2 Best Sights in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Founded in the early 1990s by the Meijer family, whose name graces a Midwestern grocery–department-store chain, this indoor–outdoor gallery, on 132 acres of landscaped grounds, has achieved international importance. A permanent collection of 200 works includes established artists and emerging talent, and outdoor exhibits are displayed in delightful natural settings, linked by walking trails with benches for quiet contemplation. Temporary exhibitions are also staged. Themed gardens include a children's garden, Japanese garden, and 1930s farm garden, and a five-story tropical conservatory houses exotic plants from around the world, including a 3,500-strong orchid collection. Hungry or not, visit the café to see the ceiling of glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly.

Focusing on the life and career of Grand Rapids native and the country's 38th president, Gerald R. Ford, along with First Lady Betty Ford, this museum's main attraction is to be able sit in a full-scale reproduction of the Oval Office, decorated as it was during Ford's presidency. The holographic tour of the White House is equally popular; other displays include gifts that President Ford received from world leaders. The museum also hosts naturalization ceremonies for new American citizens. Unlike other presidential museums, this one doesn't include the presidential library, which is in Ann Arbor.