Search For Fossils At Quarry Hill Nature Center In Minnesota Which Was A Teeming Seabed Once Upon A Time

One of the best places for fossil hunting in Minnesota - a place where you’re actually permitted to keep some of the fossils you find - is Quarry Hill Nature Center near Rochester.

Quarry Hill is a popular park and nature center just outside Rochester.

(Although it’s a beloved park today, the area has a creepy history.)

Folks visit the park year-round for its many trails and forested hills.

One of its best features is its nature center and “Exploration Hall.”

Inside, kids of all ages will find all manner of interactive displays and exhibits.

These range from live animals, like the nature center’s resident snakes and northern saw-whet owl, to furs and bones for touching.

The dinosaur bones are especially popular.

One of the biggest draws, however, is the nature center’s exhibits regarding the region’s fossil history.

Almost half a billion years ago, the site where the nature center is located lay at the bottom of a shallow sea.

The quarry for which the park is named exposed the sedimentary limestone that was once the seabed.

Visitors today are able to see the many fossils that evoke the teeming sea life that once lived here.

Many types of fossilized coral, such as sunflower coral, are visible in the rock.

Brachiopods, of which several varieties are in evidence, are also common fossils at Quarry Hill.

Fossil hunting is permitted at Quarry Hill, and you’re allowed to keep any fossil that fits in your hand.

With the ample resources available at the nature center, you can learn all about how the animals of today become the fossils of tomorrow.

Visit Quarry Hill Nature Center’s website for programs, hours, and more information about fossil hunting. Have you visited Quarry Hill? What are some other awesome places for fossil hunting in Minnesota?