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2009 Educational Conference
Michigan is a state blessed with the riches of unspoiled nature: the world's longest freshwater coastline, lakes that feel like oceans, miles and miles of cherry orchards, glorious sunrises and sunsets, daytime skies of the deepest blue, nighttime skies scattered with stars. Michigan is home to some of the highest freshwater sand dunes in the world, stunning multi-colored sandstone cliffs, two National Lakeshores more than 100 lighthouses and a growing wine industry. While you are in the area spend sometime visiting the more than ten wineries within a half hour to forty minute drive!
Hundreds of islands dot Michigan waters. Mackinac Island, located in the Straits of Mackinac, is a lush 19th-century resort community fixed firmly in the Victorian era, a car-free island dominated by an 18th-century fort and the more than a century-old Grand Hotel, America's largest summer resort hotel.
Grand Rapids is big enough to have it all –a world-class botanical garden Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, plays, art galleries, John Ball Zoo, Public Museum, Children’s Museum, a Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum and the first LEED Certified Art Museum in the world.
The best known local attraction is the 125 acre Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. The garden and sculpture park integrates the experience of great gardens with great art. With an emphasis on horticultural displays, Meijer Gardens showcase a beautiful array of plants appropriate for the Midwest and specialized plants from regions around the world. Stroll through the indoor tropical conservatory, the arid garden featuring plants from North and South America and regions of Africa. Relax on ornate furniture among plants used in the classic Victorian garden parlors during the turn of the last century. Outdoors, the gardens may be planned and manicured, such as in the English Perennial and Bulb Garden; natural and native, such as in the Sculpture Park, Woodland shade gardens, boardwalks and trail areas; or wet, fun and interactive in the Children's Garden. Amid the sculptures of lifelike farm animals, the Michigan's Farm Garden focuses on gardening and horticulture as it would have appeared in the 1930's during the Depression era. With heirloom vegetables, flowers and orchards, reminiscent of that time period guests get an understanding of farms when they were truly self-sufficient.
Alexander Calder will be the featured artist at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park from June 5-September 7, 2009. Calder’s works from 1969 contains some of his best known mobiles, prints and drawings including one created for the City of Grand Rapids.
In addition to the Meijer Gardens, Grand Rapids offers a wide variety of cultural attractions.
 One of the most popular is the Gerald R. Ford Museum, which chronicles the life of our country’s 38th President, including a full re-creation of the Oval Office.
The Public Museum of Grand Rapids, the location for the Pre-conference Dinner, is a short walk across the Grand River and shares the local culture and history of Michigan. During our stay in Grand Rapids the museum will feature, Newcomers: The People of This Place. The museum’s newest major permanent exhibition displays more than 600 artifacts and images, dating from the first French fur traders to the latest influx of refugees escaping wars or seeking a better standard of living. Photos, artifacts, and short video clips highlight different rites of passage concerning birth and death, coming of age, marriage, and holidays. And of course every group of newcomers brought a great recipe!
The newly renovated Grand Rapids Art Museum is the first LEED certified art museum in the world and less than a block from the hotel. Every Friday night from 5 to 9 pm, Grand Rapids Art Museum offers a relaxing Immersion in the Arts.
Grand Rapids boasts a high-energy, walk able downtown with more than 75 restaurants, entertainment venues and museums. Within a short walk from the hotel Grand Rapids can show you the world in its restaurant selections you can experience Tuscany, Bangkok, Spain, or India. From bistros to steakhouses, to burger joints and authentic Mexican cafes, Grand Rapids is diverse. Get your taste buds ready for a true feast. From June 6-8th, The Festival of the Arts will take place in the downtown area. This annual event is a celebration of the arts of Western Michigan with performances by local artists, local food and arts. This event is free and open to the public.
The Herb Society of America invites you to discover the natural beauty of Michigan by staying in one of the state’s grandest cities – Grand Rapids – and in one of its grandest hotels - The Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. The hotel, Michigan’s only five star hotel, has been making history since the original Pantlind opened in 1913. Fashioned after English Adams architecture by designers Warren & Wetmore, the hotel's special details included one of the world's largest gold-leaf ceilings in the Pantlind lobby. During your stay at the Amway Grand Plaza, you’ll experience the timeless beauty of the early 20th century alongside today’s contemporary styling. The hotel features four restaurants offering casual to formal dining, including The Cornucopia that offers the variety of a delicatessen with the style of a gourmet shop and for all the coffee lovers a Starbucks in located off the lobby.
We hope you will join us at The Herb Society of America’s 2009 Educational Conference and Annual Meeting of the Members. The conference offers nationally known speakers, hands on experiences and incredible tours. There is so much to see and do in Michigan and Grand Rapids! Bring the family and stay an extra day or two. For more information on visit www.michigan.org or www.visitgrandrapids.org
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