This garden in the American Midwest has been recognized as one of the world’s top destinations for its botanical and sculptural experiences. It has earned two significant recognitions: USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice named it the Top Sculpture Park in the United States, while The Art Newspaper, a global art publication, ranked it as the 89th most-visited museum in the world.

The outdoor sculpture park’s permanent collection features hundreds of sculptures by some of the most respected names in art, including Magdalena Abakanowicz, El Anatsui, Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder, Mark di Suvero, Marshall Fredericks, Henry Moore, Beverly Pepper, Jaume Plensa, Auguste Rodin, Richard Serra, and Ai Weiwei. Indoor galleries hosting rotating exhibitions have showcased works by Jonathan Borofsky, Edgar Degas, Jim Dine, Richard Hunt, Cristina Iglesias, Michele Oka Donor, and George Segal.

In addition to its collection, the park features one of the country’s largest interactive children’s gardens and arid and Victorian gardens adorned with bronze sculptures by Degas and Rodin. Visitors can also explore a unique carnivorous plant house and a variety of outdoor gardens, including an eight-acre Japanese garden and a replica 1930s-era farm garden.

Look at the fun waiting for you at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park through the seasons.

Winter

You may be surprised at the number of activities at the gardens in the winter. Dress for the weather, and you’ll have a lot of fun.

ENLIGHTEN

While the garden is open in the winter and can be explored as in any other season, they also have a special evening exhibit called ENLIGHTEN during the holidays.

ENLIGHTEN is a one-mile loop that begins at the amphitheater’s entrance and ends at the conservatory, where you can also see the indoor Christmas exhibits. The winter wonderland mixes sculptures, nature, light, and music for an exploration of the senses.

They synchronize interactive light installations to traditional holiday music from around the globe, so you become immersed in the environment around you. The sculptures you’ll encounter include iconic masterpieces by artists like Henry Moore, Auguste Rodin, and Ai Weiwei. The exhibit features Nina Akamu’s The American Horse, complemented by works from Mark di Suvero and Roxy Paine, all illuminated with a color explosion.

While the weather may be wintry, many displays along the way feature fire pits, where you can warm up a bit before proceeding to the next sculpture.

Christmas Tree & Holiday Traditions Exhibition

The ENLIGHTEN experience ends at the indoor conservatories with a global celebration of holiday trees at the annual University of Michigan Health-West: Christmas & Holiday Traditions exhibition. The conservatories and indoor spaces at Meijer Gardens are transformed into a Christmas wonderland, showcasing displays of Christmas trees and exhibits that honor the diversity of holiday customs from around the world.

For our family, a highlight of the exhibition was the mesmerizing Railway Garden, which winds its way through three indoor theme gardens, including the Grace Jarecki Seasonal Display Greenhouse and the Earl & Donnalee Holton Victorian Garden Parlor. With its trolleys, trains, and handcrafted buildings, it features more than 40 landmarks from West Michigan and Grand Rapids Sister Cities.

The towering poinsettia tree was added in 2024. It’s in the observatory and includes hundreds of flowers and a large moss tree display.

Piper’s Pro Planning: You’ll enter the ENLIGHTEN exhibit through the amphitheater’s entrance. You must make timed ticket reservations online. We found complimentary wheelchairs located near the ticket window.

Spring

While there’s still a chill in the air, inside the Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory is the place to explore.

Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory

The 158-acre main campus features Michigan’s largest tropical conservatory, a five-story, 15,000-square-foot glass house.  In March and April, it becomes a Butterfly Garden with over 60 butterfly species from Central and South America, Africa, and Asia on display.

While this exhibit is terrific for all ages, it’s educational for pre-K and lower elementary school students. What I liked about this exhibit is that it shows the stages of the butterfly’s life cycle—egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and adult butterfly. Although we didn’t see the eggs, we did see caterpillars and chrysalis, in addition to the adult butterflies. In this real-life experience, the kids will be reminded of Eric Carlyle’s book The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Check the website and get this experience on your calendar because this is a spring activity. They also offer a variety of special-related activities, especially during Spring Break. The time for this one seems to pass before you know it.

Kenneth E. Nelson Carnivorous Plant House

Carnivorous plants are a favorite with the kids, and the Carnivorous Plant House features all types of meat-eating plants. The Venus Fly Traps are relatively common, but you’ll also see butterworts, pitcher plants, and sundews. Visiting these ferocious plants will make you a cool parent or grandparent.

Piper’s Pro Planning: Get ready to see many beautiful butterflies in the conservatory. They might even land on you, which is such a fun experience. Just a quick reminder—before you head out, make sure no butterflies are still hanging on for a ride.

Summer

Summer is the time when everyone plans to explore the gardens, and it is a great time. The kids are out of school for the summer, and you’ll be looking for things to do with them. So, while the adults are exploring Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, this is the perfect time to get the kids off their screens and get some fresh air.

Lena Meijer Children’s Garden

A giant mouse greets the kiddos as they enter the garden through their own special door. The country’s largest interactive children’s garden is the five-acre Lena Meijer Children’s Garden at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, which emphasizes sculpture.

The Great Lakes Garden is a collaborative water feature where children can explore Michigan as a peninsula surrounded by the Great Lakes.

The interactive children’s garden features a variety of activities. For example, the kids can experience the Five Senses Garden—touch a soft lamb’s ear plant, see brightly colored flowers, hear running water, and smell the mint. They can dig for fossils in the rock quarry or climb in the treehouse.

The Kids’ Tram transitions children from their unique space to the rest of the Sculpture Park. Teacher-led tours included songs to match specific sculptures. Children explore the Lying Man sculpture while they lead in a round of Frere Jacques. The I, you, she or he sculpture group by Plensa elicits a round of the ABC song.

You’ll also find an adult tram that allows adults to explore the vast park more easily. Check the website for departure times.

Fifth Third Bank Summer Concerts

While I love exploring the garden during the summer months, for the abundance of flowers, you’ll also find a summer concert series. The 1,900-seat outdoor amphitheater garden features the Fifth Third Bank Summer concerts, an eclectic mix of world-renowned touring musicians.

Piper’s Pro Planning: Admission to the gardens is NOT included in the price of concert admissions. The tickets are separate.

Fall

I love Michigan’s fall foliage, and the gardens, with their surrounding trees, are a perfect place to see it as a backdrop to the sculptures.

Chrysanthemums & More

As the summer flowers fade, the autumn celebration called Chrysanthemums & More adds an explosion of purples, golds, and burgundies. The colors burst into an entire wall of chrysanthemums in the Grace Jarecki Seasonal Display Greenhouse, while even more Chrysanthemums line the walks in the outdoor gardens. Fall fun events include Fall Family Day, the Fall Bonsai Show, and Hallowee-Ones.

Helen Devos Japanese Garden

Fall is also one of my favorite times to explore the eight-acre Zen-style Japanese Garden. You’ll find an authentic Japanese tea house in the garden, where you can experience Japanese tea ceremonies. Check the calendar to sign up for this experience.

The fall colors add even more beauty to its serenity. This is one of my favorite times to explore the sculptures in the garden. Colorful fall foliage frames the art, making each sculpture pop from its surroundings.

The Welcome Center

No matter the season, from the moment you step inside, the Frederick Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park makes one thing clear: it’s about sculpture. The 69,000-square-foot Welcome Center sets the tone, featuring Jaume Plensa’s stunning Utopia—an immersive work that spans all four walls of the Garden Pavilion. Created in Barcelona from white marble imported from Vietnam, each of the 19 by 86-foot panels showcases a different face. As a primarily figurative artist, Plensa’s pieces reflect his deep appreciation for the common threads connecting cultures, no matter how diverse they seem.

If you’re captivated by Utopia, you’re in luck—Plensa has more to offer. In the outdoor gardens, you’ll encounter his I, you, she or he, a three-figure sculpture group made from hundreds of white alphabet letters. There’s also a sculpture in downtown Grand Rapids near the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel that is a similar alphabet figure.

Piper’s Pro Planning: For those needing extra help navigating the expansive grounds, the Mobility Center offers complimentary electric carts and manual wheelchairs, available on a first-come, first-served basis.

James and Shirley Balk Café

Even if you aren’t hungry, don’t miss the James and Shirley Balk Café. The café features Lena’s Garden, a stunning display of Dale Chihuly’s glass works.

The Gift Shop

The Gift Shop at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is a great place to find unique gifts for the artist or gardener on your gift list. They offer many items, from books to aprons, mugs, and floral arrangements. Stop by any time of the year to buy an extraordinary gift for your next gift-giving occasion.

Conclusion

Don’t limit yourself to summer when exploring Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. Activities and exhibits occur throughout the year, making winter visits so much fun that you won’t want to miss them.

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