Adventure Vacations

Adrenaline junkies will find no end of exciting adventures in Grand Rapids. Get out on one of the world’s most amazing bodies of water. Get up on one of the world’s best roller coasters. Scale the heights of a towering sand dune or freestyle your way through a snow-covered sports park. You’ll find thrills and chills for all ages, all designed to challenge your limits and let your spirit soar.

Outdoor Adventures

Millennium Park is one of the nation's largest urban greenspaces. Facilities include playground equipment, a beach, swimming lake, splashpad and nearly 20 miles of trails.

The John Ball Zoo is where you can see nearly 2,000 animals in play, but for the thrill seeker, ride a zipline over the zoo or negotiate a four-story sky trail ropes course. When you're done, ride a funicular to a treehouse offering panoramic city views.

Bring your bike! Grand Rapids is nationally recognized for mountain biking and we have great traditional bike trails, too - many within minutes of downtown.

Ride outdoor go-karts, bumper boats, a zip line and The 360, a gravity-defying 360 thrill ride, at Craig’s Cruisers – and when the weather outside is frightful, head inside for bumper cars, a frog hopper, cruiser coaster, laser tag, trampoline park and arcade.

Bring your trail shoes, snowshoes and cross-country skis! Hundreds of miles of paved and natural trails in and around the city include a stretch of the 4,800-mile North Country National Scenic Trail.

Meet adorable goats, camels, donkeys, bunnies, alpacas, yaks and more up close at Deer Tracks Junction Adventure Park – and interact with even more animals at sister park Site 57 Safari, Michigan’s only drive-thru safari.

Bring your skateboards, scooters and BMX bikes! The Downtown Skate Park offers an array of rails, ramps and grind ledges in the heart of the city.

Just a short drive away is Michigan's Adventure Amusement & Water Park, with 60+ thrill rides for all ages - including Shivering Timbers, one of the world's best wooden roller coasters.

Get out on the water – bring or rent a paddleboard, canoe, kayak, innertube, jet-ski or boat to navigate 50+ nearby lakes and rivers.

Dodge aerial obstacles and ride the zip lines on nine different courses up in the tree canopy at TreeRunner Grand Rapids Adventure Park.

Scale the outdoor climbing boulders at Highland Park, just minutes from downtown. They’re shorter than regular rock-climbing structures, so you can do it without ropes.

Play an exciting game of laser tag or archery tag at Battle Grand Rapids Tactical Games & Sports.

Indoor Adventures

Check out Terra Firma Bouldering Co. and Higher Ground Rock Climbing Centre for an introduction to indoor climbing or just drop in for an open climb.

Get your skate on – whether it’s roller skating at GR Skate and Tarry Hall or ice skating at Eagles Ice Center, Griff’s IceHouse and Patterson Ice Center.

Put some bounce into your step with trampoline games and courses at Altitude, Rebounderz and Sky Zone.

Go fowling – it’s a combination of football and bowling – at Fowling Warehouse Grand Rapids, featuring 30 lanes and two full bars for thirst-quenching game breaks.

Give your arms a workout with a few rounds of axe throwing ­­– it’s like darts on steroids – at FlannelJax’s and Wood-Splitters.

Join Spider-Man on a swing through New York City, travel the oceanic depths, make your way through a zombie apocalypse or an island of dinosaurs and tackle dozens of other exciting games at Amped Virtual Reality.

Work together with your group to find clues and solve puzzles that will enable your getaway from different room environments at Grand Rapids Escape Room, The Great Escape Room, Locked 460 and The Ruse.

Experience the largest indoor ropes course in Michigan, packed with 85+ challenges across two levels of adventure, at Allegan Event, 30 minutes from Grand Rapids.

Drivers age 15 and older can pilot super-fast go-karts on a climate-controlled two-level track at the Grand Rapids Grand Prix in Byron Center, 14 minutes from downtown GR.