At the heart of the 3,300-acre Carver Park Reserve, located just west of Chanhassen, is the Lowry Nature Center. Designed for adults, school children, and families, the nature center offers programs on such topics as bird banding, maple syrup-making, pond studies, winter survival, star gazing, and more. A 1,700-foot boardwalk winds through marsh and tamarack swamps, while wood-chipped trails through the woods allow visitors to observe deer, raptors, beavers, otters, butterflies, trumpeter swans, and ospreys.

• Sign up for a stargazing class at the Lowry Nature Center, to learn more about the wide universe that surrounds you.
• Visit the historic Grimm Farm and step back into the life and times of Wendelin and Julianna Grimm, who developed the first winter-hardy alfalfa in North America.