Sports & Recreation

Grand Rapids is a great place to get active!

Start the day with an early morning run or bike ride on a paved scenic trail. The Kent Trails system can be accessed just 1.5 miles from downtown.

Now you're warmed up for a round of golf. There are dozens of courses within 5 to 30 minutes of downtown - including Blythefield Country Club, ranked by MLive as one of the top 10 courses in Michigan.

Get your heart pumping a little faster on one of our mountain biking trails - Outside Magazine named us the "Best Town for Mountain Biking" in 2010.

Head back downtown to fish for steelhead, salmon, walleye and bass in the Grand River - just one of the waterways that convinced Field & Stream Magazine to call us "America's 6th Best Fishing City." You'll need a license.

Ready for a breather? Watch somebody else in action - the Grand Rapids Griffins play hockey from October-April and the West Michigan Whitecaps play baseball from April-September.

Get back in the game with the affordable family fun of bowling - Fairlanes, Wengers and Westgate lanes are all close by.

Watch the night's games at a sports bar/restaurant - Bobarino's, Buffalo Wild Wings, GP Sports, Peppino's, and Z's are all great downtown choices.

Or spend the evening "where speed belongs" - at Berlin Raceway, a NASCAR/ARCA auto racing track.

Short Drive

The Lake Michigan shoreline, just 30-40 minutes away, offers even more recreation opportunities:

• Swim the clear, clean waters of Lake Michigan at 15+ public beaches. Great for volleyball, running and kite flying, too.
• Climb 279 steps to the top of Mt. Baldhead at Oval Beach. Or forgo the steps and climb the sand dune - it's even tougher!
• Charter a fishing boat or rent a boat or jet ski to explore coastal waters.

Head to Lowell, 30 minutes east of Grand Rapids, for a hiking/learning adventure at Wittenbach/Wege Center - 140 acres of lush forests, rolling prairies, abundant wetlands and fields, open 365 days a year.

Tell us what sports & recreation activities you'd add to this self-guided tour!