Picture-perfect Monet Gardens of Muskegon

You don't need to travel across an ocean to view flower-filled gardens inspired by Claude Monet's gardens at his home in Giverny, France. Just head to the corner of Fifth and Clay streets in the Heritage area of downtown Muskegon, where you'll find Monet Gardens, a beautiful pocket garden inspired by the landscapes that were the subject of some of the impressionist painter's greatest works of art.

Once a vacant city lot, this downtown space was transformed into a stunning garden that is maintained as a volunteer project by the Lakeshore Garden Masters, which takes care of the weeding, planting and thinning needed to keep the garden beautiful.

Much like the original, Muskegon's Monet Gardens is filled with masses of tulips, irises and peonies. There's a small pond with water lilies, an iconic blue bridge and a fountain. Walk along the garden paths or relax on a bench as you take in the fragrant flowers, tranquil sounds and beautiful colors that abound. Come in the evening for a different perspective, when the garden is illuminated after dark.

In addition to Monet Gardens, there are two other free public gardens in downtown Muskegon, all within a 1-mile loop. Be sure check out Shakespeare Garden outside the Hackley Public Library and the Heritage Memorial Garden at 545 W. Western Ave. Together, these three sites make a charming garden stroll during your next Muskegon getaway.

Monet Gardens
470 W. Clay Ave.
Muskegon, MI 49440

“The garden suggests there might be a place where we can meet nature halfway.” – Michael Pollan