Opening Day Festival on July 7th, 2025
In partnership with Westwood Hills Nature Center
Watch the video to learn how to make your own small wonder. Need more inspiration? Check our our Trail of Small Wonders Idea Booklet!
Trail of Small Wonders Opening Day!
Magic comes to Westwood Hills Nature Center! For the fourth enchanting year, St. Louis Park Friends of the Arts in collaboration with the Westwood Hills Nature Center hosts the second Opening Day Festival for the Trail of Small Wonders on Monday, July 7, 4:30 to 8 pm.
The grand unveiling of the Trail of Small Wonders features a miniature world of tiny hand made dwellings for fairies, elves, gnomes and perhaps a few trolls, as well as butterfly stilt walkers, music and dance performances, story telling, hands-on art stations, and puppets.
The Opening Day Festival is free and open to all. Come dressed as your favorite woodland creature and meander along the ADA accessible trail to explore the enchanting abodes created by people of all ages in the community. You might discover a little home on top of a tree stump, nestled among stones and moss, or hanging from branches.
Westwood Hills Nature Center is located at 8300 West Franklin Ave. St. Louis Park.
If you made your small wonder at one of the workshops at WHNC -- all the materials used at the workshop are acceptable and safe to be displayed on the Trail. Check out our Idea Booklet for instructions on how to build your own small wonder!
The pathway of small wonders, which is paved and ADA accessible, begins around the side of the interpretive center building. The installation is free and open to all; no appointment is necessary.
The Nature Center is located at 8300 W Franklin Ave., St. Louis Park, MN 55426. The trails are open every day from sunrise to sunset. The Interpretive Center building is open Monday through Friday, 8am-4:30pm and Saturday and Sunday, 12-5pm. For more information on the Nature Center, see their website.
Come as your favorite woodland creature. Hope to see you there!
2025 Small Wonders Workshops
Learn how to make your own enchanted dwelling at one of four public workshops held at Westwood Hills Nature Center on June 27, 28 and 29. All the supplies and natural materials are provided in the fee-based class, including miniature hand-made ceramic doors. If you want to create your own small wonder at home, peruse the Small Wonders Idea Book and video (above.) Registration will be open at the end of February, stay tuned!
2021 Workshop
Thanks to all of our 20 workshop participants who joined us on Sunday, June 13 2021 to build a fairy house!
2022 workshops
We were able to expand to two workshops with 40 participants in 2022. Thanks to all who participated!
Thank you to our creative leaders and workshop instructors: Wendy Freshman, Marjorie Herdes, Janice Reuland and Merrie Marinovich. Thank you also to the City of St. Louis Park and the Westwood Hills Nature Center, and all of the artists and community members who created Small Wonders for this exhibit.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board and Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund