Registration
Caroline is available by appointment for a fee, in addition to the FREE tours listed on the homepage. Accordingly, to arrange for a running, walking, step-on bus tour or presentation at a date/time convenient for you, please contact carcook900@gmail.com.
Occasionally, a group tour event requires registration which might be listed below. In that case, online registration may close 12 hours prior to a scheduled event. However, please email Caroline within the 12 hour window to doublecheck availability.
Join your fellow Junior League Sustainer members on a walking tour through downtown Grand Rapids. Local historian and tour guide, Caroline Cook, will lead you on a 90ish minute stroll through “everything Grand Rapids”…then and now. Titled “Lapping the Landmarks”, this walk is an absolute “must-do” for even longtime citizens who want a new perspective on our fair city! We’ll cruise by Campau Square, named after the founding father of Grand Rapids, on our way to explore some of the city’s “first and finest” including historic sites, museums, colleges, Indian mounds, hotels, bridges, churches, the Medical Mile, the Grand River and more…all nearly contained in a downtown loop. Simply, fascinating!
GR Legacies & Legends in Bronze
The Grand Rapids Community Legends Project was established by local philanthropist and businessman, Peter Secchia and his family, in 2008 with the intent of keeping local history alive. They made a pledge to provide downtown Grand Rapids with a selection of no less than 25 bronze tributes of Grand Rapids’ most notable contributors. 11 years later, there are eleven 7-foot tall bronze sculptures placed throughout the urban core that have been gifted by the Project. In the words of Peter Secchia, “How will you know who you can be, if you do not know who you have been?” Discover who, what, and where on this blended tour of statue art and local history.
GR Legacies & Legends in Bronze
The Grand Rapids Community Legends Project was established by local philanthropist and businessman, Peter Secchia and his family, in 2008 with the intent of keeping local history alive. They made a pledge to provide downtown Grand Rapids with a selection of no less than 25 bronze tributes of Grand Rapids’ most notable contributors. 11 years later, there are eleven 7-foot tall bronze sculptures placed throughout the urban core that have been gifted by the Project. In the words of Peter Secchia, “How will you know who you can be, if you do not know who you have been?” Discover who, what, and where on this blended tour of statue art and local history.
Rad American Women A – Z
It began as great accomplishments of females across the country. Then, their stories are captured in a book for children. Finally, the pages of the book come alive in Grand Rapids, painted on outdoor utility boxes. Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. spearheaded this project…finding funding, gaining city approvals, selecting artists and physically prepping the boxes. Author, Kate Schatz, includes many bold, visionary women whose names will be recognized by many, but also introduces you to women you might not have heard of. Join the hunt for the 27 pieces of urban artwork on almost every intersection of downtown Grand Rapids.
Miles and Miles of Murals
Who says art museums must be inside, enclosed with 4 walls, a ceiling and floor? Swirling all about us in Grand Rapids, in each of our city neighborhoods, vibrant, and intriguing artwork is appearing outside on sides of buildings, underneath highway overpasses, on retaining walls, street surfaces and utility boxes. These are murals, street art, wall art, painted by artists that celebrate beauty, or calls to action, and tributes to heroes. The murals transform otherwise unnoticeable, or worse, blighted spaces into must-see, energizing attractions. Viewing these murals is a study in local history, community activism and sheer expressions of creativity… art all the time!
Rad American Women A – Z
It began as great accomplishments of females across the country. Then, their stories are captured in a book for children. Finally, the pages of the book come alive in Grand Rapids, painted on outdoor utility boxes. Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. spearheaded this project…finding funding, gaining city approvals, selecting artists and physically prepping the boxes. Author, Kate Schatz, includes many bold, visionary women whose names will be recognized by many, but also introduces you to women you might not have heard of. Join the hunt for the 27 pieces of urban artwork on almost every intersection of downtown Grand Rapids.
Miles and Miles of Murals
Who says art museums must be inside, enclosed with 4 walls, a ceiling and floor? Swirling all about us in Grand Rapids, in each of our city neighborhoods, vibrant, and intriguing artwork is appearing outside on sides of buildings, underneath highway overpasses, on retaining walls, street surfaces and utility boxes. These are murals, street art, wall art, painted by artists that celebrate beauty, or calls to action, and tributes to heroes. The murals transform otherwise unnoticeable, or worse, blighted spaces into must-see, energizing attractions. Viewing these murals is a study in local history, community activism and sheer expressions of creativity… art all the time!
Steeple Chase
Learn why Grand Rapids has been called “The City of Churches” on this fascinating tour of religious landmarks. We’ll pass by churches that date back to 1848 and see multiple architectural styles, soaring spires, expertly crafted stone & brickwork, Tiffany windows and more. Along the way, you’ll discover the historical importance and contemporary relevance of faith in Grand Rapids.
Steeple Chase
Learn why Grand Rapids has been called “The City of Churches” on this fascinating tour of religious landmarks. We’ll pass by churches that date back to 1848 and see multiple architectural styles, soaring spires, expertly crafted stone & brickwork, Tiffany windows and more. Along the way, you’ll discover the historical importance and contemporary relevance of faith in Grand Rapids.
We invent cities. We create streets and we construct buildings. Whether the structures are historic, brand new, a combination of both, or a glimpse into our future, they provide a creative portrayal of our collective story of our “place”, our built environment. No one architectural style is more important than another…they are all invaluable pages in our city’s scrapbook. Each building tells a story as we physically move through time. Part One includes buildings prior to Urban Renewal.