A Guide to Visiting Grand Rapids for Wheelchair Users

Grand Rapids, Michigan is committed to accessibility for all visitors, including those with mobility impairments. We want to empower travelers who use wheelchairs or other mobility devices to fully participate in and experience Grand Rapids, which was named one of CNN’s 10 Best American Towns to Visit in 2024.

Experience Grand Rapids has long been working to make Grand Rapids more accessible for all travelers. In 2019, we teamed with Disability Advocates of Kent County to survey and highlight the accessibility features at 60+ of the area’s top hotels, attractions, restaurants and service providers, and we made that information available to visitors.

We’ve also hosted a number of influencers who use wheelchairs over the past few years. Click the links to read about the Grand Rapids experiences of Cory Lee (Curb Free With Cory Lee), Sylvia Longmire (Spin the Globe), Amanda Steijlen, and Stefanie Shaffer and Erika Nala.

If you’re vising with a child who has mobility impairments, we’d like to introduce you to influencer Jennifer Allen (Wonders Within Reach). She visited Grand Rapids with her young family, which includes a son who uses a wheelchair, and promptly ranked Grand Rapids #3 on her list of Top 11 Family Destinations in the U.S.

We’ve now partnered with Wheel the World, the online travel booking platform dedicated to enhancing international accessibility for travelers of all mobility, visual, auditory and sensory abilities, for an in-depth exploration of the accessibility features at 50 Grand Rapids hotels, attractions, restaurants and more. Grand Rapids has achieved “Destination Verified” status on Wheel the World, meaning the accessibility features at these 50 locations have been independently confirmed. Wheel the World’s Accessible Grand Rapids page has all the details.

If you or a travel companion use a wheelchair, we invite you to check out the resources above and the information below to start planning your Grand Rapids itinerary.

Getting to Grand Rapids

Our Gerald R. Ford International Airport was named the easiest, cleanest and most enjoyable airport in North America in 2024, and was recognized as having the most dedicated staff. The airport offers a range of accessible amenities, including wheelchair assistance, accessible parking, shuttles with wheelchair lifts and an animal relief area with wheelchair accessibility. When traveling by air, it’s best to arrange for wheelchair assistance when booking your flight so that your airline communicates the information with airline and airport personnel across your entire travel route.

Getting Around Grand Rapids

Every bus in Grand Rapids’ award-winning Rapid public transit system is accessible for mobility aids, including wheelchairs, electric scooters, walkers and crutches. Buses are equipped with ramps, priority seating and securement areas for wheelchair and mobility aid access, and kneeling features that lower the bus to make it easier to board and de-board. These features are also available on the Rapid’s Downtown Area Shuttle (DASH), which offers free rides throughout the city center.

Staying in Grand Rapids

There are nearly 100 hotels in the greater Grand Rapids area offering a wide range of location, budget and amenity options, including varying degrees of wheelchair accessibility. You can visit our Hotels page and search for properties that we’ve identified as offering accessible parking, accessible public restrooms, wheelchair-accessible elevators and/or wheelchair-accessible seating.

You can also visit Wheel the World’s Accessible Grand Rapids page for comprehensive accessibility details at 14 local hotels. All but one of these featured hotels have roll-in showers. All but one have wheelchair-accessible pools. Seven of the properties are located in compact downtown Grand Rapids. Canopy by Hilton, Courtyard by Marriott, Embassy Suites, Hyatt Place, JW Marriott, Residence Inn and Amway Grand Plaza – named the nation’s Best Accessible Hotel by Wonders Within Reach – are located in compact downtown Grand Rapids.

Downtown’s wide sidewalks and curb ramps ease travel for wheelchair users, who can visit more than 300 restaurants, shops, museums and entertainment venues within several city blocks of hotels.

Dining in Grand Rapids

With nearly 1,200 restaurants throughout the area, Grand Rapids can satisfy virtually any craving. Wheel the World has verified the accessibility features at 10 Grand Rapids restaurants, including the Grand Rapids Downtown Market, a local-foods emporium that houses a butcher, baker, fishmonger, ice cream maker and 15 more artisan vendors and restaurants. The market is fully wheelchair accessible, with step-free entry, wide aisles and an elevator to the second level. High Tea GR, an Uptown restaurant dedicated to the classic British tradition of afternoon tea, is also on our Wheel the World list. High Tea’s owner uses a wheelchair and has taken great care to assure that the entire space is accessible.

You can also visit our Restaurants page to find eateries we’ve identified as wheelchair accessible, offering accessible parking and/or restrooms, and/or having automatic doors. This doesn’t mean the other restaurants on our list aren’t wheelchair-friendly  – call to inquire about accessibility features if you want to try one that’s not on our accessible list.

Things to Do in Grand Rapids

Many Grand Rapids attractions are wheelchair accessible, including these popular destinations:

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 offers accessible parking and seating, and complimentary wheelchair escorts will be provided upon request at every entry point, based on availability. 

Founders Brewing Co.

No trip to Beer City USA (aka Grand Rapids) would be complete without a visit to at least one of the city’s 35+ craft breweries. Founders is our largest and most acclaimed brewery, and its downtown venue is fully accessible, with step-free entrances, wide indoor spaces and barrier-free seating. Don’t drink beer? No worries, Founders also offers cider, seltzer, wine, cocktails and mocktails as well as delicious food. Consider taking a guided behind-the-scenes tour of the brewery, as Erika and Stefanie did.

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. Indoor and outdoor spaces – including the Lena Meijer Children’s Garden – are barrier-free, with ramps and paved pathways to accommodate wheelchairs and allow easy maneuverability. Complimentary wheelchairs and Electric Convenience Vehicles (ECVs) are available inside the Welcome Center. 

Grand Rapids Children’s Museum

“One of the most barrier-free children’s restaurants we’ve experienced,” says Wonders Within Reach of the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum, which offers interactive learning spaces for kids ages 2-10. Push-button-activated entrance doors and wide, level paths accommodate wheelchairs, and an elevator is available for transport between the two floors.

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A post shared by Cory Lee | Wheelchair Travel Expert (@curbfreecorylee)

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. All areas of the Museum are accessible to people in wheelchairs via ramps and elevators, and all exhibits are wheelchair accessible.

John Ball Zoo

With 2,000+ animals and more animal-touching exhibits than any other zoo in Michigan, John Ball Zoo is a favorite stop for visitors. All main paths through the zoo are wide and accessible for wheelchair users and there are automatic doors for indoor exhibits.  

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 Rise women’s volleyball team and Grand Rapids Griffins hockey team. (Erika and Stefanie had a blast at a Griffins game during their stay.)

Van Andel offers accessible seating, parking, elevators and restrooms. Guests who wish to transfer to a seat from their own personal wheelchair can store their wheelchair in the arena’s Guest Services booth.

Outdoor Adventures

One of the nation’s largest urban parks, located just five minutes from downtown GR, Millennium Park features nearly 18 miles of wide, paved, accessible trails along the Grand River, around lakes, through meadows and across bridges. Erika and Stefanie handcycled through Millennium on their Grand Rapids visit, and the park is a venue for The Hartford Nationals, which has chosen Grand Rapids as its host site in 2025 and 2026. The Hartford Nationals is the largest and longest-running national sport championship event for athletes with a physical disability, visual impairment or intellectual disability,

Erika and Stefanie also took advantage of Riverside Park’s EZ launch Accessible Transfer System for kayaks and canoes, which features guide rails for easy access in and out of the water, launch rollers for easy movement, and a transfer bench to assist in transfer from wheelchair to watercraft.

There are hundreds more miles of accessible trails throughout Grand Rapids and Kent County, including at Blandford Nature Center. Blandford’s one-mile forested trail is paved for wheelchairs and offers easy access to the Visitor Center, where you can see native animals up close.

More than 20 beautiful Lake Michigan beaches are just a 30-45 minute drive from Grand Rapids. Grand Haven State Park, Hoffmaster State Park, Holland State Park and Muskegon State Park offer free use of track chairs, also known as off-road wheelchairs, which enable visitors with mobility impairments to easily traverse our sugar-sand beaches.

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 committed to accessibility and provides barrier-free routes on its public walking tours along with a transport wheelchair if needed. Tour guides know where the best accessible entrances and restrooms are located on each route.

With a little proactive planning and research, you can create a Grand Rapids itinerary that caters specifically to your abilities, needs and interests. We hope to see you soon!