CHILULY AT MEIJER GARDENS GRAND RAPIDS
Dale Chihuly of Seattle is a master at creating beauty out of silica, soda ash, and limestone. His playful, delicate works of glass are recognized worldwide as treasures.
Only one show of his works is currently going on in North America, and it’s at Grand Rapids’ Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park through Jan. 10, 2027. That’s one major reason you should go to view it — and the other fabulous art at the 158-acre park.
Chihuly is credited with bringing glass art to the masses, and you can see his works throughout the gardens, says John VanderHaagen, director of communications for Meijer Gardens.
“We’re the only place in the United States where you can see a temporary Chihuly exhibit. The only other place in the world you can see one this year is Venice,” he says.
The pieces in the exhibition, called Chihuly: Radiant Forms, are showcased at 12 locations outside, as well as inside the indoor gallery. “The show represents more than 40 years of his illustrious career, from early works to his most recent, and it includes some early sketches. It’s taken over the gardens inside and out,” VanderHaagen says.
The largest concentration is in the Japanese garden. “Because of the intricacy of some (of the works), we would comfortably say there are thousands of individual pieces,” he explains. Outdoor tours are weather-dependent, including the guided half-mile walking tour. There’s also a hop-on, hop-off tram.
The outdoor displays are available to visitors with general admission; the interior show can be viewed with a timed-entry ticket. The Gardens also offer select nights when they’re open until dusk.
McCOURTIE PARK SOMERSET CENTER, IRISH HILLS
If you’ve driven through the Irish Hills along U.S. 12 near the small community of Somerset Center, you may have noticed McCourtie Park at the corner of South Jackson Road and U.S. 12.
This 42-acre park, overseen by Somerset Township, is considered by many to be the home of one of the largest collections of faux bois (false wood in French) structures in the country — maybe even the world.
It was the former farm of concrete magnate and Michigan native William H.L. McCourtie, who founded a cement company. While living in Texas and making his fortune in oil, he grew to admire the “trabajo rustico” (rustic works) created there.
He purchased his family’s farm in the 1920s and built a summer home where he could entertain guests. Some say underworld figures were among those who visited his retreat, since it was replete with an underground “lodge” and out-of-sight parking spaces. Faux bois trees disguised the underground lair’s chimneys and ventilation (McCourtie called his estate Aiden’s Lair).
Visitors can walk across 17 bridges created by Mexican artisans Ralph Corona and George Cardosa. You’d swear the structures are made of sun-bleached wood, so intricate are the scrapes of bark, crooks of limbs, and the bends of the false trunks both in the bridge floors and roofs. The chimneys look like dead, hollow trees.
The park is on both the state and national registers of historic places, and it’s a great stop for a fall picnic while traveling through the beauty of the Irish Hills. It’s open daily, dawn to dusk. The underground Rathskeller is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays in the summer.
MICHIGAN LEGACY ART PARK CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN THOMPSONVILLE
I first visited here in winter, snowshoeing uphill on the cut-in trails to view the works of art found among the 30 acres of hardwood hills above the resort’s ski slopes. It’s grown since it was first envisioned by Detroit artist David Barr and opened in 1999, notes Lindsay Greer, director of the park’s programs and public engagement.
The MacInnes family, owners of Crystal Mountain, wanted to keep the area forested and agreed the art park was a perfect fit. On its 30th anniversary, the family transferred the land for $1 to the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation, which now oversees it.
“There are more than 52 sculptures — some temporary, some permanent — and there’s a 1.9-mile hike through mixed terrain to do the entire collection,” Greer says. There’s also an accessible half-mile trail featuring community art projects. This year’s theme is Michigan quilts. Golf cart tours are available for those who prefer not to walk.
“We’re trying to do, little by little, more fall events, and we typically do the dedication for the collaborative project and the artist-in-residence in the fall. We’re also trying to offer more guided tours in the fall,” Greer adds.
Two of the most striking pieces are “Five Needles,” by Michigan artist Michael McGillis, and “Gateway to Black Eden,” by Detroit artist M. Saffell Gardner. Gardner’s work was inspired by the town of Idlewild and its unique African American entertainment history in Lake County.
Although the park depends heavily on donations, there’s an annual park membership available and the entrance is typically staffed during the fall to collect a $10 fee. Entry is free to veterans and active-duty military, but, Greer says, “we never turn anyone away.”
WALK OF ART SCULPTURE PARK – ELK RAPIDS
At Walk of Art, you can not only view works along a trail and on the East Grand Traverse Bay beach — and you can shop for them, too.
Walk the trail through the color-strewn woods to see up to 39 works both in the woods and while you’re enjoying the bay’s sandy beach. As the sculptures are sold, new ones take their place. They range from art created using recycled materials by artists from as far away as Iceland and as near as Suttons Bay.
A favorite of many is the “Singing Pail of Dreams,” by Williamsburg artist John Goss. It’s a 7-foot stainless lattice beach pail with two sand shovels.
The works are looked after by ArtRapids, which has been showing pieces here since 2013. All of the pieces are positioned along a walking trail among the park’s hardwoods, according to Antrim County Parks director Lindsey Eccles. Walk the route, then enjoy nature’s palette on the park’s quarter-mile beach. Entry is free.
LAKENENLAND SCULPTURE PARK MARQUETTE
Approaching Marquette from the east along M-28, you’ll see an arching sign on the highway’s south side that often evokes an “I wonder what that is” reaction from fall color-watchers heading to destinations such as the Keweenaw Peninsula. Pull back on your reins and drive in, and you’ll discover more than 120 whimsical metal sculptures created by retired welder Tom Lakenen, who began this project about 20 years ago.
“I’d create them and put them in front of the house, and the township didn’t like it. So, I moved them into the backyard, then ran out of room and nobody could see them,” Lakenen recounts.
He purchased 37 acres nearby, pushed a half-mile dirt road through the trees and added a one-third-mile walking trail, and placed his self-taught scrap-style art there. The result is a beloved U.P. landmark that’s open 24/7.
“I’m always looking for more scrap. My daughter is an ironworker and my son’s a heavy equipment mechanic, so they come across scrap on their jobs. I keep the parking lot plowed in winter and you can drive in or walk through it with boots, snowshoes, or on cross-country skis,” he adds. Lakenen also hosts school programs and other events.
“I usually tell people I’m recreating the scenes I saw until I quit drinking. Anybody can come here, especially people who can’t afford other (art parks). This is someplace they can come to and not worry about digging a $20 bill out of their wallets,” he says. “A lot of times something doesn’t come out (the way) I intended, but I keep playing around until it turns into something. Stop in any time. It’s always open.” 
Plan It!
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
meijergardens.org
McCourtie Park
hillsdalehistoricalsociety.org/mccourtie-park
Michigan Legacy Art Park
michlegacyartpark.org/plan-a-visit/
Walk of Art Sculpture Park
artrapids.net/walk-of-art-active-sculptures
Lakenenland
lakenenland.com
