Published: 7/27/2023

Discover the best things to do in Grand Rapids, MI

Every time I visit Grand Rapids, I’m reminded of what a fun, vibrant town it is.

And to clarify, whether we’re talking about the Grand Rapids in Minnesota or Michigan, I’ve been to both several times.

However, for our purposes today, we’re talking about the Grand Rapids located in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. While this post is all about fun things to do in Grand Rapids, MI, you should definitely check out this Grand Rapids, MN attraction too!

My brother and sister-in-law have called Grand Rapids, MI home for more than a decade. While my visits to the Michigan city are focused on catching up with them, during every visit, we make sure to check out some of Grand Rapids’ excellent restaurants, museums, and attractions. If you’re local to either Chicago or Detroit, Grand Rapids is super easy and fun weekend getaway.

In this Grand Rapids, MI travel guide, I’ve rounded up the best things to do, restaurants, museums, excursions, landmarks, and where to stay. Whether you’re visiting for the weekend or staying for a while, don’t miss my top 10 things to do in Grand Rapids, MI.

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Getting to Grand Rapids, MI

You’ll find Grand Rapids in the west central region of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. This city of nearly 200,000 residents sits 25 miles inland from Lake Michigan.

How To Get To Grand Rapids

Fly – Grand Rapids is home to the Gerald R. Ford International Airport. This well-reviewed small airport has just 15 gates, but is served by all major airlines. Security is a breeze, luggage claim is super fast, and as the flight attendant on my last flight in said, “If you have a connecting flight, I’m pretty sure you’re on the wrong flight.”

Train – Grand Rapids does have an Amtrak station! That’s good news if you’re a fan of train travel like me. If you’re based in the Chicago area, it’s easy to jet up to Grand Rapids for the weekend on the Pere Marquette Amtrak Train. The train runs every day and the ride from Chicago to Grand Rapids takes about 4 hours.

Drive – This is an assumption on my part, but I’d say the vast majority of people drive to Grand Rapids. The two major roads leading into Grand Rapids are Interstate 96 (runs east and west) and U.S. Highway 131 (runs north and south).

Drivetimes to Grand Rapids, MI

Lansing to Grand Rapids: 1 hour
Detroit to Grand Rapids: 2 hours 20 minutes
Traverse City to Grand Rapids: 2 hours 15 minutes
Chicago to Grand Rapids: 3 hours
Cleveland to Grand Rapids: 4.5 hours

What To Know About Grand Rapids, MI

Grand Rapids is a relatively small American city, so you might be as surprised as I was to learn that it’s actually Michigan’s second largest city! (Detroit is the first.)

With its beautiful old Victorian houses lining Heritage Hill which rises above downtown and the Grand River, Grand Rapids is home to one of the largest urban historic districts in the country. In fact, many people rank Grand Rapids’ Heritage Hill district just behind Savannah, Wilmington NC, and Boston’s historic neighborhoods!

Grand Rapids sits on land where Native Americans of the Hopewell culture lived for 2000 years. During the twilight years of the Fur Trade in the early 19th century, several fur trading posts were established along the Grand River. The Treaty of Chicago ceded Michigan to the United States in 1821 and white settlement officially began. The village of Grand Rapids incorporated in 1838.

During Grand Rapids’ early days, the lumber industry dominated the young town’s economy. As a lumber mill town, logs would be shipped down the Grand River, then milled in Grand Rapids, before continuing down the river to Lake Michigan.

But plenty of that lumber stayed right in Grand Rapids. In the late 1800s, the city earned the nickname “Furniture City” and became known nationwide as a producer of fine woodwork. While the city’s industry has shifted significantly since then, Grand Rapids still produces a large amount of America’s office furniture today.

Now the town has transformed into a medical town. Grand Rapids’ Medical Mile runs northeast of downtown. This medical district includes several hospitals and medical research institutes. This pivot into the medical industry helped revitalize the city in the early 2000s.

You’ll also find a fierce entrepreneurial vibe (this is the birthplace of Amway after all) and a thriving small business scene.

Famous Grand Rapids Residents

President Gerald R. Ford and First Lady Betty Ford
Betsy and Dick DeVos (daughter-in-law and son of the co-founder of the multi-level marketing company Amway)
Jay Van Andel (the other co-founder of Amway)
Frederik Meijer (of Meijer grocery store fame)

Grand Rapids Landmarks

Blue Bridge
You can’t miss the Blue Bridge in downtown Grand Rapids. Built in 1892 as a railroad bridge, it’s now a pedestrian bridge and favorite spot for photos.

La Grand Vitesse
This large red abstract sculpture by Alexander Calder has dominated Vandenberg Plaza since 1969. In fact, the plaza is now commonly referred to as Calder Plaza. The sculpture’s title “La Grand Vitesse” loosely translates from French into “Grand Rapids.” (Literally, it means “big swiftness.”) The local government has incorporated this beloved Grand Rapids landmark into the city’s logo.

Stand Up For Rosa Parks
You’ll find a bronze statue of civil rights icon Rosa Parks at the intersection of Pearl Street and Monroe Avenue in the green space called Rosa Parks Circle. Instead of being portrayed in her usual seated position, in this statue she’s standing tall in front of her bus seat. The statue was installed in 2010 to symbolize Grand Rapids’ commitment to resisting racism.

One landmark you won’t see in Grand Rapids? Rapids!

A series of dams removed the rapids from Grand Rapids’ downtown landscape at the turn of the 20th century. There’s actually an active movement to restore rapids in the downtown section of the Grand River. Although this effort has faced serious setbacks recently, the hope is to turn downtown Grand Rapids into a whitewater rafting destination!

My 10 Favorite Fun Things To Do in Grand Rapids, MI

Looking for something to liven up your weekend in Grand Rapids? Grand Rapids has a vibrant small business scene, great museums, and lots of opportunities for outdoor recreation. If you’re looking for a beach day, Lake Michigan is only a 40-minute drive away. Here are my favorite 10 things to do in Grand Rapids, MI!

Step back in time in the Streets of Old Grand Rapids exhibit at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. 

1) Go to a brewery

Since the nickname Furniture City refers to Grand Rapids’ past, some people have proposed that a more apt nickname for Grand Rapids today is “Beer City.”

This town has always been a beer town and was well ahead of the curve when it came to the craft brewery scene.

Not unlike Cincinnati, Grand Rapids welcomed a large number of German immigrants in the mid-19th century. With ample water available from the Grand River, those immigrants immediately started brewing beer. In 1920, the Grand Rapids Brewing Co. was producing 250,000 barrels of beer annually!

Today, Grand Rapids is well-known as the home of Founders Brewing Co. Personally, my favorite spot in Grand Rapids to grab a drink is Brewery Vivant, located in a revamped funeral chapel in the East Hills neighborhood.

Other breweries to check out during your visit include HopCat, the Grand Rapids Brewing Co., and Arvon Brewing Co. A little further afield in Belmont, Archival Brewing serves up beer, mead, and cider brewed using historical recipes.

2) Tour the Meyer May House

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, wealthy Grand Rapids residents built their mansions just up the hill from downtown. Perhaps the most unique house in the East Hills neighborhood is the Meyer May House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and constructed between 1908 – 1909.

Today, the house is located in the Heritage Hill Historic District of Grand Rapids. Built in the Prairie School style, the house features gorgeous custom windows and carpets. Its open floor plan makes it feel much more modern than its 100+ years. 

This distinguished house is well worth a tour. Best of all, it’s completely free to visit. Just keep in mind that the house is only open for a total of 10 hours each week so it’s best to reserve your free tour online ahead of time.

If you miss the tour times at Meyer May, you can do a self-guided walking tour of the neighborhood to check out Meyer May’s quintessential Frank Lloyd Wright rooflines and the other beautiful homes that surround it. 

3) Explore Eastown

Covet Leisure is one of many small businesses in the Eastown/East Hills neighborhoods of Grand Rapids

One of my favorite spots in Grand Rapids is the vibrant Eastown neighborhood. Located next to East Hills, small businesses ranging from restaurants and coffee shops to boutiques and vet clinics fill this happy corner of Grand Rapids.

Stroll down Lake Drive to take in this neighborhood’s fun fusion of Victorian, post-World War II, and modern architecture with business interspersed with private residences. In some cases, the businesses and homes swap places. A distinctive example is the Paddock Place restaurant located in a stunning Victorian mansion.

Favorite Eastown activities including grabbing breakfast at Wolfgang’s, shopping along Cherry Street, and of course, having a drink at the atmospheric Brewery Vivant.

You can even have a fancy afternoon tea experience at High Tea GR. (The Anglophile in me is compelled to point out that high tea is just the working-class term for supper; if you’re thinking of little sandwiches and scones, we’re talking afternoon tea.) Even if their name is a misnomer, I’m still thinking about High Tea GR’s coronation chicken sandwich!

High Tea GR in the Eastown neighborhood of Grand Rapids provides a fun excuse to dress up and put on your best British airs. 

4) Browse the booths at Grand Rapids Downtown Market

If you love food and small business, you’re going to love the Grand Rapids Downtown Market.

Located just south of downtown on Ionia Avenue, this multipurpose building features food stalls, classes, event space, and even an incubator kitchen and greenhouse. Open seven days a week, you can pop into the market hall to stock up on high quality ingredients (hello olive oil and seafood!)  or grab a meal from one of the numerous on-site restaurants.

Check out the eye-catching displays at High Tide Soda, grab an almond croissant you’ll never forget from Field & Fire Bakery, or sample mochi donuts at Rak Thai. I definitely recommend grabbing a coffee from Squibb Coffee and enjoying a walk through the entire marketplace.

You’ll find a greenhouse in the Grand Rapids Downtown Market upstairs, adjacent to the seating area where you can enjoy all your yummy purchases from the downstairs food stalls.

5) Stroll through Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park

Perhaps Grand Rapids’ biggest attraction, you can’t spend a weekend in Grand Rapids and not visit the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. There’s a good reason why Meijer Gardens is at the tippy-top of most lists of things to do in Grand Rapids. This 158-acre property just east of Grand Rapids is beautiful fusion of art and landscaping.

Highlights of Meijer Gardens include more than 200 sculptures, a Japanese garden complete with a tea room, a waterfall and koi pond, and a massive conservatory.

Throughout the year, Meijer Gardens puts on several temporary seasonal exhibits. During the summer they host concerts in the amphitheater. Moral of the story: definitely check their event calendar before visiting.

If you’re heading to a popular temporary exhibit like the spring butterfly exhibit, I definitely recommend checking it out on a weekday. When we swung by on the first warm Saturday of the year last April, we found a very long line to the tropical conservatory where the butterflies live. Happily, we breezed right by since we’d basically had the entire exhibit to ourselves during our last visit . . . which happened in the middle of a snow storm.

In the Japanese Garden at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park.

6) Check out the Grand Rapids Public Museum

I love the Grand Rapids Public Museum. Part children’s museum, part city museum, this space hosts many excellent permanent and temporary exhibits. In fact, this is where I saw the highly acclaimed Titanic exhibit way back in 2013. On paper that might sound little chaotic, but I assure you, they pull it off very well.

I highly recommend taking a couple hours out of your day in Grand Rapids to wander through the museum’s three stories of varied exhibits. On the first floor, definitely check out the Streets of Old Grand Rapids where you can walk into historically accurate shops and interact with volunteer shop owners. 

Sadly, my favorite exhibit in the museum, Furniture City, has been replaced, but I love the newer exhibit Fashion + Nature almost as much. Also, you can’t miss the impressive full skeleton of a fin whale (cleverly named Finny) hanging overhead of the first-floor hall or the working clock salvaged from the old Grand Rapids City Hall.

Perhaps the most notable artifact housed in the Grand Rapids Public Museum is its Spillman Carousel. This newly renovated carousel dates back to 1928. You’ll get a great view of the Grand River if you opt to include a ride in your visit.

Fashion + Nature is a newer exhibit in the Grand Rapids Public Museum and is both beautiful and informative. 

7) Visit the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum

You have to celebrate President Gerald Ford during a visit to Grand Rapids!

Ford graduated from high school in Grand Rapids and is embraced as the city’s native son. Both his presidential museum and final resting place are on the west banks of the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids.

Ford actually had the fifth shortest term in presidential history, shorter even than JFK’s. While he wasn’t an extraordinary president, he was certainly a sincere one. He spent most of his brief time in office focused not on his own legacy but on moving America past the scandals of his predecessors.

I enjoyed my tour of the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum far more than I expected to. The museum features a 20-minute film, permanent exhibits, and a space for special exhibits. Truly a Grand Rapids must-see.

8) Kayak at an area lake

People don’t think of Grand Rapids as a lake town, but not unlike Minnesota’s Twin Cities, the Grand Rapids’ metro area is speckled with small lakes such as Reeds and Dean Lake.

A super pleasant way to pass a sunny afternoon in Grand Rapids is to grab a kayak and beverage of your choice and do a little toodle around an area lake. If you need to rent a kayak (and have a way to transport it), several sporting goods stores in the area rent kayaks by the day including Bill and Paul’s Sporthaus.

Another option is to kayak on the Grand River itself. The City of Grand Rapids offers several kayaking opportunities during the summer, included guided trips up and down the river, paddling in the lagoon at Riverside Park, and kayak rentals on Saturdays in Canal Park.

If you’re not into kayaking, be sure to check out the extensive network of Kent County Parks. You can do a great hike around Pickerel Lake in the Fred Meijer Nature Preserve just north of Grand Rapids.

Pickerel Lake Park in the Fred Meijer Nature Preserve is beautiful place to get out in nature near Grand Rapids, MI. You can hike around the entire lake or fish off the boardwalk. 

9) Go to a Griffins Game at Van Andel Arena

Did you know that Grand Rapids is home to the Detroit Red Wings’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate team? The Grand Rapids Griffins have called the Van Andel Arena in downtown Grand Rapids home since 1996.

I’ll admit I haven’t been to many major league sporting events, but I have been to a fair amount of minor league games. (My family used to go up to Thunder Bay to watch the Whiskey Jacks, a minor league baseball team.) To be brutally honest, I think the minor league games are often way more fun than a big-name sporting event. That’s certainly true with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

The crowd is really into it . . . even when the home team is doing poorly. The intermission entertainment is just the right level of corny. There’s a skating griffin mascot and they fire up the t-shirt/hot dog cannon at regular intervals. What more could you want?

10) Do a wine tasting at Robinette’s