Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

What a treat for Grand Rapids to have a place like Frederik Meijer Gardens. This is a beautiful location (even in the winter), and one could spend hours enjoying the gardens and the sculptures. I visited not long after Christmas, and really enjoyed the ‘Christmas Trees of the World’ display. The Japanese garden is also an incredible sight. Based upon only one visit, there is literally nothing to dislike about Meijer Gardens.

Absolutely beautiful. The childrens gardens are engaging and have plenty of stuff to do to keep the kids interested. The indoor conservatory alone was worth the price of admission. They honor membership cards from Fernwood for 25% off admission. I would love to return and see a concert in the amphitheater.
If you like botany/​plants, landscaping and sculpture this place will not disappoint you.

It is always a relaxing time to stroll through the Meijer Gardens.
Peaceful and relaxing.
Enjoy the art of man or the art of God.

An excellent way to spend several hours for the overall cost of 12 dollars for an adult.
–There’s a ton of really cool plants/​flowers/​scenery
–It is all walkable, or you can take a tram if you are up for it
–They often have special exhibits, while I was there it was Dahlias
–The staff is super knowledgeable about the plants and happy to share their information
–Everything is clean and well kept
I’d probably only come here once a year if I lived in the area as I doubt much changes from year to year, but absolutely worth a visit!

I am a huge fan of nature and all of the beautiful things it encompasses. I tend to gravitate towards different gardens when I travel because there is nothing more serene than walking through a garden looking at beautiful flowers and trees. When you add sculptures to the mix it creates a whole other element to the experience. Not only can you take in the beauty of the plants and trees, but you can take in the beauty and intricacies of the sculptures.
At the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, there is a variety of beautiful scenery. I love their inside exhibits especially the waterfall. It feels you are in the middle of a rainforest. I love their sculpture walk. It is pretty big, so you can spend a lot of time there. I suggest following a map because they have some exhibits off the path you may miss if you stick to the road. They have a gorgeous pond you can easily sit and read by if you are in the mood for a relaxing morning or afternoon. Unfortunately we missed the Japanese garden because it was under construction.
Very gorgeous park. I highly suggest going if you are in the area.

My love affair with this place began a little over a year ago while visiting GR for a long weekend. I can honestly say each visit since then I have found yet another reason to love this place. Not only are the flowers beautiful, the sculptures are amazing and the special events are definitely trip worthy. My favorite so far has been the butterflies. They are just beautiful and I love that there is a photo opportunity literally every place you look.
No matter when we come, we always take a walk along the boardwalk It truly is one of my favorite things about this place. I love to see the frogs and turtles in their natural habitat. At first glance everything seems drab and brown compared to the beauty of the flower gardens, but then you realize the delicate ecosystem surrounding you and suddenly you gain an appreciation for it. If you look, you will see the beauty here too.
Our most recent trip was to see the Japanese Gardens that recently opened. As stated in the brochure, they are an ever evolving garden. I think I’ll enjoy it much more when it is filled in with more plants and trees. I only counted a couple Japanese Maple trees, and am hoping they are planning to add a lot more.
Tip: if you come often, look into membership. We purchased our membership on this last visit and I’m excited about all of the reciprocal gardens we can now take advantage of!

We visited on a Sunday (Fathers Day) which I would not recommend. The place was packed and there was no where to park with part of the parking lot blocked for a concert later that night. Odd because they had a graduation also planed while we were visiting and they did not make arrangements for crowd control or parking for them either. The staff was even complaining about students and family going in the gardens since they did not have the ropes up to guide people. There was a beautiful rose show but it was in the basement and no signs once you entered the building so we had to hunt for it and ask a few people. It was chaos up front. Their event coordinator did not do well with the details.
Once in the gardens we found a bit of peace. There are many areas but our favorite was the childrens garden. It was beautiful with color, wetlands, flowers, a fort, and interactive water fun.
The sculpture gardens had Rodin and other amazing artists. The areas outside are natural and over grown so take time to explore. You will miss something if you do not follow the map.
The flowers are not the focus here. There really are not many in June. If you love flower gardens this is not the garden for you. But they do have labels on all their plants and flowers so you can identify the plants. The greenhouse is huge and does feature tropical plants and birds. It is quite lovely.

A very beautiful sculpture park that includes an art gallery as well as a children’s area. They are probably most know for their butterfly exhibit that occures march through April.
I really enjoy walking here with my children. They love to see all the sculptures and the whining pathways.
My personal favorite is the hothouse with the different Eco systems.

c’est une des 1000 attractions au monde qu’il faut voir avant la mort ;-))
C’est tout simplement époustouflant ! 50ha de nature, d’art et d’événements.
On né se lasse jamais de cette beauté et harmonie !
Entre la finesse et le «géantisme «il y a de tout; les mots né suffisent point d’écrire ce lieu; allez le voir et l’admirer.

A truly phenomenal park.
Enormous grounds (more than 30 acres) house spectacular art exhibits and lots of fun activities for the kids. The giant sandbox, the «Great Lakes» garden, the Treehouse Village and the Butterfly Maze are favorites.
The seasonal exhibits, such as the Butterfly exhibit, are always a hit too.
I will say that those without kids may not find it quite as enchanting as us parents (actually, I never set foot inside the park until my son was born), but it makes for such a great diversion for the kiddos, I would recommend the season pass for families.
One of the best parks I’ve ever been to and a regular outing for our family!