Top 10 Reasons to Visit Grand Rapids

USA Today called Grand Rapids one of America’s 10 Best Cities to See Amazing Art, and we’re not about to argue. Highlights include downtown sculptures and murals, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park (one of the world’s most visited art museums) and our annual fall ArtPrize competition, the world’s most attended public art event.

Grand Rapids has held the Beer City USA title for more than a decade and we’ve been named America’s Best Beer City by USA Today for five years running, thanks to the 35+ incredible craft breweries on our Beer City Ale Trail. Don’t drink beer? USA Today also crowned us the nation’s Craft Beverage Capital for our expertise with spirits, cider, mead, coffee, kombucha, cocktails and mocktails. There are more than 75 craft beverage taprooms in town – come thirsty!

CNN asked the question, “Is Grand Rapids the most family-friendly town in the country?” Legions of visiting parents, grandparents and kids say yes. We’ve got a children’s museum, a children’s garden, an awesome zoo, 100+ parks and playgrounds, and dozens more family-friendly attractions, all designed to let every child play their way. 

With one of the world’s best agricultural regions just 15 minutes from downtown and one of the nation’s best culinary schools smack dab in the city center, Grand Rapids practically invented farm-to-table dining. We’ve been named one of the Top 20 Foodie Cities in the U.S. – and the most affordable foodie city of all. Bring your appetite, there are nearly 1,200 restaurants to choose from. 

Grand Rapids boasts 100+ live-music venues, from intimate coffeehouses to massive arenas, that offer a wide variety of music genres and ticket prices (including free). Summer ups the ante with dozens of outdoor concerts in parks and public squares, on farms and riverfronts, and amidst the breathtaking art and horticulture of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

Grand Rapids offers hundreds of miles of hiking and biking trails, 30+ golf courses, 20+ beaches, world-class fishing, winter skiing and much more – and it’s all accessible just minutes from our bustling downtown. You can spend your days on the trail (or the beach, water, fairway or ski run) and your nights on the town!

The best shopping between Chicago and Detroit is right here in Grand Rapids, in shopping and outlet malls, unique boutiques and charming shopping neighborhoods across the city – including downtown, where 100+ stores are within a 10-minute walk (or free bus ride).

Cheer for Grand Rapids Gold basketball, Grand Rapids Griffins hockey, Grand Rapids Rise women’s volleyball and West Michigan Whitecaps baseball – all pro teams playing at a peak level. Grand Rapids Ramage arena football debuts in 2026 and West Michigan Soccer, an MLS Next Pro club, opens its first season in downtown GR in 2027.

Downtown Grand Rapids is just 30-45 minutes from 20+ beautiful beaches on Lake Michigan, which is pretty much an ocean, just without the salt and sharks. Lake Michigan beaches and beach towns make a great day trip from GR – but if you can’t spare the time, visit Millennium Park’s sandy beach and man-made lake just five minutes from downtown.

Grand Rapids offers a year-round slate of community festivals and events, from World of Winter, America’s largest winter festival, to LaughFest, America’s first community-wide festival of laughter, to all sorts of celebrations honoring the city’s diverse cultural heritages.