Upcoming Events

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

Select Sundays, June - August, 2025
1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Come celebrate the ten year anniversary of Music and the Garden! Join us in the garden as we get "Wild at Heart." Each event will feature a theme and partners that reflect the new way we are approaching our plant collections and how we are reimagining the garden.

Dates:

• June 8 - Understanding Our World
  • The Red Cedar Quartet (Graduate string quartet)
• June 29 - Nourishing Our World
  • The Moderno Trio (chamber ensemble: piano, violin, and clarinet)
• July 13 - Transforming Our World
  • Bow & Tonic (jazz fusion trio featuring electric violin, double bass, and keyboard)
• August 10 - Wild at Heart Celebration
  • The Mia Chinni Trio (jazz trio: guitar, double bass, and drums)

This outdoor musical event is a collaboration with the College of Music. The 2025 season is generously sponsored by MSU Federal Credit Union.

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.

Multiple Dates
1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Dates:
June 15, 2025
July 13, 2025
August 10, 2025 (Register Here)

What can art tell us about the relationship between plants and humans? Join us for the summer garden edition of this popular tour series as we gather in the garden with Maeve Bassett, Applied Ethnobotanist and Education Director. Together, we’ll unearth the historical, social, and political narratives growing within plants in the garden and artworks from the MSU Broad Art Museum’s collection. Registration for this free tour is encouraged.

Deep-Rooted is an ongoing tour collaboration with the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, exploring 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: University Communications and Marketing

Multiple Dates
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Register Here

Dance with us in the garden! Enjoy introductory dance classes in the garden with the Greater Lansing Ballet Co. promoting wellbeing through movement. This dance series is free but registration is required.

Instructors from Greater Lansing Ballet Co. will lead these classes in both ballet and contemporary dance.

Schedule:
July 25 - Ballet
Aug 1 - Contemporary Dance
Aug 8 - Ballet
Aug 15 - Contemporary Dance

August 14, 2025
12:10 - 1:00 p.m.
Register Here

Join Community and Sustainability Coordinator Angelica Bajos for a summertime rest. Take time to connect with the garden and indulge your wellbeing through forest bathing invitations. Meet at the garden pond. 

August 22 and 23
8:00 - 10:00 p.m.
Register Here

Bring a blanket and a friend and join us in the Beal Botanical Garden for a movie under the stars! Follow our Facebook and Instagram for updates!

This year’s Screen on the Green is made possible by MSU’s Residence Halls Association - Campus Center Cinemas and the Lansing Public Media Center.

September 11, 2025
12:10 - 1:00 p.m.
Register Here

Join Collections Manager Katie Fry for a lunchtime tour exploring plant resiliency and their potential to mitigate climate change. This tour will include ways Beal Botanical Garden and MSU are contributing and practices to be more sustainable. Meet at the garden pond.

September 12, 2025
4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Get ready to celebrate rewilding at BealFest: Wild at Heart!

Join us for a day packed with activities and performances centered on rewilding our campus and community with environmental stewardship and native plants. Discover exciting ways to reconnect with nature and learn how you can help our local ecosystems thrive!

Check back for updates!

October 9, 2025
12:10 - 1:00 p.m.
Register Here

Join Botanical Steward and Horticulturist Mackenzie Hiatt for an autumnal garden tour engaging all five senses and embracing seasonal changes. Meet at the garden pond.