Best Instagram-Worthy Places in Grand Rapids, MI

Calling all Instagram enthusiasts! Get ready to take stunning photos and videos in Grand Rapids, Michigan. From awe-inspiring architecture to captivating murals, this city boasts countless IG-worthy places perfect for capturing special moments and wowing your followers. 

We asked our own followers to share their favorite IG spots across town. These are the destinations they say are guaranteed to impress!

The Blue Bridge

Stretching across the Grand River, Grand Rapids' beloved Blue Bridge  is one of the city’s top selfie spots. This pedestrian walkway, instantly recognizable by its bright blue beams, offers stunning backdrops for your photos. Snap a picture with the bridge or capture the vibrant city skyline stretching behind it. With ever-changing art installations and dazzling nighttime illuminations, the Blue Bridge guarantees an eye-catching photo opportunity any time you visit. It’s just one of several Instagram-friendly downtown bridges.

Public Murals

Outdoor murals make for splendid photo subjects and selfie backdrops, and you’ll encounter dozens of them as you travel around the city. Check out our Center City, Heartside, North Quarter, Southtown, Uptown and West Side self-guided mural tours to see which ones strike your fancy. Travel 15 minutes north of town to Rockford for a small-town mural tour, which includes our follower-favorite Era Mural, a striking outdoor painting of colorful flowers set against a dramatic black background. 

Public Art Installations

Grand Rapids boasts a vibrant art scene extending to the streets themselves! Public art installations are sprinkled throughout the city, doubling as fantastic selfie backdrops. Snag a classic shot with the iconic LOVE sculpture on Louis Campau Promenade. For a unique perspective, capture yourself posing beside Calder Plaza's bright-red La Grande Vitesse sculpture. Top off your photo shoot with a selfie of Lorrie's Button at Ah-Nab-Awen Park.

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park  

Although you must pay to enter Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, named America’s Best Sculpture Park by USA Today, the price is well worth the many amazing shots you’ll get. Wander around the sculpture collection, check out seasonal exhibitions (like butterflies in the spring!), and take pictures with everything from the calming Japanese Garden to the sprawling English Perennial Garden. 

Lookout Park

There may be no better place to snap a sunset photo than Lookout Park, perched high atop a bluff overlooking downtown GR. It also offers a sweeping view of the Grand River valley. Click here for more great places to see the sunset.

Rosa Parks Circle

This public gathering place in downtown GR is actually a massive sculpture by celebrated artist Maya Lin. Hosting all sorts of community events from spring through fall and an ice skating rink in winter, Rosa Parks Circle is a great place to capture the hustle and bustle of the city in a photo.

John Collins Park

Just steps away from East Grand Rapids shopping and dining, John Collins Park offers sweeping views of gorgeous Reeds Lake along with a beautifully manicured lawn, benches and wonderful shade trees. Follow the Reeds Lake Trail from the park for more amazing photo and video content.

MDRD

It’s not just the food and drink that merits Instagramming at this modern Spanish restaurant on the 27th floor of the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel – it’s also the bird’s-eye-view of the city through the floor-to-ceiling windows. MDRD (pronounced Madrid) is sure to wow you and your followers!

IDC

IDC – short for I Don’t Care – is a year-round balcony bar on the second floor of the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. Eye-catching drinks, revolving disco balls and a glass-covered outdoor balcony overlooking a brick-lined street provide plenty of Instagram material. You’ll need a secret code to get in – get it at idontcaregr.com.

World of Winter

America’s largest winter festival, World of Winter takes place from early January to early March each year, and it’s filled with cool photo ops: Huge outdoor art installations with sensational lighting effects. Outdoor music, dance and drag events. Outdoor games and contests. (Yes, it all takes place al fresco – dress appropriately.)

Vivant Brewery & Spirits

Vivant Brewery & Spirits is situated inside a renovated former funeral chapel. Need we say any more about its Instagrammability? How about European farmhouse-inspired food and beverages, and a sun-splashed patio fronting a charming brick street? Picture yourself captivated.

Riverside Park

Five minutes north of downtown, Riverside Park encompasses nearly one mile of Grand River frontage, a universal kayak launch, large lagoon and many mature shade trees. Capture the majesty of the Grand River from the land or the water.

Le Bon Macaron

A foodie Instagrammer’s delight, Le Bon Macaron crafts its namesake confections in every color of the rainbow (and then some). Their afternoon tea service is also a picture-perfect delight, as are the French café-inspired interiors.

Mo's Cocktail Lounge

Located in the basement of Mangiamo, an Italian restaurant occupying a grand 1870s-era mansion in Uptown GR, Mo’s Cocktail Lounge is a speakeasy-style bar with a plush ambience and sophisticated drinks. Keep your camera snapping from the parking lot all the way downstairs.

Downtown Riverwalk

Running along both sides of the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids, the Riverwalk is a great vantage point for capturing our cityscape in all its glory. It runs through several city parks, including Ah-Nab-Awen Park, which includes commemorative burial mounds, art pieces and interpretive markers that tell the tale of the land’s past and present.

Lowell Wooden Bridge

One of the longest timber-framed bridges in the country, spanning 650 feet over the Grand River, the Lowell Wooden Bridge is a pedestrian crossing practically tailor-made for photos. The Ada Covered Bridge and Fallasburg Covered Bridge are other popular local photo spots.

Lavender Life Company

With nearly 30 acres of lavender, palatial ponds, wildflower gardens, sprawling hayfields and a modern barn/gift shop, Lavender Life Farm offers endless photo opportunities. Visit the Caledonia attraction in June to see the neon purple and white lavender plants in full bloom.

Robinette’s Apple Haus & Winery

Snap photos of apple, apricot, cherry, peach and nectarine trees in spring bloom or summer harvest at Robinette’s, a century-old orchard that offers u-pick and fresh-picked fruits, handcrafted wine and cider, fresh baked goods and more. Fall harvest activities are ideal for family photos.

Idema Forest Realm

The Idema Forest Realm at John Ball Zoo offers a skyline view of Grand Rapids from one of the highest points of the city, as well as tiger, red panda and snowy owl exhibits, a nature play zone, zip line adventure and more. Another great family photo destination.

Aquinas College

The tree-lined campus of Aquinas College, three miles from downtown Grand Rapids, boasts beautiful nature paths and a 9-foot sculpture of its patron saint, St. Thomas Aquinas. Free tree/leaf tours are conducted in September and October – fill your Instagram feed with the rich golds, scarlets and oranges of Grand Rapids in fall.

Condado Tacos

Sure, the tacos and margaritas look great at Condado. But it’s the indoor murals that really grab Instagrammers’ eyes. Both the Bridge Street and Breton Village locations are painted floor-to-ceiling by local artists and the core Condado Art Team. They’re fun, colorful and sure to make your followers smile.

Fulton Street Farmer’s Market

Since 1922, Fulton Street Farmer’s Market has brought family farmers, food creators and artists together in one place for locals to shop their wares. The Market is lined with rows and rows of fresh-picked produce and other farm goods, handmade arts and crafts, flowering plants and more, all at the peak of their beauty. Snap away!

Need some more inspiration? Follow Experience Grand Rapids on Instagram to see what catches our eye.