Grand Rapids Summer Activities
Treat yourself to a summer getaway in a city that combines big-city excitement with awesome outdoor recreation: Grand Rapids, Michigan, named one of America’s Top 20 Summer Travel Destinations by WalletHub. Spend your days on the trail, the water, the beach or the golf course, and your nights on the town at amazing farm-to-table restaurants, live music venues, craft beverage taprooms, dance clubs and more. Our summer days are long and our temperatures are moderated by the cooling breezes of Lake Michigan, so Grand Rapids is a perfect choice for a warm-weather escape!
Grand Rapids attractions shine especially bright in summer. Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, the nation’s #1 sculpture park, dazzles with blossoming flowers and foliage, plus the new art exhibition, BUSTED: Contemporary Sculpture Busts. More than 2,000 animals come out to frolic at John Ball Zoo, which offers more animal-touching opportunities than any other zoo in Michigan. Downtown museums offer a cavalcade of fascinating exhibits just steps away from hotels and restaurants, including the world’s largest collection of Detroit Tigers autographed baseballs at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, a collection of David Hockney prints at the Grand Rapids Art Museum and Alma’s Way: Welcome to My Neighborhood, based on the PBS KIDS animated series, at the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum.
Watch a pro baseball game or NASCAR race, visit dozens of family farm markets for fresh produce and artisanal goods, and shop hundreds of stores for anything and everything you might need. Be sure to bring your appetite with you – there are more than 1,000 restaurants around town, offering an array of cuisine, price and amenity options (including outdoor dining!). Downtown GR is home to nearly 200 restaurants within a 10-minute walk (or free bus ride) of hotels, shops and entertainment venues. Be sure to download the Beer City Brewsader® app and sign up for the Flights of Flavor digital pass before you visit – you can earn free t-shirts, hats and other fun perks when you use them to check in to participating breweries, restaurants, bars, coffeehouses and sweets shops.
Our long summer days come in handy for getting the most out of our Grand Outdoors. Golf 30+ courses within 30 minutes of the metro area. Hike, bike, paddle and canoe on hundreds of miles of trails and waterways. Enjoy a picnic in the park – Grand Rapids is home to 125+ parks offering such features as swimming pools, splash pads, playgrounds, lakes and boat launches. Millennium Park, five minutes from downtown, has a six-acre sandy beach and boat rental facility, and 20+ Lake Michigan beaches are as close as 30 minutes away. Pack plenty of sunscreen!
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.
