4 Best Sights in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Founded in the early 1990s by the Meijer family, whose name graces a Midwestern grocery–department-store chain, this indoor–outdoor gallery, on 132 acres of landscaped grounds, has achieved international importance. A permanent collection of 200 works includes established artists and emerging talent, and outdoor exhibits are displayed in delightful natural settings, linked by walking trails with benches for quiet contemplation. Temporary exhibitions are also staged. Themed gardens include a children's garden, Japanese garden, and 1930s farm garden, and a five-story tropical conservatory houses exotic plants from around the world, including a 3,500-strong orchid collection. Hungry or not, visit the café to see the ceiling of glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly.

Focusing on the life and career of Grand Rapids native and the country's 38th president, Gerald R. Ford, along with First Lady Betty Ford, this museum's main attraction is to be able sit in a full-scale reproduction of the Oval Office, decorated as it was during Ford's presidency. The holographic tour of the White House is equally popular; other displays include gifts that President Ford received from world leaders. The museum also hosts naturalization ceremonies for new American citizens. Unlike other presidential museums, this one doesn't include the presidential library, which is in Ann Arbor.

The world's first LEED Gold–certified art museum opened in downtown Grand Rapids in 2007, specializing in paintings and drawings from 19th- and 20th-century American and European artists. Founded in 1910 as Grand Rapids Art Gallery, its previous home was a federal building. Among the most recognized artists in the 125,000-square-foot museum's 5,000-piece collection are Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Albrecht Dürer. Each fall the citywide ArtPrize competition brings thousands of people to the museum.

One of Frank Lloyd Wright's enduring architectural masterpieces, this house is among the best preserved of his works. With original furnishings, carpets, light fixtures, linens, and color schemes, it remains largely as Wright and his studio crafted it in 1909. The Prairie-style house was built for a prominent local clothier and is part of the city's Heritage Hills Historic District. Steelcase, a manufacturer of office furniture based in Grand Rapids, embarked on a two-year restoration after acquiring the house in 1985. Trained docents lead the tours.