Grand Rapids, Michigan’s second largest city, is just an hour away from my hometown of Lansing, so it’s one of my frequent weekend getaways. The craft beer scene, restaurants, art, and museums make a Grand Rapids weekend getaway perfect for craft beer aficionados, gourmets, art lovers, and history buffs. In 2016, the New York Times named Grand Rapids one of 52 Places to Go Worldwide. In 2014, Lonely Planet recognized Grand Rapids as the Number One US Destination.
Whether you can spend 2 days in Grand Rapids, or 3, you’ll have an amazing weekend. You may want to combine it with a few days in Frankenmuth for a full lower peninsula vacation! Or, perhaps you want to spend a few days here on your way to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
Why I Love Grand Rapids Weekend Getaways?
Michigan’s craft beer scene is number five in the United States, and Grand Rapids’ alias is Beer City, USA. Their Ale Trail features over 40 breweries in the greater Grand Rapids area, where there are regular festivals and events celebrating beer. At the first brewery, ask about the free “Beer City Brewsader app.” I collected eight passport stamps and earned a “Brewsader” t-shirt as proof of my Grand Rapids weekend getaway.
TIP: No need to drive to enjoy the Ale Trail. Several beer tour options exist in addition to an award-winning bus system. With taxis Grand Rapids has several safe ways to imbibe.
For gourmets, Grand Rapids is an active farm-to-table locally-sourced restaurant scene. Michigan is second only to California in their variety of fruits and vegetables, so local farm fresh is king in the Grand Rapids area. In 2017, The World Food Travel Association’s FoodTrekking Awards recognized Grand Rapids as the Number Two Best Food/Beverage Destination Experience. In 2014, Wallet Hub named Grand Rapids American’s second most affordable Foodie City.
In addition to the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, art lovers will want to explore the Urban Institute for Contemporary Art and the Grand Rapids Art Museum. Both located in the downtown area.
For history buffs, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum is the place to go. Also check out the Meyer May house with its original furnishings, or the Heritage House Self-Guided tour. Grand Rapids Public Museum is another way for history buffs to get their fix.
I am Amy Piper, world traveler, and founder of Follow the Piper. I will share how I spent my recent Grand Rapids weekend getaway, and then give you plenty of other things to do so you can customize your 2 days in Grand Rapids.
Getting to Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids is located in the western side of Michigan’s lower peninsula, at the junction of Interstate 96, and US Route 131. It is an easy drive from the rest of Michigan, as well as several Midwestern states. It is also well connected for Amtrak train travel. For those coming from further distances, the Gerald R. Ford International Airport has regular flights from around the US.
Grand Rapids Weekend Getaway – Friday
Visit the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
3:00 p.m.
Gerald R. Ford raised in Grand Rapids, became the 38th President of the United States, and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum is a must during any 2 days in Grand Rapids!
As a University of Michigan alumni, my favorite exhibit at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum was about Ford’s time at the University of Michigan. He was a member of the Wolverine football team where he played center.
After his presidency, Ford returned to the University of Michigan as a political science professor. One of his classes was in the Modern Language Building, and I remember walking down the hall from my Spanish class and peering through the door’s small window to watch his lecture. As a young student, it was memorable to be just that close to a former president.
The museum encompasses exhibits on the 1976 Bicentennial and a replica of the Oval Office. A graffitied section of the Berlin Wall is also on display. A rotating display represents Ford’s interests. The exhibition was about space when I went.
You can also visit President and Mrs. Ford’s graves on the museum grounds.
TIP: The Ford Library isn’t located in Grand Rapids, but rather in Ann Arbor.
303 Pearl Street NW
Have Dinner at Founder’s Brewing Company and Enjoy Some Live Music
6:30 p.m.
Founder’s Brewing Company is world-renowned and is consistently ranked one of the best breweries in the world. Eight different beers have won at least 13 various medals. Founders Brewing Company offers live music with nationally known talent. Your 2 days in rand Rapids must take in a couple breweries, (well, if you are a beer afficianado,) so you might as well include the best.
Tip: No minors are allowed after 9:00 p.m.
235 Grandville Avenue S.W.
Grand Rapids Weekend Getaway – Saturday
Grab Breakfast at Rendezvous
8:00 a.m.
Rendezvous serves a breakfast buffet. Fresh waffles with fruit topping and whipped cream made on request along with your favorite omelet.
At night, Rendezvous is a great place to meet up with friends and enjoy a hand-crafted cocktail.
Located inside the Amway Grand Plaza
187 Monroe Avenue, N.W.
Explore Sculptures and Horticulture
9:00 a.m.
Since Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is several miles from downtown and the other museums, we kicked-off our day there and worked our way back to center city. The garden and sculpture park is one of the world’s hundred most visited museums, and one of the 30 must-see museums in the world. The 158-acre venue holds over 50 sculptures by artists like Degas and Rodin. To get a quick overview of the sculpture garden take the narrated tram tour. While technically classified as a museum, this primarily outdoor facility isn’t the typical museum.
In spring, the exhibit Butterflies are Blooming runs from March through April with over 7,000 tropical butterflies. See them in every stage from chrysalis, cocoon, caterpillar, to butterfly.
Other features are an eight-acre Japanese garden that incorporates both sculpture and horticulture and a children’s garden. During the summer take in a concert at their outdoor stage.
After a morning of art, we’re on to the East Hills neighborhood for lunch and our museum exploration downtown.
TIP: This venue is about five miles from downtown and the other museums.
1000 East Beltline Ave NE
Grab Some Lunch at Grove Restaurant
Noon
The Grove offers farm-to-table dining through the support of local farmers and artisans. Check the chalkboard of their suppliers to see which farms are supplying your meal. Farm-fresh produce is the basis of Grove’s seasonal meals. Fresh tomatoes on are absent in January. The positive side is the freshness; the negative is your favorite dish may vanish until next year. I so crave the off-season heirloom tomatoes!
Menu ingredients range from Michigan favorites like Lake Superior Whitefish and Michigan tart cherries to international ones such as matcha and harissa.
Grove has a casual family-friendly neighborhood feel. While the atmosphere is relaxed, the food thoughtfully presented. The food quality reflects a white table cloth caliber restaurant. Stylishly presented dishes are as pleasing to look at as they are to taste.
Tip: Reservations are a good idea as the restaurant is on the smaller size and is often fully-seated.
919 Cherry Street S.E. in the East Hills neighborhood
Visit Grand Rapids Public Museum
1:30 p.m.
Grand Rapids Public Museum is Michigan’s second largest museum, and one of the oldest. The museum has permanent exhibits focusing on science, history, and culture. With the traveling exhibits, there’s always something new. I’ve seen everything from the Titanic exhibit to the Wonders of Ancient Egypt here. The rides on the restored carousel are fun. This three-story building is full of history and culture.
272 Pearl St NW
Enjoy Dinner and Entertainment at The Knickerbocker: New Holland Brewing
6:00 p.m.
The Knickerbocker: New Holland Brewing is the trifecta. It’s a distillery, brewery, and eatery all combined into one 40,000 square foot scene. The Knickerbocker has a lot going on, appealing to all five senses — farm-to-table dining from a wood-fired oven, live music, distillery and brewery tours, lawn games in the open-air courtyard, and on-site shopping. It earns a spot in any 2 days in Grand Rapids!
The farm-fresh menu sourced from local producers celebrates nose-to-tail butchery cooked over an open fire. It’s easy to see why, the Nashville hot chicken sandwich won third place in Grandwich, a local Grand Rapids sandwich contest. The Nashville comes topped with house-made Grandma Knickerbocker’s bread and butter pickles. I had to ask for more of these pickles. Yes, they were that good.
The Cuban sandwich built on a Telera bun, like that of Mexican tortas, is slightly sweet and with a hint of sourdough flavor. It’s piled high with roasted Michigan pork shoulder, ham, and Swiss cheese. Dill pickles and mustard are the condiments of choice.
After dinner, stick around for live music. An alternate after-dinner activity is a tour of the brewery and distillery.
417 Bridge Street N.W.
Grand Rapids Weekend Getaway – Sunday
Have Brunch at Terra
11:00 a.m.
Getting ready for an afternoon of sight-seeing, Terra is the perfect place for brunch. Their mission is to provide food that is health-filled and nurtures both your body and the community. Their menu is farm-to-table fresh with seasonal locally- sourced ingredients.
One of my favorite dishes is the wood-fired breakfast pizza. It has tomato sauce, bacon and scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, kale, hand-pulled mozzarella topped with a brown butter hollandaise.
1429 Lake Drive S.E.
Visit the Meyer May House
1:00 p.m.
For a bit of history and architecture, we explored the Frank Lloyd Wright prairie-style Meyer May House. Originally built in 1909 for the founder of May’s of Michigan clothing store, today it has been restored to its original grandeur by Steelcase and includes original furnishings.
The house is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and Sundays 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
450 Madison SE
Wrap up your 2 days in Grand Rapids
Head Home
3:00 p.m.
The weekend always flies by quickly, and by Sunday night we’re already planning next weekend. If you work in the morning, you may be heading home now. If that is not the case, make your 2 days in Grand Rapids into 2 days and 2 nights, and take your choice from the other things to do in Grand Rapids suggested below!
More Ideas for Your Weekend in Grand Rapids
Lodging
Both hotels listed below are central locations for the Grand Rapids weekend getaway itinerary. The Amway Grand Plaza is in downtown Grand Rapids, while the Hampton Inn & Suites Grand Rapids is one mile from the city center and four and a half miles from the Frederik Meijer Gardens.
Amway Grand Plaza – Hilton Curio Collection
187 Monroe NW
Hampton Inn & Suites Grand Rapids Downtown
433 Dudley Place NE
Get a great deal on these hotels, or some other fantastic hotels in Grand Rapids. You can reserve your room right now!
More Craft Beer Venues in Grand Rapids
Our Ale Trail Adventure can continue at any one of more than 40 craft breweries. Repurposed buildings with an impressive former life house the breweries below.
Brewery Vivant makes Belgian-style beer in a former funeral chapel complete with a stained-glass window and choir loft. 925 Cherry Street S.E.
The Mitten Brewing Company located in a historic Victorian-era firehouse, Engine House #9. 527 Leonard Street N.W.
In the 1920s Creston Brewery was a DeKorne’s furniture showroom. Before being Beer City USA, Grand Rapids was Furniture City, USA. Creston Brewer is home to live music with local acts. 1504 Plainfield Avenue N.E.
Family-Friendly Attractions in Grand Rapids
John Ball Zoo
Where 1,800 animals from five continents call it home. 1300 West Fulton Street
Grand Rapids Children’s Museum
During ArtPrize 2009, The Grand Rapids Children’s Museum had a mosaic installed on the building’s exterior. Today the museum offers 18 permanent exhibits, including Little Grand Rapids and the active Adventures in Balance. The kiddos have lots of opportunities for hands-on interaction. 11 Sheldon Avenue N.E.
Lena Meijer Children’s Garden at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids
The five-acre children’s garden at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is the most extensive children’s garden in the United States. That alone earns it a visit during 2 days in Grand Rapids. The emphasis is on sculpture. Kids will not only enjoy the children’s garden; but, the kids’ tram transitions children from their unique garden to the rest of the Sculpture Park. Teachers lead a tour including songs to match specific sculptures. For example, at the Lying Man sculpture by Sean Henry, they sing Are You Sleeping? Kids get off the tram, sing the docent-led song, and explore the art.
Kiddos can dig for fossils in the rock quarry and climb the tree house. The five senses garden provides the chance to experience all senses by touching a soft lamb’s ear plant, seeing brightly colored flowers, hearing running water in the water feature, and smelling and tasting the mint.
1000 East Beltline Avenue N.E.
Tip: Bring an extra set of clothes in case the kiddos get wet at the Great Lakes water feature.
Grand Rapids Outstanding Outdoor Areas
Millennium Park
One of the largest urban parks in the United States. It covers 1,400 acres including a 100-acre lake and six acres of sandy beach. The park has a large splash pad with more than a dozen sprayers, buckets, and other water features. 1415 Maynard Avenue, S.W.
Ah-Nab-Awen Park
Ah-Nab-Awen which means “resting place,” was originally the site of a Native American village. Now it’s a six-and-a-half-acre park located at 303 Pearl Street.
Blandford Nature Center
The center is a 143-acre nature center with hiking trails perfect for observing wildlife. 1715 Hillburn Avenue, NW.
Special Events
Art Prize
ArtPrize is a biennial international art competition held in the fall. It’s the most well-attended art event covering three miles of downtown Grand Rapids. Businesses, restaurants, and museums morph into ArtPrize venues. Art is everywhere both outside and in. ArtPrize is independently organized. An expert jury and the public decides the winners. ArtPrize is free.
Other Grand Rapids Historic Homes and Buildings
Heritage Hill Historic District Self-Tour
The district’s 1,300 houses represent almost every style of American architecture, everything from Greek Revival to Prairie style. Download a map and begin your self-guided tour. 455 Cherry Street S.E. is a good starting point because there are a half a dozen houses on Cherry Street and several others on College starting on the corner of College and Cherry Streets. The map describes each of the houses and mentions some of the typical characteristics of the style.
Grand Rapids Sporting Venues
If you are a sports lover, you can take in almost any kind of competition you want during your 2 days in Grand Rapids!
The West Michigan Whitecaps is a Class A affiliate league for the Detroit Tigers baseball team.
Grand Rapids Griffins is a minor league affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings hockey team.
Grand Rapids Drive is an NBA development league for the Detroit Pistons basketball team.
Grand Rapids Football Club is a minor league soccer team.
More Excellent Eateries in Grand Rapids
Lucy’s Cafe serves breakfast and lunch with many vegetarian and vegan options. 1747 Plainfield Avenue N.E.
Six. One. Six. inside the J.W. Marriott, summer seating on the deck, right on the Grand River makes it a relaxing place to have dinner outside on the water. 235 Louis Campau Street N.W.
Monelli’s Italian Grill and Sports Bar, a family-run restaurant serves scratch-made Italian specialties such as minestrone, lasagna, and pizza. – 5675 Byron Center Avenue, Wyoming
Cherie Inn known for its breakfast and lunch, the restaurant first opened its doors in 1924. It’s the longest-running restaurant in Grand Rapids located in a 100-year-old building. 969 Cherry Street S.E.
Apps to Enhance Your 2 Days in Grand Rapids Experience
Here are five apps to help make your Grand Rapids weekend getaway go smoother.
- My City Bikes includes places in Grand Rapids to get outdoors and ride a bike.
- Beer City Brewsader App, use it to collect eight passport stamps and receive a Brewsader t-shirt as a souvenir of your Grand Rapids weekend getaway.
- Untapped App finds close breweries so that you can try new styles of beers.
- ArtPrize App shows where to find ArtPrize venues displaying art within restaurants, businesses, and museums.
- Motu Parking App helps to find appropriate parking during your Grand Rapids weekend getaway.
If you are looking for other weekend getaways in the Midwest, you may like some of our other favorites-
- Cleveland Weekend Getaway
- St. Louis Weekend Getaway
- Hannibal, Missouri, Weekend Getaway
- Springfield, Illinois, Weekend Getaway
And, if you are planning a weekend in Grand Rapids soon, PIN this for later!
Amy Piper is a freelance travel writer, photographer, and blogger. She is a native of Michigan USA who has traveled to 41 countries and 42 states, most recently adding New Mexico to the list. Her aspiration is to travel to Antarctica and finally visit all seven continents. She travels frequently with her husband, daughter, and granddaughter. She has been chased by bomb sniffing dogs in the middle of the night in Bogotá (working late), refused boarding for a plane from Buenos Aires to Paraguay (wrong visa), and Federal Marshals once announced her seat number on a plane while looking for a murder suspect. She had traded seats. It is always an adventure!
She is a member of the International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA), Travel Massive, TravMedia, and the International Travel Writers and Photographers Alliance (ITWPA). You can find Amy on Twitter @amythe piper, and on Facebook at Follow the Piper.
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