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Plan a Family Adventure in Grand Rapids

Want to ensure your kids have the most possible fun on your next getaway? Book a family trip to Grand Rapids and let your kids play their way!

Grand Rapids is so kid-friendly that it’s been named the best place in America to raise a family. It’s packed with play opportunities for every kind of kid: toddlers and tweens, daredevils and daydreamers, introverts and extroverts, the rowdy and the sensitive. When you let your kids lead the play, they’ll gravitate to the things that fit their unique personality – and you’ll reap the dividends in smiles and laughter.

So go ahead and manage the logistics of your Grand Rapids trip – like hotels, transportation and discount passes. Then let your kids choose what makes them happy. Start by scrolling down this page!

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#4 U.S. place for an enriching family trip
- BBC, 2025

Spring break savings

Stay two consecutive nights at a participating hotel between March 20 and April 12, 2026, and you’ll get two Attraction Pass GR vouchers good for FREE ADMISSION to six family-friendly museums (and other perks) during your stay!

Play Their Way at these attractions & activities

Experience Grand Rapids Summer camp at the John Ball Zoo gives children the opportunity to go on behind-the-scenes tours.

John Ball Zoo

Get up close to 2,400 animals? Check. Ride a zip line over a waterfall? Check. Take a funicular up to a treehouse? Check. The zoo has ways to play for just about every kid!

Haley Chicoine for Experience GR 07122024_Meijer_Garden_Family_102

Meijer Gardens

Grand Rapids’ #1 tourist attraction includes a children’s garden sized for youngsters, where kids can explore a log cabin, climb a treehouse, sail a boat, dig for fossils, enjoy ice cream and more.

Alina Albin for Experience GR. Images of the landscape and wildlife experiences hosted at the Blandford Nature Center, 2023

Parks & Trails

Hike through forests. Bike over rivers. Get wet at a splash pad. Spread out on the beach. Climb a sand dune. Fish for bluegill. Visit a nature center. Grand Rapids is a giant playground for outdoor-loving kids!

Ideology for Experience GR Mom and little girl on the beach of Lake Michigan playing in the sand

Water Fun

Water lovers love Grand Rapids. We’ve got indoor and outdoor pools all around town, amazing splash pads, thrilling water adventure parks and 20+ sugar-sand beaches along Lake Michigan.

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The metropolitan center of western Michigan is the perfect place for families.
- LittleGuide Detroit

Play Their Way with these ideas

Kids playing at the Grand Rapids Children's Museum

Play Inside

Even if the weather may not be delightful, your Grand Rapids getaway can be – just move the fun indoors!

More places to Play Their Way:

Other kid-fun things to do

Air Zoo

  • 6151 Portage Rd

Play Their Way at sporting events

Buy Your Pass

Save 50% with Our Attraction Pass

Receive admission into many attractions around Grand Rapids as well as additional exclusive discounts with our Attraction Pass now with adult, children and senior pricing.

Buy Your Pass

Play Their Way at events created for kids:

Stay & Play Their Way with hotel packages

A family playing in the indoor hotel pool.

The hotel pool is always a highlight for a family-fun vacation.

Photo by Experience Grand Rapids

Play Their Way in hotels with pools

Event at Amped Virtual Reality
Experiences

Things to do with Teens in Grand Rapids

  • photo by Haley Chicoine for Experience GR
    • GR text Must
    Read
  • 6 min

Traveling to Grand Rapids with a teenager? The city and region offer plenty of possibilities to satisfy even the hardest-to-please adolescents. Whether your teen prefers outdoor adventure or indoor…