GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) welcomes the return of its annual LEGO® displays in the new exhibit Grand Junction as it prepares to close Fashion + Nature on November 30, 2025, after a three-and-a-half-year run. Visitors are encouraged to take advantage of their final chance to see the GRPM original exhibit during November.

The Grand Junction

The GRPM has opened a new exhibit called The Grand Junction, where discovery meets creativity through massive LEGO® displays, hands-on build tables, and a display that features the beloved Herpolsheimer’s Department Store Train.

The two LEGO® displays were built by the West Michigan LEGO® Users Group. Returning for another year is the Historic Grand Rapids display, which features incredibly detailed recreations of local landmarks from the Meyer May House to McKay Tower. Each year, the build evolves, incorporating new figures and scenes for guests to discover. Several miniature trolleys zip around the streets, crossing the Grand River. 

A new addition this year takes inspiration from the visiting exhibit Tyrannosaurs: Meet the Family and the film Jurassic World. In this massive table display, dinosaurs roam through trees, fly through the skies, and wander into human territory. It imagines a world in which dinosaurs are brought back to life, sharing space with helicopters, trucks, planes, boats, and people.

Graphics on the wall provide guests with small details and historical landmarks to find as they observe the massive models. Once guests are thoroughly inspired by displays, build stations on the walls and at tables that allow for hands-on creativity.

Fashion + Nature

Fashion + Nature opened in April 2022 and examines the relationship between the natural world and the fashion industry, inspiring and educating visitors to become better consumers. Designed and built internally by the GRPM staff with input from community partners, Fashion + Nature showcases a wide variety of scientific specimens and fascinating garments from the Museum’s Collections.

Visitors encounter three areas in Fashion + Nature: discovery, exploitation, and sustainability that feature artifact displays, hands-on interactives, and unique photo opportunities. The exhibit demonstrates how the fashion industry has impacted the environment, people’s lives, and the global economy.

“The Museum cares for a wardrobe of more than 10,000 garments and accessories, many of which were donated by Grand Rapids residents,” said Andrea Melvin, Collections Curator at the GRPM. “It was an honor and joy to partner with local designers and community members, whose stories and expertise broadened our understanding of fashion through a Grand Rapids lens.”

Stay tuned for announcements regarding the exhibit that will take its place on the 2nd floor.

Plan your visit to the GRPM in November to see both the newly opened Grand Junction and Fashion + Nature before it closes on November 30.

Friday, November 29, offers a great opportunity to see both exhibits with extended hours from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., including evening Planetarium shows.

Admission tickets can be purchased online in advance. Thanks to funding from Zoo & Museum Millage, Kent County kids receive free admission every day with reduced admission for Kent County Adults.