Beautiful Autumn Sights to See in Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, Michigan

I visited Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, Michigan in October, and I thought it was the perfect time to visit! The leaves were starting to turn bright red and orange, and the greenhouse was decorated with fun fall and pumpkin décor. If you want to visit Meijer Gardens in the autumn to see all the beautiful colors, these are some of the amazing sights you can see!

Visiting Meijer Gardens

Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and it was establish in 1995 (after 13 years of planning). It has 158 acres with a tropical conservatory and nature trails with gardens, large sculptures, and beautiful landscapes and ponds. So there’s a lot to see!

Tickets for adults cost $14.50 with discounts for students, seniors, and children. They are open Monday-Saturday 9 am- 5 pm and Sunday 11 am- 5 pm and closed for major holidays.

It did take us a little longer to go through than I expected because there are so many different trails you can explore, so I would budget a minimum of 2 hours to explore all that Meijer Gardens has.

Sights to see inside the tropical conservatory

Meijer Gardens has a pretty cool conservatory with a permanent collection of plants, and I love how they added some seasonal décor for autumn! There are lots of orchids (if you love orchids as much as I do, be sure to check out my Naples Botanical Garden post!) and cacti, and I saw some flowers that I hadn’t seen before, like a flower (I’m guessing it could be a dahlia) that was split in half with pink and purple! So I definitely recommend spending some time checking out all the unique plants and flowers inside the conservatory before you head outside.

I loved this window!

Sights to see in Meijer Gardens on the trails

There are lots of different paths you can take around Meijer Gardens! Definitely make sure you pick up a map so you can figure out where you want to go (we did get turned around a couple of times so the map was helpful).

There are lots of art installations spread out throughout the gardens, and it was cool to walk around and stumble across something around a corner. If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that I’m pretty obsessed with bright colors, so I was more focused on the beautiful fall colors of the trees. I was with my friend Stephanie who has an art background, so she was more focused on the statues. So there’s something for everyone at Meijer Gardens!

Meijer Gardens is also a great place to relax. There were places around these ponds that had benches, so you can sit down and take in the views.

The American Horse is one of the famous sculptures at Meijer Gardens, and it’s massive in person! At 24 feet tall, it was was created by Nina Akamu, who was inspired by one of Leonardo da Vinci’s works. Akamu actually made two horses, one for Meijer Gardens and one for Milan, Italy. So be on the lookout for the large horse sculpture if you’re ever in Milan!

So those are some of the sights to see in Meijer Gardens, especially during autumn! It’s a beautiful place to explore any time of the year, but if you enjoy seeing the beautiful fall colors as much as I do, I definitely recommend visiting in autumn 🙂