A Guide to the Best of GR!
Dinner Recommendations
Roam
250 Monroe Ave NWAwesome restaurant! Try their Curry dish with the coconut rice! YUM!
The Søvengård
1232 Bridge St NWUnique dishes and an incredible patio!
Lots of options for pretty much any type of food you could ask for. My husband loves Slows a BBQ spot and I love Social Kitchen with their pick your ingredients Salads, Pizzas and scrambles.
98 locals recommend
Downtown Market Grand Rapids
435 Ionia Ave SWLots of options for pretty much any type of food you could ask for. My husband loves Slows a BBQ spot and I love Social Kitchen with their pick your ingredients Salads, Pizzas and scrambles.
GREAT restaurant, will be the highlight of your trip! It's a bit spendy but you get what you pay for!
48 locals recommend
Butcher's Union
438 Bridge St NWGREAT restaurant, will be the highlight of your trip! It's a bit spendy but you get what you pay for!
Drinks & Nightlife
Great place to catch a late night bite to eat or sample one of their hundreds of beers on tap! Make sure to try the crack fries.
65 locals recommend
HopCat
25 Ionia Ave SWGreat place to catch a late night bite to eat or sample one of their hundreds of beers on tap! Make sure to try the crack fries.
Great food and incredible atmosphere!! They have an awesome patio with an outdoor bar and firetables when it starts to get chilly. This is an up and coming area of town with a ton of food options!
62 locals recommend
New Holland Brewing - The Knickerbocker
417 Bridge St NWGreat food and incredible atmosphere!! They have an awesome patio with an outdoor bar and firetables when it starts to get chilly. This is an up and coming area of town with a ton of food options!
Haute at New Hotel Mertens (rooftop lounge)
35 Oakes St SWGrand Rapids' only rooftop bar... need we say more?
Parks & Nature
There is a beautiful park and nature trails around the lake and through the surrounding neighborhoods. Great spot for a picnic by the water.
28 locals recommend
Reeds Lake
There is a beautiful park and nature trails around the lake and through the surrounding neighborhoods. Great spot for a picnic by the water.
The best beach in my opinion! The bigger state parks are nice but over crowded! Hoffmaster has a bit more of a rustic feel and is often less busy than Holland or Grand Haven. It has a small dune and miles of coast line to explore. Make sure to catch a sunset and head out for some ice cream afterwards at the Whippy-Dip!
64 locals recommend
P. J. Hoffmaster State Park
6585 Lake Harbor RdThe best beach in my opinion! The bigger state parks are nice but over crowded! Hoffmaster has a bit more of a rustic feel and is often less busy than Holland or Grand Haven. It has a small dune and miles of coast line to explore. Make sure to catch a sunset and head out for some ice cream afterwards at the Whippy-Dip!
Great park right down the road! Nice open space and two playgrounds for kids. There is a splash pad in the summer and a great sledding hill in the winter!
Mulick Park
1632 Sylvan Ave SEGreat park right down the road! Nice open space and two playgrounds for kids. There is a splash pad in the summer and a great sledding hill in the winter!
Cambridge Park
1501 Gladstone Drive SoutheastDog park right down the road with puppy happy hour every day around 4-5pm.
Shopping
This fun little area right down the road has a few awesome shopping stops as well as a few fun restaurants and a grocery store. Anthropology, LOFT, Lululemon, West Elm... does it get much better?
7 locals recommend
Breton Village Shopping Center
1814 Breton Rd SEThis fun little area right down the road has a few awesome shopping stops as well as a few fun restaurants and a grocery store. Anthropology, LOFT, Lululemon, West Elm... does it get much better?
Pretty much every shop you could every want is in this area! Plus a chick-fil-a across the street!
49 locals recommend
Woodland Mall
3195 28th St SEPretty much every shop you could every want is in this area! Plus a chick-fil-a across the street!
Check out this darling local boutique with home made items from local artists. Great place to grab a gift or a unique souvenir from Grand Rapids.
22 locals recommend
Rebel
1555 Wealthy St SECheck out this darling local boutique with home made items from local artists. Great place to grab a gift or a unique souvenir from Grand Rapids.
This little market makes you feel like you are in Europe or at least a much bigger city. An incredible selection of beer, wine and specialty groceries. Check out their deli for a quick dinner or their incredible dessert display. They've got everything from fresh produce to Jeni's ice cream to lots of local favorites.
54 locals recommend
Martha's Vineyard Fine Wine & Gourmet Grocery
200 Union Ave NEThis little market makes you feel like you are in Europe or at least a much bigger city. An incredible selection of beer, wine and specialty groceries. Check out their deli for a quick dinner or their incredible dessert display. They've got everything from fresh produce to Jeni's ice cream to lots of local favorites.
Essentials
Awesome local market with an incredible selection of beer, wine, desserts, snacks, grocery staples and fresh fruits and veggies. They also have awesome pizza by the slice!
54 locals recommend
Martha's Vineyard Fine Wine & Gourmet Grocery
200 Union Ave NEAwesome local market with an incredible selection of beer, wine, desserts, snacks, grocery staples and fresh fruits and veggies. They also have awesome pizza by the slice!
Incredible produce at great prices! They have a full butchers counter too, try their brats. They have great pizzas and sandwiches, an incredible beer and wine selection and many options for anyone with dietary restrictions.
9 locals recommend
Fresh Thyme Farmers Market
2470 Burton St SEIncredible produce at great prices! They have a full butchers counter too, try their brats. They have great pizzas and sandwiches, an incredible beer and wine selection and many options for anyone with dietary restrictions.
Entertainment & Activities
Beautiful gardens with season activities. Check out free concerts on Tuesday nights or the butterflies in the Spring. Our favorite part is the Japanese Tea garden.
25 locals recommend
Meijer Gardens
1000 E Beltline Ave NEBeautiful gardens with season activities. Check out free concerts on Tuesday nights or the butterflies in the Spring. Our favorite part is the Japanese Tea garden.
Check out a brewery tour of Founders and make sure to grab lunch on the patio afterwards.
176 locals recommend
Founders Brewing Co
235 Grandville Ave SWCheck out a brewery tour of Founders and make sure to grab lunch on the patio afterwards.
You can rent boats / paddle boards / kayaks to explore the lake or just hang out on the beach. This is a great spot to hang out for the day, go on a walk or bike ride, especially with kids!
59 locals recommend
Millennium Park
1415 Maynard Ave SWYou can rent boats / paddle boards / kayaks to explore the lake or just hang out on the beach. This is a great spot to hang out for the day, go on a walk or bike ride, especially with kids!
Sightseeing
A walk across the blue bridge at night is a must when you are visiting Grand Rapids! Walk along the river and down near the museums to find another pedestrian bridge, end your square with a stroll through the Amway Grand Plaza and a drink on the top floor at Cygnus 27.
11 locals recommend
Blue Bridge
Blue BridgeA walk across the blue bridge at night is a must when you are visiting Grand Rapids! Walk along the river and down near the museums to find another pedestrian bridge, end your square with a stroll through the Amway Grand Plaza and a drink on the top floor at Cygnus 27.