I like to keep up with what’s going on in my community and enjoy the local entertainment. Here’s a list of entertaining venues, events, museums available in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area. Get out there and enjoy the community!
Museums and Art Venues
The Grand Rapids Art Museum is located near the center of downtown Grand Rapids and provides a modern venue of classic as well as new art. The GRAM includes traveling displays and an extensive collection of it’s own.
Grand Rapids Art Museum
101 Monroe Center
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
(616) 831-1000 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (616) 831-1000 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
The Grand Rapids Public Museum provides a variety of exhibits for the whole family. This museum is a great place to catch up on the history of Grand Rapids and learn from the ever changing seasonal exhibits available at this beautiful museum located on the west bank of the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids.
Grand Rapids Public Museum
272 Pearl Street NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
616.929.1700 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 616.929.1700 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
616.456.3977 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 616.456.3977 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Map
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum is located on the western bank of the Grand River and provides an excellent look at the presidency of Gerald R. Ford. This museum hosts a variety of related exhibits throughout the year and is the location of Gerald R. Ford’s tomb. It is located next to Ah-Nab-Awen Park.
Gerald R. Ford Museum
303 Pearl Street NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49504-5353
(616) 254-0400 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (616) 254-0400 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is a unique oasis of art and nature. This experience in art, sculpture and nature is located on 132 acres of grounds featuring art by Rodin, Oldenburg, Moore, Bourgeois and Plensa, and others. Indoor galleries hold changing exhibits by sculptors such as Picasso, Degas, di Suvero, Borofsky, Calder and Chadwick. Not just for the art lovers, the gardens and park provides interactive experiences for the whole family with one of the largest children’s gardens in the country.
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
1000 East Beltline NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49525
(616) 957-1580 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (616) 957-1580 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
888-957-1580 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 888-957-1580 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Arenas
The DeltaPlex Arena offers live entertainment in the form of concerts, family shows, sporting and motor events. The DeltaPlex Conference Center provides up to 85,000 square feet of space for trade shows, corporate meetings, charity functions, small concerts, banquets, exhibitions, and more. Past shows have included the Home and Builders Association Show, Gun and Knife Show, West Michigan Harvest Dog Cluster Show and more.
Van Andel Arena hosts the Grand Rapids Griffins hockey team and many other events including circuses, rodeos, live shows, concerts and more. This 12,000-plus seat arena is located near the heart of downtown Grand Rapids. See the upcoming schedule here.
Outdoors
West Michigan Trails & Greenway Coalition is a great source for trail maps, updates on trail expansions and all sorts of information about trails in West Michigan.
Besides a great number of beautiful trails, an extensive park system is available in the Grand Rapids area including parks, biking trails, river walks, ice skating, and more. Here are some highlights:
Downtown:
303 Pearl St.
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
300 Ottawa Ave. NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
560 Front Ave. NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Maynard Ave. SW & Butterworth Dr.
Grand Rapids, MI 49509
Millennium Park is an ongoing project to turn about 1500 acres from former industrial use into green spaces in an urban setting. As of 2011, the park included a beach house, playground, picnic areas and fishing ponds.
Rosa Parks Circle
Monroe Center and Monroe Ave.
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Festivals
ARTPRIZE is a unique art exhibit and viewer judged art show that is open to anyone who can find a venue within the prescribed art zone. Art varies from live art to sculpture to just about anything you can imagine including a Lock Ness Monster on the Grand River (2009).
“Festival” as it is often called by locals includes art, music, dance and lots of food. With multiple venues across the downtown area, this festival draws crowds by the thousands the first weekend of June.