Upcoming Events

This page will be updated as events are added. Come back often to see what new programs we have coming up!

Events will meet in the garden near the garden pond unless otherwise noted.

Beal Footprints Walking Tour Series

4th Wednesday of each month, April - October, 2025
12:10 - 1:00 p.m.
Register Here

Join Beal Botanical Garden and Campus Arboretum for lunchtime guided tours on the the fourth Wednesday of each month, April through October, exploring conservation, ecology, and sustainability. These will be walking tours around campus and will always begin at the Beal Pond.

Schedule:

April 23 - Spring Ephemerals; Carolyn Miller, Arboretum & Invasive Species Coordinator
May 28 - Plant identification for everyone; Alan Prather, Director
June 25 - Plants in the eyes of pollinators; Jennifer Apland, MSU Herbarium Collections Coordinator
July 23 - Botany by Bethany; Bethany Troy, Botanical Lead & Head Horticulturist
August 27 - A Feast for the Senses; Katie Fry, Collections Manager
September 24 - Arboreal Amble; Frank Telewski, Former Director
October 22 - Riverbank restoration and clean-up; Carolyn Miller, Arboretum & Invasive Species Coordinator

Move in the Garden

Select Wednesdays July 9 - September 17. 2025
12:15 - 1:00 p.m.

Dates:

Summer Session 1: July 9, 16, and 30
Summer Session 2: August 6, 13, and 20
Fall Session: September 3, 10, and 17

Join us for Move in the Garden, a free outdoor wellness program held throughout the summer with University Health and Wellbeing! This class combines stretching, bodyweight strengthening, flow movements, and relaxation- designed to improve flexibility, strength, and mobility for all fitness levels. No experience is required—just bring your energy and a desire to refresh both body and mind in a peaceful garden atmosphere. Remember to bring a yoga mat or beach towel and water.

Sessions meet on Wednesdays from 12:15 – 1:00pm, under the ginkgo tree. In the event of rain, classes will meet in the MSU Library Beal Room.

This program is a collaboration between Beal Botanical Garden, University Health and Wellbeing, and MSU Libraries.

Mindfulness Mondays

Mondays in September, 2025
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Join us in the garden this September to create multiple masterpieces while mastering peace. Drop in when you can between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. No registration required, but supplies are limited to first come, first served.

Dates:
September 8 - Create Beal Affirmation Labels
September 15 - Create Your Own Botanical Blueprint
September 22 - Painting in the Garden
September 29 - Sip and Spill Some Tea

Climate Change Theatre Action

September 26, 2025
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Climate Change Theater Action (CCTA) is a biannual 5-minute play festival that connects plays written by professional international playwrights with local climate activism; 2025 is the ten-year anniversary of festival and is themed “The Time Is Now."

The event will combine performances of CCTA plays with presentations from climate researchers and environmental activist organizations and feature interactive explorations and guided conversations connected to the garden space. There is an additional event as part of this festival at the Corey Marsh Ecological Research Center in Laingsburg, MI on September 27. Learn more here.

Wild at Heart: A Celebration to Benefit Beal Botanical Garden

Friday, October 3, 2025
6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
$50 per person
Register Here

Join us in the garden at golden hour for a one-of-a-kind celebration of our campus oasis. Toast the wonderful accomplishments made so far as we share our vision for the future during this elevated garden party. All proceeds will support our Beal Scholars program.

Deep Rooted Tour Series

Multiple Dates
1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Location: Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum

Dates:
October 12, 2025 (Register Here)
November 16, 2025 (Register Here)
January 25, 2026 (Register Here)
February 22, 2026 (Register Here)

What can art tell us about the relationship between plants and humans? Join Maeve Bassett, Applied Ethnobotanist and Education Director of the Beal Botanical Garden, for an immersive tour unearthing the historical, social, and political narratives growing within works of art from the MSU Broad Art Museum’s collection. Registration for this free tour is encouraged.

Deep-Rooted is an ongoing tour collaboration between the Beal Botanical Garden and the Broad Art Museum, where art and plants intertwine in a conversation about the extraordinary ways our natural world has influenced art and human societies throughout history.

Photo credit: Chloe Kirchmeier, Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum