You can visit one of Europe’s most beautiful gardens right in downtown Muskegon. How? Let us share the secret!
One of Muskegon’s best-kept secrets is its incredibly picturesque Monet Garden, which is a replica of the original one in Giverny, France. The garden is completely faithful to the original monument’s image and likeness. It houses a pebbled path leading to a pond with a blue bridge and archways covered in blue roses. If you’d like to check it out yourself, here’s everything you need to know.
What is the Monet Garden?
The garden started off as a community project in 2020. Volunteers from Muskegon’s Lakeshore Garden Masters put in a community effort to transform an empty lot into this serene garden that would help attract visitors to Muskegon. The Community Foundation of Muskegon Country, a non-profit, looks after this garden with the help of online donations, which you can send via its site.
The garden itself is absolutely breathtaking, fully decorated with blue roses and the water lilies dotted around Monet’s famous blue bridge. As you can imagine, this place is a little paradise within the city, where you can come and sit whenever you want to just spend some hours basking in the sunlight, enjoying the peace and quiet.
Although it is a modestly sized space, the Monet garden has more than enough space for you and your friends to set up a fun mid-day picnic and enjoy a packed lunch while basking in the warm Michigan sun.
How to find the garden
The garden is located right up the street from the Muskegon Museum of Science and History at the intersection between 5th street and W Clay Avenue. A place as pretty as the Monet Garden is quite hard to miss, so when you’re on the street you should have no problems finding it.
Places to see
While the garden itself is a major attraction, if you find yourself wanting to visit more places in and around Muskegon, here’s a list for you:
Muskegon Museum of History & Science
Through its interactive displays and engaging programming, the Muskegon Museum of History & Science (formerly Lakeshore Museum Center) seeks to educate visitors about the fascinating natural and cultural history of Muskegon. The place consists of numerous landmarks and historic buildings, such as the Muskegon Historic Site at 484 West Webster Avenue, the Fire Barn Museum, the Scolnik Depression-Era House, the Archives, and a Museum Store where you can grab souvenirs for friends and family.
Muskegon Heritage Museum of Business & Industry
The Muskegon Heritage Association (MHA) founded the Muskegon Heritage Museum of Business & Industry (MHMBI) in 1983 to house the 90 horsepower steam engine donated by Corliss Valve, the original steam engine manufacturers. The museum’s mission is to preserve documents, images, and objects related to Muskegon’s commercial and industrial history.
The museum also features a bunch of machines from back in the day that they still operate for education and entertainment today. These exhibits include things like an old steam engine that is now used to power 11 different tools, which you can see in action at the Museum, a print shop equipped with an old printing press, and the various other tools printers used back then.
Muskegon Museum of Art
The Muskegon Museum of Art houses a magnificent collection of American and European paintings, sculptures, prints, and drawings. Here you can frequently see famous artists’ pieces in the permanent collection galleries, most notably featuring artists like John Steuart Curry, Edward Hopper, Winslow Homer, William Merritt Chase, Pierre Bonnard, and others.
The MMA studio’s glass collection, which includes works by Dale Chihuly, Harvey Littleton, Dominick Labino, Dick Huss, and Richard Royal, is one of the best in the Midwest.
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