Welcome to WonderTrek.
Discover the emerging children’s museum coming to Baxter-Brainerd, Minnesota!
Designed to inspire curiosity and launch imaginations, WonderTrek activates your love of self-directed learning. Whether it’s your first visit or 101st, let wonder be your guide!
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Cutting-Edge Exhibits
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Outdoor Recreation
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Nature Play
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Unique Indoor-Outdoor Visitor Experience
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Innovative Programs & Initiatives
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Center for Play & Interactive Learning
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Mobile Programming throughout the Region
Why WonderTrek?
For many of us, North Central MN has been a great place to raise a family and to visit for fun and recreation, but today our region is going through significant changes. For starters, our children are facing unprecedented challenges and employers are struggling to fill good paying jobs. While there’s not one simple solution to our complexity of issues, WonderTrek provides our region a new approach to supporting children and attracting families - an approach with proven results in over 300 communities with their own children’s museum across the country.
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Why a children's museum?
Children's museums are dedicated to understanding the needs of children and families and are early learning innovators. The majority of education funding is focused on primary and secondary education, yet most of brain development occurs before the age of five.
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Why now?
Children face unprecedented challenges. As an accessible resource for families and schools, WonderTrek is an important player in addressing learning loss, isolation, stress, mental health, increasing screen time, and overall healthy development.
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Why here?
Our region is one of the last in MN without its own children's museum. To be competitive, our region needs year-round places for families that support learning, are irresistibly fun, and are not cost prohibitive. Access for all children is WonderTrek's top priority, plus WonderTrek will be a beacon to all who visit.
Upcoming Events
WonderTrek programs have reached more than 24,000 participants throughout minnesota.
Even as an emerging children's museum, WonderTrek has been busy creating learning experiences with children, families, and educators around the region. Whether at pop-up venues or WonderTrek's Play Lab in the Franklin Art Center, WonderTrek sets the stage for children to follow their interests through open ended play and interactive learning programs. Interesting materials, intriguing settings, and imaginative activities provide an invitation to play that keeps families coming back again and again. What’s WonderTrek’s secret? Play > Explore > Learn > Repeat!