Grand Rapids, Michigan an underrated travel destination.
It is the second largest city in Michigan after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the largest metropolitan area in Western Michigan and can provide its visitors with the best that Western Michigan offers.
Grand Rapids is known for being a “furniture city, “beer city” and the birthplace of the 38th President of the United States, Gerald Ford. It is also one of the faster-growing cities in the Midwest.
There are a lot of things you can do to make a fun weekend getaway in this small city.
Follow our guide and learn about only a fraction of the best things Grand Rapids has to offer for a fun weekend trip.
Flying into Grand Rapids For a Weekend Trip
Grand Rapids like most smaller cities can be a bit problematic when looking for flights.
Usually smaller cities are served only by regional airlines or major airlines with limited nonstop flights. That means you have to fly to a hub city in most cases before catching a flight to Grand Rapids.
The city is served by Gerald R. Ford International Airport located about 13 or 14 miles or 15 minutes to the South of downtown Grand Rapids.
Outside of Detriot Metropolitan Airport, Gerald R Ford International Airport is the 2nd largest airport in the state of Michigan.
The airport has several airlines operating, however many destinations across the United States will need a connection flight at some point.
The following airlines currently fly out of Grand Rapids
- Allegiant Air
- American Airlines
- American Eagle
- Delta Air Lines
- Delta Connection
- Frontier Airlines
- Southwest Airlines
- United Airlines
- United Express
Flying into Grand Rapids is a breeze though. You land and you’re right at the gate. The airport is very nice and spacious. It wasn’t heavily trafficked. TSA lines were virtually non-existent.
The biggest downfall of using Gerald R Ford International Airport is that if you don’t have transportation arranged, it’s a pretty expensive uber to get to Grand Rapids.
Learn more about of flight to Grand Rapids here.
Where to stay in Grand Rapids?
For our stay in Grand Rapids, we stayed at the Amway Grand Plaza located in downtown Grand Rapids near the Grand River.
The hotel was built in 1913 and interior furnishings very much represent that.
The downstairs portion of the hotel features meeting rooms, ballrooms, and several staircases. There was also rumored to be a speakeasy somewhere in the hotel.
The actual rooms themselves are very nice and spacious.
It features well over 600 hotel rooms spread across 29 floors. The Amway Grand Plaza Hotel is the third tallest building in Grand Rapids.
The hotel is a bit pricey, with rooms going for $200 + dollars per night.
If you are looking for more rooming options in downtown Grand Rapids, check out the following:
- Hyatt Place Grand Rapids Downtown
- Homewood Suites by Hilton Grand Rapids Downtown
What to Eat While in Grand Rapids on the Weekends?
There are many restaurants to choose from around Grand Rapids. The following restaurants are the ones we visited and recommend that you try.
Enjoy Great Beer and The Best Bar Burger at Hopcat
If you are in the mood for an excellent burger served with great beer, you should give Top Cat a try.
Top Cat is a restaurant chain that is exclusive to Michigan. The Grand Rapids location was the first Top Cat created in 2008.
The restaurant features many of Michigan’s excellent craft beers.
However, the draw for us was the Bar Zee Double Smash Burger. This burger was honestly one of the best burgers we have ever tasted. It is two burger patties, applewood smoked bacon, and Hopcat’s iconic house-made beer cheese. The flavor of this burger will leave you craving more.
Pair up the Bar Zee Double Smash Burger with Hopcat’s cosmic fries, and you will leave very happy.
Change Up Your Waffles at Social Misfits
If you are looking for a change-up for breakfast, Social Misfits might be your spot. The line for this spot was out the door and was a nearly 40-minute wait.
Social Misfits is an edgy breakfast spot that encourages you to be yourself. It specializes in waffles but it puts a twist on this simple breakfast dish, incorporating elements not typically associated with waffles.
These dishes for example feature the following:
- Teen Spirit – Four-cheese cream sauce, cavatappi, parmesan crisp, chive, and cheddar waffle.
- Peter Parker – Cinnamon sugar waffle sticks, vanilla cream, dulce de leche, coffee cream.
- Country Grammar – Buttermilk-brined all-natural fried chicken thighs, sambal honey, whipped butter, fresh chilies.
Where to Grab Weekend Drinks in Grand Rapids?
When in Grand Rapids for a weekend, you need to take advantage of some of the best craft beer breweries in the country. The following breweries are located very close to downtown Grand Rapids
Founder Brewery
Founders Brewery is one of Michigan’s more popular breweries.
It got its start in 1997 in Grand Rapids.
Founders Brewery is located at 235 Grandview Ave, a short uber ride from downtown Grand Rapids. It’s within walking distance from the Van Andel Arena.
The brewery offers tours and beer tasting.
Founders offer plenty of beer that appeals to all types of palettes. They include IPAs, Stouts, Nitros, Porters, and much more.
Some of the best-ranked Founders Beer include:
- Founders KBS
- Founders Imperial Stout
- Founders Breakfast Stout
New Holland Brewery
If you’re looking for more of a lesser-known craft brewery, New Holland Brewery is a place you may want to check out.
New Holland Brewery is located a few minutes away from the city of Grand Rapids across the Grand River. You can walk but getting there by car or catching an uber might be the better option.
The Grand Rapid’s location is the second brewpub under the New Holland name.
There are three bar areas spread across multiple floors. There is also an outdoor and indoor beer garden.
What was interesting about New Holland was on the top floor near the bar, the theme was airships. They had lots of pictures of airships like the Hindenberg plastered on the wall.
The top floor also gave you a peek into the room where they brew the beers. You can see all the various tanks and other beer-making apparatus.
New Holland Brewery serves its craft beers. You can find various IPAs, stouts, and ales for your liking. They also serve cocktails for non-beer drinkers.
If you want to grab a bite, they have a pretty large food menu centered around their pizza from their in-house brick oven.
Fun Ideas of Weekend Things to Do in Grand Rapids
Learn about the 38th President of the United States at the Gerald Ford Museum
You probably didn’t know that Grand Rapids was the home of the 38th President of the United States, Gerald Ford.
If you walk over the Pearl Street Bridge in downtown Grand Rapids, you will stumble upon The Gerald R. Ford Presidental Museum and Library.
From the outside, you will notice a giant statue of the President, a contemporary art piece with one representing Gerald Ford playing football at the University of Michigan.
However, as you progress through the property, you will find the final resting place of President Gerald Ford and his wife, Elizabeth.
You will also see a Japanese Maple Tree that was a gift from the people of Japan to the President on his 1974 trip to the country. It was the first time a sitting United States President visited Japan.
Inside the museum, you will find memorabilia like photos of him interacting with his friends and family, gifts from heads of state, tools used during the Watergate scandal, and a section of the Berlin Wall donated in 1991.
There are also displays and exhibits like the replica of the oval office during his time as President and an exercise of making presidential decisions that you can take part in.
The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday usually between 10 am and 5 pm (except on Sundays when the hours are 12 noon to 4 pm). It will cost an adult $12 for admission. Children over the age of 5 will cost $6.
Take Your Kids to the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum
For those visiting with young kids, the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum is a great spot to check out.
The museum will keep your children entertained for hours. It features classic interactive exhibits like legos, a fish tank, and block tables.
Your child can learn about physics firsthand in the Spin Zone section.
There is also a “Little Grand Rapids” exhibit that allows your children to experience life in Grand Rapids just like their moms and dads. Kids can bank, make pizza, shop, and get gas for their cars.
The museum is awesome because they frequently change their exhibits to ensure that your child has a unique hands-on learning experience every time they come to the museum.
Catch a Grand Rapid Griffins Hockey Game at the Van Andel Arena
If you want to take in the Grand Rapids sports scene, catch a Grand Rapids Griffins game at the Van Andel Arena.
The Grand Rapids Griffins is an American Hockey League team that is one level below the premier professional hockey league in the United States, the National Hockey League. They serve as the farm club or developmental team for prospects of the Detriot Red Wings.
The Griffin’s season starts in October and continues until April – May of the next year depending if the Griffins make it to the playoffs or not.
Even though this is the second-tier professional hockey league in the United States, the on-ice quality is very good. Many of the players will end up playing in the NHL at some time or another.
The Van Andel Arena is located right in the middle of the city of Grand Rapids, only walking distance from the Amway Plaza Hotel.
It fits 11,000 people for ice hockey & basketball while fitting slightly more for concerts.
Tickets for the Grand Rapid Griffins can be bought last minute on StubHub for about $20 – $30.
Conclusion
Grand Rapids is a small city that flies under the radar as a tourist destination. There are plenty of things you can do on a weekend trip that will be fun for everyone, regardless of your age.
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Happy travels!
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