Top 10 Reasons to Visit

1. Fan Frenzy

Fifth Third Ballpark - home to the West Michigan Whitecaps

Grab your glove and take yourself out to the ballgame! Grand Rapids is home to the West Michigan Whitecaps, the Class A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers playing at Fifth Third Ballpark April - September. Be sure to check out their special promotions and don't miss the fireworks! Or support (or join) the runners of the Fifth Third Riverbank Run, America's largest 25K road run.

2. Tune into Concerts

Grand Rapids Sympony Picnic Pops

Get your fill of concerts right here in Grand Rapids. Spend your Wednesday evening beginning June 10 at Rosa Parks Circle for LAV's Blue's on the Mall. These concerts are free and offer a wide variety of entertainment acts over the 10 week schedule. The Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park Amphitheater will host a range of artist including the Indio Girls, Lyle Lovett, Doobie Borthers, Bonnie Raitt and more all summer long. The Grammy Award Winning Grand Rapids Symphony will showcase their Chase Picnic Pops through the month of July. But be sure to check out the complete list, there are simply too many to list here!

3. Animal Attractions

Zipline at John Ball Zoo

See animatronic creatures roar, leap and fly in the fantasy-fueled time-travel adventure, Dinosaurs: Just Imagine! at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, Feb. 21-May 25. Explore the new spider monkey exhibit, Stingray Lagoon, Swan Boats, the 4-story Zipline and the Sky Trail Ropes Course at the John Ball Zoo.

4. Art of Literature

Grand Rapids Art Museum

The Grand Rapids Art Museum debuts three exhibits with special appeal for book lovers: André Kertész: On Reading, a photography collection (Jan. 23-March 22); MOBY-DICK: Frank Stella and Herman Melville, with more than 30 printed works inspired by the novel (Jan. 23 - May 3); and Durer Rembrandt: The Story of the Bible, including 35 etchings and engravings of the Old and New Testament by these two great artists (March 27 – May 24).

5. Wee White House

Gerald R. Ford Museum

“The White House in Miniature” painstakingly reproduces every detail of The President’s House in a 60-ft. long x 20-ft. wide space. See it at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Jan. 23-May 4. 

6. Festival Fun

Grand Rapids Hispanic Festival

Festival of the Arts is a mammoth celebration of visual, performing and culinary arts on the streets of downtown Grand Rapids (June 5-7). The Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival honors those who serve with a parade, carnival, ship tours, entertainment and spectacular waterfront fireworks (July 24 – Aug. 2). The Grand Rapids Hispanic Festival attracts 60,000 visitors to downtown’s Calder Plazafor food, entertainment and fellowship (Sept. 4-6). Find more festivals here.

7. Pedal Power

Meijer Grand Cycling Classic

Explore West Michigan on miles of bike trails that wind through woodlands and wetlands. Watch the nation’s elite cyclists “hit the bricks” of downtown Grand Rapids in the Meijer Grand Cycling Classic (August 8).

8. Big Wows

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park pays tribute to the genius of sculptor and figurative artist Jonathan Borofsky, whose large-scale installations are on display across the globe, including the site of the Beijing Olympics. (Jan. 30 – May 10)

9. FREE Music Every Weekday!

Blues on the Mall - Rosa Parks Circle

The Grand Rapids area is music to your ears! Check out these FREE music locations.

Monday -  Jazz at the Zoo - June 15- August 17, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM,

Tuesday -

• June 9 - July 21 - Rogue River Blues Series Concerts at the Garden Park Stage, Rockford (near the Dam) - 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
• June 9 - August 18 - East Grand "Summer Concerts" at John Collins Park, 7:00 PM
• July 28 - August 11 - After the Blue Series at the Garden Park Stage, Rockford (near the Dam) - 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Wednesday - Blues on the Mall/Thunder in the Park, Rosa Park Circle - June 10 – August 12

Thursday - Lowell Showboat Sizzlin' Summer Concerts - June 11 - August 20, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Friday - GRAM on the Green - June 19 - August 28, 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM

10. Lots More

Well, we tried – but we can’t seem to narrow this list down to just 10. So check our Grand Ideas for even more events and attractions!