Beer Itinerary

Welcome to Beer City USA! Grand Rapids has held this title since 2012, along with such USA Today accolades as America’s Best Beer City (2021-2015), Best Beer Scene (2016-2017) and Best Beer Town (2014). Our Beer City Ale Trail, featuring 35+ breweries within a 30-minute drive, has been named one of the nation’s 11 Best Food & Drink Trails (TimeOut, 2024) and one of 10 U.S. Tours Even Americans Should Take (The Discoverer, 2022).

So if your group wants to immerse itself in the unique culture and traditions of Grand Rapids, we invite you to tour our local breweries, attend local beer events and become a Beer City Brewsader® as part of your visit. Go behind the scenes of some of the area’s biggest craft breweries. Take a guided walking tour of downtown GR breweries – there are eight of them – or engage a step-on guide for your bus and venture outside the walkable city center. Sample pro-am beers from around West Michigan at the Beer City Brewers Festival (fall), beers from around the state at the Winter Beer Festival (February) and beers from around the world at the International Wine, Beer & Food Festival (November).

Every member of your group doesn’t have to be a beer lover to enjoy a beer itinerary – many of our breweries also craft their own spirits, hard ciders and hard seltzers, and offer a wide selection of non-alcoholic options. A number of breweries are also known for their great food, and several – including B.O.B.’s Brewery, Founders Brewing Company and New Holland Brewing - The Knickerbocker in downtown GR – can accommodate most any size group.

Check out our beer itinerary suggestions below. You can combine them with selections from our art, gardens & agriculture, and/or hands-on activity suggestions for a more rounded Grand Rapids experience. There’s so much to see and do here that you might book one or more overnights – and when you do, every person on your coach will receive a Grand Gift.

Feel free to reach out to us for additional recommendations – there are many more possibilities beyond what we’ve listed here!

Beer Extras

Download the Beer City Brewsader app and check into eight participating breweries to earn a free exclusive t-shirt.

Local Tours

Get guided tours and behind-the-scenes perks from Grand Rapids Beer Tours, GR Running Tours, Tours Around Michigan, and Raise a Glass Beer & Wine Tours.