It would be difficult to find a museum more tranquil — or which speaks more to the life of the mind — than the beautiful Grand Rapids Public Museum, one of the oldest and best of such institutions in Michigan. Having been the first museum to be accredited by the American Association of Museums in 1971, the Grand Rapids Public Museum has for years worked in the great tradition of the state’s educational life, offering a vibrant learning experience as well as a deeply immersive and challenging environment for those who know that acquiring knowledge is one of life’s great pleasures.

Offering exhibits that will appeal to both old and young alike, this landmark institution above all else shows the great enjoyment that can come through learning as an act of pleasure, and speaks to a tradition of excellence and intellectual depth of the American tradition of public education.

Through various buildings such as the Voigt House Victorian Museum (an example of beautiful 19th Century architecture in its own right), the Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium — which provides stunning insight into the nature of astronomy — as well as the central Van Andel Museum Center in its gorgeous location on the bank of the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids, the Public Museum has drawn many accolades over the course of a history which stretches back over 150 years. Such accomplishments have come about because of the immense efforts that have been made to ensure the museum will provide only the best service to the public. The care that has gone into the museum’s design, and the dedication its many patrons, volunteers, staff and team of educators — among many others — is a testament to both the character of the Michigan public and the minds that have made this work possible.

Currently hosting and developing such exhibits as a presentation on the vital role Michigan played in the Civil War, as well as a fascinating history of shipwrecks that have occurred on the Great Lakes, and both an appreciation of and a study concerning the value human societies have placed on grandmothers, the Grand Rapids Public Museum will be sure to delight visitors from whatever their background or range of interests.