Grand Rapids’ Historic Carousel Set To Reopen After Two Years

The Grand Rapids Public Museum's historic Spillman Carousel has been on quite a journey since the GRPM began a major renovation project in 2017 to give the carousel and its many animals a facelift. Since both the pandemic and construction on the riverfront provided rare opportunities for the museum to have no foot traffic, teams of artists have poured hours into repainting and restoring the carousel animals to like-new condition.

Now, after being closed for over a year, the 1928 carousel is finally ready to welcome the public back to go round and round in a brand new way.

The Carousel and Cook Pavilion Renovations

One of the most exciting details announced among the many changes happening at the riverfront and the museum was the separation of the Cook Carousel Pavilion from the museum, making it accessible to anyone walking along the riverfront. It will be open to the public starting February 13th. 

The carousel closed on January 9, 2024, to allow teams to begin repainting and restoring the animals, adding a new handicap-accessible ride, and providing maintenance on the old mechanism.

Get our free mobile app

The pavilion was also detached from the rest of the museum, and a new dedicated entrance was added. A heated walkway was added to allow museum patrons to continue accessing the carousel.

The remaining $50 million in the riverfront expansion is expected to be completed in early 2026, just in time for summer.  While construction was underway, the museum unearthed historic artifacts, which you can view below.