Beginning just a few steps south of downtown's busiest intersection, Heartside encompasses art galleries and retail shops along with leading-edge medical facilities and revered spiritual centers. This is where artists come to live and work, where bodies and souls come to heal, and where visitors come to experience a vibrant, diverse community that is rich in history and progressive in spirit.
Where to Eat in Heartside
You’ll find upscale restaurants, casual coffee shops and Asia-inspired eateries in Heartside.
Where to Shop in Heartside
Stroll Avenue for the Arts, a commercial corridor of art galleries and artist's live/work spaces. And be sure to check out these shopping spots:
What to Do in Heartside
Mingle with local artists, artisans, and art patrons at Avenue for the Arts events throughout the year, including monthly Third Thursdays.
Shop for vintage clothing and décor at The August Connection, Decaydence Vintage, OTONO, Second Dance Bridal and Formal Consignment, Second Vibess and Zabház – all within a 10-minute walk on Division Ave.
Visit Heartside Park, a former railyard now equipped with a playground, splash pad, basketball court and picnic tables.
Sample food and drink from around the world at Bangkok Taste Cuisine (Thai), Dublin Hall (Irish), Gita Pita (Mediterranean), Hong Kong Express (Chinese), Max’s South Seas Hideaway (Polynesian), Luna (Mexican), Palace of India and Pochis Colombian Café (South American).,
Learn while you burn calories with Grand Rapids Running Tours, which offers six different guided tours through the history of Heartside – you can run or walk!
What to See in Heartside
Treat your eyes to an incredible diversity of visual delights along Avenue for the Arts – including art for sale at galleries like ArtRat Gallery and Cocoon Art Space.
Take the self-guided Heartside Mural Tour to see 15 large-scale murals referencing the neighborhood’s history and creative spirit.
Grand Rapids is known as a "City of Churches" - get a look at four of our most awe-inspiring sacred spaces:
- The gothic splendor of the Cathedral of Saint Andrew, a limestone building with a 192-foot spire.
- The classic Byzantine design of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, with an austere three-domed exterior opening to a richly decorated interior worship space.
- The iconic steeple of LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church, which is an uncovered, exposed structural framework meant to represent the unfinished work of Christ.
- The rusticated red sandstone exterior of Seventh-Day Adventist Church, which combines a Byzantine aesthetic with some items of Greek and Roman influence.
Local Heartside Favorites
Rumors Nightclub, a longtime favorite of the LBGTQ community, offers dancing and entertainment seven nights a week.
Rockwell Republic is an award-winning gastropub with a three-season screened-in lounge and elevated outdoor beer garden.
Heartside Hidden Gems
Cathedral Square is a three-block Italian-style piazza modeled after Michelangelo's Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome.
Haute at New Hotel Mertens is a rooftop lounge serving up French food and spectacular views of the city skyline.