing instructor Lee Meilleur from Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center for a one-day blacksmithing workshop at Dodge’s forge at Shepard Farm! Get a taste of blacksmithing as it's been done throughout the ages in this introductory workshop, designed with newcomers in mind. You'll learn about traditional methods and equipment, including the coal forge, hammer, tongs, and anvil. Practice your technique by forging an S hook, a J hook, or a shape that has yet to be invented. Feel the force when shaping molten metal! No experience necessary.…
Find out more »Offices Closed – Trails Open
Dodge buildings and offices will be closed for Labor Day. Trails are open during daylight hours for you to hike and explore!
Find out more »Mixed Precipitation’s Pickup Truck Opera: Tales of Hoffmann
Free
With the barn as your backdrop, come to Dodge Nature Center to enjoy Tales of Hoffmann! Mixed Precipitation celebrates 18 years of outdoor opera with their futuristic version of Jacques Offenbach’s 1881 opera. ABOUT THE SHOW Follow the wild adventures of traveling poet, Hoffmann, as he seeks love and creative inspiration in a world overrun by technology. He meets ghosts, robots, magicians, and shape-shifting demons in this lively fantasy. With a mix of 1990s grunge and R&B, the Pickup Truck Opera is a…
Find out more »Blacksmithing Basics 1 with Coal Forge (8-session Series)
$450
Join blacksmithing instructors from Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center for an eight-session dive into the basics of blacksmithing at Dodge’s forge at Shepard Farm! This course is designed to ignite your passion for blacksmithing and introduce you to the seemingly endless ways of shaping iron with fire and hammer. You’ll gain basic knowledge of iron and its characteristics, an understanding of the dynamics of forging using a coal forge, and the ability to safely shape iron. By the end of this class, you’ll have covered the basic forging processes,…
Find out more »Fall Farm Tour
$10
Experience the sights, sounds, and smells of fall on Dodge’s farm! Tour the barnyard and meet pigs, sheep, chickens, goats, and cows.
Find out more »Farm to Flapjack
$25
Head to the farm to meet some barnyard friends and discover where breakfast begins! Collect fresh ingredients, churn butter, crack farm-fresh eggs, and practice your pancake-flipping skills before gathering around the table to enjoy a stack of delicious homemade flapjacks.
Find out more »Coal Forge Blacksmithing Project Shop: Fire Poker
$140
Join blacksmithing instructor Lee Meilleur from Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center for a one-day blacksmithing workshop at Dodge’s forge at Shepard Farm! Transform a piece of raw metal into an artistic yet functional fire poker for your fireplace or fire pit. You'll learn about traditional methods and equipment, including the coal forge, hammer, tongs, and anvil. To create your custom hand-forged piece, you'll practice essential skills: taper, bend, twist, forge weld, and collar. Open to beginners, though some forging experience will be helpful. All materials and consumables included in class…
Find out more »Down on the Farm
$10
Join a naturalist for a tour of Shepard Farm in Cottage Grove! Meet farm animals as you explore the historic barn, poultry pens, and wide pastures.
Find out more »Dancing at Dodge
$45
Join naturalist fellows Simone Gingerich-Boberg and Ceili Allder for a 3-week series of movement exploration at Dodge! Each class will bring movement to the outdoors: swoop like a sparrow, reach like a branch, and leap like a frog. Kids will be introduced to grounding warm-up exercises, foundational movement techniques, and investigations of the natural world. Each class will end with an opportunity for participants to apply newfound skills in creating their own movement phrases. This program is designed for children ages 5–7. Children will participate independently; adults are welcome to…
Find out more »Nature After Dinner: The Buzz About Bees
$15
Join naturalist Pam Welisevich for an eye-opening look into the fascinating world of bees! Dive into the hive to learn how these animals communicate and why they are so important to our food web.
Find out more »Nature Playdate
$80
Join naturalist Michael Harrison, M. Ed., for 4-week fall series of Nature Playdates! Explore the woodlands, farm, and animals at Shepard Farm in fall. Each class will include an inside group gathering time, a short walk (a quarter- to a half-mile) outside exploring Dodge’s ecosystems, and a closing activity. Through this program, adults will gain confidence being outdoors with their young child and learn strategies to support their development. This program is designed for children ages 2–5 years. The $80 cost is per child; an adult must accompany each child at no additional cost. A child will get the most out of the class if they can move independently…
Find out more »Catnip and Crafts for Your Cat
$25
Come to Shepard Farm to learn how to identify, forage, and grow plants that cats have loved for generations! Hike through the woods in search of cat-friendly herbs, then use your favorite dried herbs to create a handmade toy for your feline friend. Before you leave, plant catnip seeds in a small pot to take home and grow on your porch or windowsill.
Find out more »Night for Nature 2026
$85
Dodge Nature Center’s 60th anniversary is coming up in 2027, and we’re kicking off this historic milestone at Night for Nature! For six decades, Dodge has grown because of people like you: people who believe in the power of nature and the importance of protecting it for future generations. Join us for an unforgettable evening outdoors as we celebrate Dodge’s past, honor the community that has helped us thrive, and raise funds to support 60 more years—and beyond—of environmental education.…
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