Local GuideFun Family Activities Around Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids keeps rewriting the playbook on family fun—new exhibits launch almost monthly, classic spots add fresh amenities, and the city’s festival calendar now stretches well into fall. Use this 2025 guide to plot an extra-full day (or three) of memory-making in Michigan’s vibrant “River City.”
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
What began as a 1995 horticultural passion project is now a 158-acre cultural powerhouse that routinely lands on global “must-see” lists. The centerpiece is a gleaming 69,000-square-foot, LEED-certified Welcome Center completed after a decade-long expansion; inside you’ll find orientation theaters, a café with garden-to-table menus, and panoramic views that preview the living art outside. Families can wander lush tropical conservatories, seasonal butterfly releases, a children’s sensory garden, and miles of forested trails punctuated by more than 300 monumental sculptures—from Rodin bronzes to Jaume Plensa’s 25-foot Utopia unveiled with the center’s opening. Pick up a scavenger-hunt map at the desk; kids earn a prize for spotting hidden works like Calder’s steel Red Twist along the water garden. (meijergardens.org, meijergardens.org)
Grand Rapids Public Museum
Few medium-sized cities land blockbuster science shows, but GRPM debuts “SHARKS” on June 7, 2025—an immersive dive featuring nine life-size models (including a 27-foot great white), 100 fossil specimens, and a virtual-reality cage-dive that lets visitors feel a predator’s electric-field “sixth sense.” Time tickets to catch the signature Wednesday night planetarium double-feature—astronomy for kids at 6 p.m., then Dark Side: The Light Show set to classic rock. Between shows, ride the fully restored 1928 Spillman carousel overlooking the Grand River; it reopens this spring with new ADA-accessible chariots. (grpm.org, wzzm13.com)
Millennium Park Beach & Splashpad
Just minutes west of downtown, this 1,400-acre county preserve pairs six sandy acres with the Mehney Splashpad’s tipping buckets, water cannons, and shade canopies—ideal for toddlers through tweens. New in 2025: extended evening swim sessions until 8 p.m. and Rapid Route 1000 buses running every weekend from May through Labor Day (half-hour headways on Saturdays, hourly Sundays), so you can skip the car and parking fees. Pack a cooler—picnic pavilions now allow stroller-friendly boardwalk access—and rent kayaks or pedal boats to explore connected lagoons before a sunset sandcastle showdown. (wgrd.com)
John Ball Zoo
This urban zoo doubles as a hillside adventure park. April 2025 welcomed Amara and Upepo, a breeding African-lion pair introduced through the Species Survival Plan; catch their morning feedings in a new glass-front habitat that mimics Tanzania’s kopje terrain. Book ahead for the Red Panda Backstage Encounter (ages 5+), then soar 600 feet across the valley on the zip line or ride the funicular-style tram to Grand Rapids’ second-highest point. Bonus: the Wild Explorer immersive film now screens on the Chimpanzee deck, giving kids a VR-like perspective of field researchers. (jbzoo.org, jbzoo.org)
Grand Rapids Children’s Museum
Housed in a 1916 former grocery depot, the museum swaps exhibits every few months, so repeat visits always feel fresh. The 2025 Traveling Exhibit Series adds a STEM-forward “Build-A-Bot” lab where kids code cardboard robots, plus “Storybook Worlds,” an immersive literacy maze featuring larger-than-life pages and bilingual prompts. Permanent staples such as the gigantic bubble room, Little GR toddler town, and a two-story treehouse encourage open-ended play, while Friday “Kid Nights Out” (parents drop off ages 4-10 from 5–9 p.m.) give grown-ups date-night flexibility. (grcm.org, grcm.org)
West Michigan Whitecaps at LMCU Ballpark
Minor-league ticket prices, major-league thrills: the High-A Detroit Tigers affiliate serves up a stacked 2025 promo slate—Princess Night with post-game field dancing (May 23), back-to-back Bluey appearances (May 9–10), Star Wars fireworks (June 21), and Beer City-themed Bung Hammers Night (Aug 8). Kids run the bases every Sunday, the playground stays open from first pitch through the seventh-inning stretch, and budget-minded families love $2 hot-dog Tuesdays. The stadium sits just 15 minutes north of downtown, so combine a day game with evening riverside dining back in the city. (milb.com, milb.com)
Downtown Market Grand Rapids
Part greenhouse, part culinary incubator, this year-round food hall layers events onto its 20+ vendor stalls—think free Saturday kids’ cooking classes, an open-air Ice Bar sculpted from 10,000 pounds of crystal-clear blocks each January, and September’s ArtPrize programming that turns the market terrace into an alfresco gallery of edible art. Parents can sip kombucha flights while kids decorate cupcakes; everyone reconvenes for rooftop greenhouse tours that show urban farming in action. Check the online calendar before you go—many workshops fill quickly, but walk-up spots often open day-of. (downtownmarketgr.com, artprize.org)
Insider Tips for Maximum Fun
- Reserve early: Timed-entry tickets at Meijer Gardens, the zoo, and Sharks exhibit trim wait times on peak weekends.
- Ride The Rapid: A $4 day pass links downtown to Millennium Park, West Side breweries, and LMCU Ballpark.
- Stretch your stay: Do an “urban camp” by booking a downtown hotel—riverfront trails, free concerts at Rosa Parks Circle, and seasonal pop-ups keep the evening energy high.
We’re Your Storage Solution
Travel, remodeling, or college move-outs can crowd your space fast. Storage Rentals of America offers clean, climate-controlled units across West Michigan to keep bikes, kayaks, or seasonal gear secure while you explore. Call 1-800-457-5678 or try our storage calculator to pick the perfect unit and get back to planning your Grand Rapids adventure.
