USA Today: Meijer Gardens No. 1 sculpture park
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — USA Today has released its Top 10 sculpture parks and gardens across the United States, and one West Michigan park was top of the list.
Coming in at number one: Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.
Meijer Gardens sits on 158 acres and includes outdoor gardens; a five-floor, 15,000-square-foot Tropical Conservatory; and an over 200-work permanent sculpture collection.
Report: Frederik Meijer Gardens has $138 million annual impact
Meijer Gardens sees about 755,000 visitors annually, with 62% coming from outside Kent County, a report conducted by Grand Valley State University found. Of those, 36% said the main reason for visiting Kent County was Meijer Gardens.
Following Meijer Gardens on USA Today’s list are:
No. 2: Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina
No. 3: Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park in University Park, Illinois
No. 4: Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton, New Jersey
No. 5: Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden in New Orleans, Louisiana
No. 6: di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art in Napa, California
No. 7: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park at Newfields in Indianapolis, Indiana
No. 8: Michigan Legacy Art Park in Thompsonville, Michigan
No. 9: Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis, Missouri
No. 10: Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park in Kansas City, Missouri
The nominations, which are submitted by a panel of experts, are voted on by readers, USA Today’s website says.
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