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Celebrate Black History Month by learning about history in your backyard

Grand Rapids has a rich history and you can learn more about it for free!

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — It's called African American History on the Grand -- it's a guided walking tour that brings different elements of Grand Rapids' history to life. 

Caroline Cook leads you on a journey through the city's past with visits to a dozen different points of interest within the city. The tour celebrates the African American population within the city starting in 1834. The tour will include both a look back, and a look at the present. 

This is the third year Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. has invited Cook to participate as a guide on these tours as part of the World of Winter celebration, currently underway in downtown. This year, there are three sponsored African American History on the Grand tours, which are all free to participants. 

The first is Feb. 1, the second is Feb. 8, and the third is Feb. 15. All of the tours begin at 12 p.m. and last an hour. The start of the walks meet up with Cook at Rosa Parks Circle in front of the Grand Rapids Art Museum. 

Even though it is free, you must register in order to participate

Join your tour guide for a FREE walk through Grand Rapids' Black history. The tour starts at Rosa Parks Circle. To register, visit: http://grandrapidsrunningtours.com/registration/ Registration is not required but is strongly encouraged. Let your friends know you're attending on Facebook!

Caroline Cook owns Grand Rapids Running Tours. She founded the company in 2014, and started with running tours. Walking tours were quickly added, as well as bus tours, and presentations. All of the tours developed by the company have themes that share Grand Rapids history and information. There are currently 42 different options for topics

If you can't make the free African American History on the Grand, you can always email Cook at caroline@grandrapidsrunningtours.com to schedule a tour at a time that is convenient for you. There is a small fee, but they are available year-round. 

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