What to expect when you visit:
The excitement of a big city… without the hassle. Michigan’s second largest city after Detroit, Grand Rapids is home to just over 200,000 residents. The metro population is about 1.2 million, making it one of the nation’s top 50 metro areas – large enough to boast the kinds of amenities that make for a memorable urban getaway. In fact, Thrillist praises Grand Rapids for offering “much of the art, food and music trappings you’d find in Chicago and Detroit, only at half the price and one-quarter the commute times.”
Grand Rapids is big, but not too big: Forbes calls us “the best right-size city in America,” noting that it “appears in more top lists than any (city) of its size and stands up competitively to any major metro.”
The friendliness of a small town. Midwestern hospitality is the norm in Grand Rapids. Travel + Leisure ranked us one of America’s Top 20 Friendliest Cities and U.S. News & World Report says the city “exudes small-town warmth.” We’ve also been hailed as family-friendly (CNN), LGBTQIA-friendly (The Advocate) and disability-friendly (WalletHub). If you want a travel destination that makes everyone feel welcome and at ease, Grand Rapids is for you.
Exceptional convenience. All the things to do in Grand Rapids are close and convenient to each other, so you’ll be able to fit more into your travel itinerary in less time. Downtown GR offers 300+ dining, shopping, culture, entertainment and nightlife options within a 10-minute walk of 13 excellent hotels – and if you need to give your feet a rest, you can hop on the free DASH bus that circulates around the center city. It’s just a 15-20 minute drive from downtown to just about anywhere else in Kent County – including can’t miss attractions like John Ball Zoo, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park and 35+ Beer City USA craft breweries. The Gerald R. Ford International Airport, named North America’s Best Airport by size and region, is 16 minutes from downtown.
An outdoor paradise. Why choose between a city vacation and an outdoor vacation when you can enjoy both? Grand Rapids has been named America’s #3 Most Outdoor-Friendly City (Cairn Consulting Group), a Top 10 Waterfront Town (National Geographic Adventure) and America’s 6th Best Fishing City (Field & Stream). You can hike, bike, boat, swim, fish, golf, ski, ice skate and more as close as five minutes from downtown.
Always something new. One of the fastest-growing cities in the Midwest, Grand Rapids was named LinkedIn’s #1 U.S. City on the Rise in 2025 – and it’s adding new tourist-friendly amenities all the time. For example:
- Acrisure Amphitheater, a 12,000+-seat outdoor performance venue, opened in June 2026.
- Amway Stadium opens in spring 2027 for the inaugural season of Athletic Club Grand Rapids, Michigan’s first MLS Next Pro soccer team.
- The first phase of a project to restore the city’s namesake rapids and expand water recreation opportunities in downtown’s Grand River, is expected to finish by the end of 2027.
- Grand River Greenway, an 85-mile network of land and water trails linking downtown Grand Rapids with Lake Michigan to the west and the rural city of Lowell to the west, is expected to be finished by 2031.
Click on the photos on this page for more of what to expect when you visit Grand Rapids – today and in the years to come!
