A Guide to Visiting Grand Rapids with Vision Loss

Travelers who are blind or visually impaired can enjoy a comfortable and stress-free trip to Grand Rapids. Our airport and many hotels and attractions offer accessibility features to help those with visual impairments negotiate Grand Rapids with confidence.

If you or a travel companion have complete or partial vision loss, check out the information below to start planning an itinerary that meets your needs and interests. We want to empower you to fully participate, engage and immerse yourself in the many joys of Grand Rapids, which was named one of CNN’s 10 Best American Towns to Visit in 2024.

We also invite you to visit Wheel the World, the online travel booking platform dedicated to enhancing international accessibility for travelers of all visual, mobility, auditory and sensory abilities. Wheel the World’s Accessible Grand Rapids page explores the accessibility features at 50 Grand Rapids hotels, attractions and restaurants. Our “Destination Verified” status means that all 50 businesses have been subject to third-party accessibility assessments.

Getting to Grand Rapids

The Gerald R. Ford International Airport, named North America’s easiest and most enjoyable airport, is proud to participate in the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower network. This global initiative is aimed at providing support and assistance to travelers with non-visible conditions, including vision loss. Passengers can request a free Sunflower item at the airport’s Visitor Information Desk and security screening checkpoint. Airport staff and partners are trained to recognize the Sunflower symbol and provide appropriate assistance.

The airport also offers both pre- and post-security service animal relief areas for guide dogs that accompany passengers.

Getting Around Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids’ award-winning Rapid bus system offers accessible transportation options for individuals with visual impairments, including features like Braille and tactile maps, and audible announcements of stops. Both the Rapid and the Downtown Area Shuttle (DASH) – which offers free rides throughout the city center – allow riders to bring service animals on board for a more comfortable and inclusive experience.

Staying in Grand Rapids

There are nearly 100 hotels in Grand Rapids offering a wide range of budgets and amenities, including visually accessible features. You can search our Hotels page for location, budget and 16 different amenities, then click the links to individual hotel pages to discover their accommodations for deaf and hard-of-hearing guests.

If you want to stay downtown, steps away from 300+ restaurants, shops, museums and entertainment venues, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn & Suites, and Homewood Suites are among the downtown hotels offering a range of accessibility options, including audible alarms, audible alerts in elevators and braille room numbers.

Many hotels outside the city center offer similar features and more, including the Red Roof Inn, which trains staff to read written materials aloud and provide verbal directions for guests who are blind or have low vision.

It's always smart to contact the hotel in advance of your stay for a full list of visually accessible features and to let staff know of your needs. Once you arrive, you can request assistance in navigating the hotel as you familiarize yourself with elevators, key card usage and other features.

Things to Do in Grand Rapids

Many Grand Rapids attractions are equipped to help individuals who are blind or have low vision enjoy their offerings to the fullest. Here are some of the city’s best:

Celebration Cinema

With four locations around Grand Rapids – Downtown (Studio Park), Rivertown (Grandville), North and South – Celebration Cinema presents new-release movies in theaters equipped with the latest technologies and comfort amenities. Accessibility services include audio descriptions for blind and visually impaired guests, allowing them to follow the story and experience the movie more fully.

DeVos Performance Hall

DeVos Performance Hall hosts performances by Broadway Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Ballet, the Grand Rapids Symphony and Opera Grand Rapids in addition to touring concerts, comedy and family shows. The 2,543-seat theater welcomes trained guide dogs, signal dogs and service animals – just identify your animal to the ticket taker upon entry.

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

Named America’s Best Sculpture Park by USA Today and one of the world’s most visited art museums, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is an oasis of art and nature. More than 200 sculptures from classic and contemporary masters are exhibited in indoor and outdoor gardens and galleries. A list of touchable sculptures for individuals who are blind or low vision is available at the ticketing center, and narrated tram rides provide vivid descriptions of outdoor sculptures and gardens. The annual spring Butterflies are Blooming exhibit includes an inclusive Blind or Low Vision night that offers staff and volunteer guides, tactile materials to explore, gloves to touch some sculptures and more.

Grand Rapids Downtown Market

The Grand Rapids Downtown Market is a local foods emporium housing 19 artisan food merchants and restaurants, award-winning event space and year-round public events, including the annual holiday Christkindl Markt (Nov. 19-Dec. 23, 2025). Braille signage and large-print materials help blind and low-vision guests negotiate the space.

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum

The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum is an entertaining exploration of the life and times of America’s 38^th president, who grew up in Grand Rapids and represented the region in Congress for 24 years. With a minimum of two weeks’ notice, the Museum will provide an interpretive guide to groups or individuals with visual impairments, at no charge.

Grand Rapids Public Museum

Focusing on history, science and culture, the Grand Rapids Public Museum offers three floors of fascinating exhibits on the banks of downtown’s Grand River. The Museum uses Aira, an app-based verbal description service that connects people who are blind or have low vision to remote agents that guide them through the facility. You tell the agent what you want to do at the Museum, and the agent will guide you to the space, read labels and give descriptions of the surroundings. Visitors can download the free app and use the service anywhere on the Museum’s property, including the parking ramp. The Museum also has a magnifying sheet available you can use to magnify text and images.

Van Andel Arena

Van Andel Arena is a 12,000-seat entertainment destination in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids. It hosts the nation’s biggest touring concerts, comedy shows and family events, and it’s home to the Grand Rapids Gold basketball team, Grand Rapids Griffins hockey team and Grand Rapids Rise women’s volleyball team. In addition to welcoming service animals, Van Andel provides braille lettering on all reachable signs.

Tours Around Michigan

The first U.S. tour company endorsed by Accessible Travel Press Online, Tours Around Michigan offers a variety of public and private tours of Grand Rapids oriented around city landmarks, art, historic homes, ghost stories, churches, food and beverages, and more. The company is happy to work with guests who are visually impaired, mobility-impaired and/or neurodivergent. For example, spoken language interpreters receive a free ticket on the tour to accompany the person they are helping.

Shopping in Grand Rapids

Meijer, the locally headquartered retail chain that invented the superstore, offers free use of the Aira app at its 20+ West Michigan locations (and all of its Midwest supercenters). The same app employed at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, Aira connects blind and low vision people to highly trained, remotely located agents through the cameras of their smartphones. Agents will help with anything from reading in-store signage to product labels. Local Target and Walmart stores also support the Aira app.

As you plan your Grand Rapids trip, be sure to contact hotels, attractions and other hospitality providers in advance to inform them of your needs and confirm their services for the blind and visually impaired. You’ll save time on site, feel more confident and ensure a more accessible and enjoyable trip.

One more thing – Grand Rapids is known for its friendliness, so don’t hesitate to ask for help during your visit!