Grand Rapids Public Museum

06/03/2026

🌊 We're bringing the ocean to you this summer.

🤿 UNSEEN OCEANS opens at the GRPM on Saturday, June 20! Discover the latest ocean science and encounter the researchers and technologies that are revealing our blue planet as never before.

Explore marine species that biofluoresce, enlarged models of otherworldly planktonic species, a partial recreation of the Triton Submersible, immersive screens, and more!

Plan your visit today at https://www.grpm.org/unseen-oceans/

Unseen Oceans is produced by the American Museum of Natural History, New York, and curated by John Sparks, curator in the American Museum of Natural History’s Department of Ichthyology in the Division of Vertebrate Zoology.

Unseen Oceans is sponsored by The David and Carol Van Andel Family Foundation, Meijer, MSU Federal Credit Union, and the Steve and Amy Van Andel Foundation.

06/02/2026

🔎 Do you know a kid who LOVES museums? If they're going into 7th, 8th, or 9th grade in the Fall, we have the perfect summer experience for them.

At our Curating Creativity camp, students get an all-access, behind-the-scenes experience at the GRPM. They'll meet the teams that run the Museum, dive deep into the archives, and discover what it takes to create an exhibit of their own!

This camp has ONE SESSION running June 15 through June 18 from 9 a.m to noon, so now is the time to sign up!

Register your student today for this camp at https://bit.ly/49D6GOd

06/02/2026

‘We are living proof that diversity is our strength.’ — East Kentwood Senior Hawathiya Mulal

The GRPM is honored to hold the stories of these students and their families in our archives. Discover some of the stories East Kentwood students have shared with their community in our Digital Archives at https://grpmcollections.org/Detail/entities/28559

Fifty East Kentwood students have contributed stories of their families’ immigration to the U.S., which will become part of Grand Rapids Public Museum archives.

06/02/2026

We are so excited to welcome community members to a new public lobby and classroom spaces at the Community Archives and Research Center later this year.

We can't wait to make our Collections more accessible than ever before with the help of Owen-Ames-Kimball Co.

Check out this story from Maranda, and if you want to see what's in our Collections right now, you can actually explore online at https://grpmcollections.org/

A brand-new community archives and resource center with the Grand Rapids Public Museum will be opening later this year!

Thank you, Owen-Ames-Kimball, for all your hard work in the Grand Rapids community!

06/02/2026

🛶 Join us on Saturday, June 13, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. as we celebrate the grand opening of the GRPM's new riverfront space and kick off another season of Summer Saturdays!

Here's what to expect:
🎵 Performances by Edye Evans Hyde, Avant Theatre Ballet, Chris Cranick, and others
🐟 Talks with Museum staff and researchers about river ecology and local geology
🔭 Solar telescopes with the Grand Rapids Amateur Astronomical Association
🌯 Food vendors: 𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐊𝐎 𝐓𝐀𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐀, Burek etc., Nothing Bundt Cakes, and more
🎨 Decorate and take home a fish windsock

Don't miss this special chance to get acquainted with this new community space and have some family-friendly fun on the Grand River. We hope to see you there!

The riverfront will be open to the public. Tickets required to explore inside.

Learn more about Summer Saturdays at https://www.grpm.org/summer-saturdays/

05/30/2026

Have you explored Backyard Adventures yet? Designed with ages 5-12 in mind, this exhibit reveals the science of your own backyard through hands-on activities, including:

🐝 Navigating the world from a bee's perspective
🥕 Growing a massive virtual vegetable
🐸 Discovering into the food webs that are found in even the smallest ponds
🛠️ Exploring the engineering that can be done in a garden shed.. and so much more!

Everyone can find something interesting and fun in this exhibit and leave with a new appreciation for their own backyard.

Learn more and plan your visit at https://www.grpm.org/backyard-adventures/

This exhibit was designed by Scitech in Perth, Australia, and produced by Imagine.
Sponsored by MSU Federal Credit Union

05/29/2026

🎲 ♟️ 🎳 The Game Garden is BACK for another summer at the GRPM!

The Game Garden offers fun for all ages in rain, shine, or heat wave.
Spend a few Summer hours playing and learning!

Challenge your friends to oversized versions of classic games and learn a little about their origins. From Operation to Yahtzee, there are games for everyone to enjoy.

Learn more at https://www.grpm.org/game-garden/

05/27/2026

🌊 Get ready to dive deep, Grand Rapids. UNSEEN OCEANS is opening at the GRPM on Saturday, June 20!

🤿 Discover the latest ocean science and encounter the researchers and technologies that are revealing our blue planet as never before.

🪼 Explore marine species that biofluoresce, enlarged models of otherworldly planktonic species, a partial recreation of the Triton Submersible, immersive screens, and more!

Plan your visit today at https://www.grpm.org/unseen-oceans/

Unseen Oceans is produced by the American Museum of Natural History, New York, and curated by John Sparks, curator in the American Museum of Natural History’s Department of Ichthyology in the Division of Vertebrate Zoology.

Unseen Oceans is sponsored by The David and Carol Van Andel Family Foundation, Meijer, MSU Federal Credit Union, and the Steve and Amy Van Andel Foundation.

05/26/2026

Join the Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds - Grand Valley Metro Council this week for their Spring Forum, today through May 30th!

Explore the Grand River with a guide by foot or by kayak and learn more about our local watershed, including:

🌊 Updates on the restoration project
🐟 The ecology of the river
🛶 Grand River history

Register for a walk or paddling trip today at https://www.lgrow.org/events-2