Apr 9, 2026 | By: Xzayver Curry
Following last year’s groundbreaking, construction is now underway for WonderTrek Children’s Museum’s Outdoor Adventure campus in Baxter, which will offer outdoor play for kids of all ages.
The museum, which is known for its interactive exhibits and programs, will soon have more land to explore. The organization is building a new outdoor site that will include a stream and pond, a treehouse, adventure trails, and the Adventure Outfitters Studio, an indoor/outdoor programming hub for the site.
“Having these huge features will really draw families in and give them something exciting to do,” said Vanessa Bauer, WonderTrek’s External Relations Coordinator. “And the space that we’re standing [at] right now is our Adventure Outfitters Studio. That’s going to have all the opportunities for families to warm up, craft, explore, play, learn, create–the options are limitless.”
WonderTrek staff believe children are natural explorers, and that when the site is complete, this space will be a great place to use their creative young minds to turn their adventures into reality.
“I think that having this place here to play as a mom myself is such a fabulous asset,” Bauer said. “I’d love my kid to be able to go somewhere and get dirty and messy and play with art and craft supplies, but I’d love that mess to stay there, and I think that this really opens the door for that opportunity for kids to just be kids, get to go have fun.”
Museum Project Director Peter Olson added, “Seeing the look on children’s faces as they walk into WonderTrek for the first time, the sense of awe, that, ‘I can’t believe this place exists for me. Everything is created here for me and my interests and my abilities’: That look of awe and wonder makes all this hard work so worthwhile.”
On Apr. 11, the Day of the Young Child, WonderTrek will hold a free community event from 10 a.m. until noon at the Warrior Early Learning Center in Baxter. Families can get information on preschool in the Brainerd School District, Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) programs, and Early Childhood Screening.