Inside Downtown GR’s Convention Neighborhood

Looking for a convention destination where your attendees can meet, stay and play within a compact city footprint? Look no further than the Downtown Grand Rapids Convention Neighborhood. It encompasses a state-of the-art convention center, 2,500 hotel rooms and 300+ dining, shopping, culture and entertainment options – all within the space of a 10-minute walk!

Downtown Hotels

Thirteen downtown hotels – six brand-new within the past few years – offer a wide range of budget and amenity options. The Amway Grand Plaza, Curio Collection by Hilton, JW Marriott Grand Rapids and Downtown Courtyard Marriott are linked to DeVos Place Convention Center (and each other) in our skywalk system.

Additional national hotel brands include AC by Marriott, Canopy by Hilton, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn & Suites, Holiday Inn, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Hyatt Place and Residence Inn by Marriott. CityFlatsHotel and The Finnley Hotel deliver boutique hotel experiences.

Downtown Restaurants

More than 170 restaurants offering virtually every cuisine, ambience and budget imaginable are located within a 10-minute walk of our convention center. Eight downtown breweries give testament to our status as Beer City USA, and serve some pretty great food themselves. The Grand Rapids Downtown Market – one of Tasting Table’s 13 Must-Visit U.S. Food Halls – houses multiple restaurants and gourmet food vendors under one greenhouse-covered roof. Explore lunch and dinner options a half mile or less from DeVos Place Convention Center. 

Downtown Entertainment

Attendees will find plenty of close, convenient things to do after the convention day is done. Five museums are within easy walking distance. Nightlife options include concert venues, sports bars, brewpubs, a comedy club, indoor mini golf bar, golf simulator lounge, interactive game show experience and a duckpin bowling alley. Depending on the season, downtown visitors can also join in on public festivals, outdoor swing dances, walking tours and even a steelhead or salmon run! Discover 130+ entertaining things to do a half mile or less from DeVos Place Convention Center.

Convention Center

DeVos Place boasts more than 240,000 sq. ft. of convention, ballroom and meeting space overlooking the Grand River. With input from Steelcase – a Grand Rapids company recognized as the global leader in workplace environments – it incorporates many design and technology innovations that help people and businesses make more effective connections. It also features a 2,500-seat performance arena that can be booked for meetings and conventions.

Acrisure Amphitheater

Opened in 2026, Acrisure Amphitheater is an outdoor performance venue on the banks of downtown’s Grand River. Accommodating 12,000+ patrons across fixed and lawn seating, it hosts 50 or so superstar music and comedy acts from May through October each year. Private event options and premium experience packages on concert nights are great for groups large and small. It’s one of many unique off-site meeting spaces a half mile or less from DeVos Place Convention Center.

Van Andel Arena

Ranked as one of the world’s top-grossing arenas in its size category, the 12,000-seat Van Andel Arena hosts large-scale entertainment events from superstar concerts and kids’ shows to rodeos and pro hockey games. It can also be booked for meetings and conventions.

Convenience, Safety, and Transportation

Prefer not to walk? Hop on a free DASH shuttle. Rent an electronic bike or scooter. Order up a taxi, Lyft or Uber. Need advice or assistance? Look for the Downtown Ambassadors roaming about to keep the area clean, beautiful and friendly – they’ll be wearing bright orange and blue uniforms.

Your attendees can travel the campus with confidence – Grand Rapids has been named the second most secure large city in America.

Accessibility

Grand Rapids is proud to have been named America’s #2 best city for people with disabilities – and we’re constantly striving to get even better. In 2026, we launched the world’s first AI-powered accessibility agent to help travelers with disabilities and accessibility-conscious meeting planners plan trips to Grand Rapids with confidence. We have also achieved Destination Verified status on Wheel the World, the global platform dedicated to accessible travel. We are educating local tourism stakeholders in the best practices to improve accessibility and teaming with Disability Advocates of Kent County to evaluate accessibility features at our 350+ local partners.

Museums

Culture vultures rejoice: The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Grand Rapids African American Museum & Archives, Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids Children’s Museum, and the Grand Rapids Public Museum are all located within a few blocks of DeVos Place. Heritage Hill, a historic home district adjacent to downtown, is sort of an open-air museum, with 1,300 or so homes built between the 1840s and 1930s – including Frank Llloyd Wright’s Meyer May House, which offers free tours three days a week.These are ideal day diversions for families traveling with attendees, as they offer hours of fun and entertainment.

Shops

100+ downtown stores cater to those in need of some retail therapy after (or between) a busy convention schedule. Shop for art, clothing, gifts, specialty food and more.  Don’t miss the Downtown Market Grand Rapids, a local foods emporium that’s home to 20+ gourmet food vendors and restaurants. From boutiques to independent bookstores to vinyl records, Grand Rapids has it all.

Nightlife

Dozens of downtown entertainment venues present a mix of live music, DJs and dancing, comedy shows, games, televised sports action and more. The Studio Park entertainment complex includes a nine-screen movie theatre, concert space and outdoor piazza for events. Live theatre, ballet, opera and symphony companies present a regular slate of performances.