EDEN PRAIRIE
COMMUNITY GUIDE 2025
Opportunities for adventure at the Outdoor Center
The welcome, refurbished cabin situated on the north shore of Staring Lake is home to Eden Prairie’ s Outdoor Center. The space offers residents a chance to visit the interpretive nature center and take part in a wide range of classes, workshops, trips and activities in outdoor recreation and environmental education year-round. The center serves as a peaceful, but exciting local destination for residents to explore and connect with nature.
Once inside, visitors can chance a look at some of the resident animals, tap trees during maple syrup season or glide along Staring Lake during a canoe ride. Available in the winter months, visitors can snowshoe through the woodlands surrounding the Outdoor Center or learn how to ice fish. All of the outdoor center activities always manage to prove one thing: adventure awaits at any point during the year.
Group programming is offered through birthday parties, daycares, schools and scouts. These programs are available and can be customized to work for any need, whether it be group size or educational. The center also provides weekly open houses to bring in new and previous participants, entitled“ Nature Rocks!” on Saturdays.
The center includes an observatory housing one of the biggest telescopes in the state. The powerful 16-inch, commercial
16 | EDEN PRAIRIE | COMMUNITY GUIDE 2025 telescope made by Meade( LX200) is computer-operated and guided by GPS satellites for pinpoint accuracy. It is mounted to an equatorial mount that provides amazing stability for clear and sharp looks at all celestial objects. The Star Watch Astronomy program is a monthly event where the observatory roof opens up and an astronomer guides visitors on a stargazing journey.
The Outdoor Center also acts as a special setting for preschoolers ages 3.75-6 to explore, play and learn within an immersive Nature Preschool Program. Children go on hikes, feed and care for the resident animals and expand their natural curiosity through hands-on activities. In addition to early literacy, math and science concepts, children build other important pre-kindergarten skills like sharing, taking turns and following directions. Other areas of focus include creative expression through art, music and movement, giving children a lot of opportunity to build coordination and motor skills.
For more information on the many programs offered at the Outdoor Center, visit edenprairie. org / OutdoorCenter.
Eden Prairie Outdoor Center 13765 Staring Lake Parkway 952-949-8479