Grand Rapids may be Michigan’s second largest city and it may have the second largest airport in the state, but that doesn’t mean that you should just write it off and head straight to the more populous city of Detroit instead. In fact, during my recent jaunt in Michigan, Grand Rapids was my first stop and the base for my entire trip.
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The other Michigan cities that I visited were Muskegon and Ludington (read about my time in Muskegon here. My post on Ludington is coming soon), but I had a little more than one full day in Grand Rapids during my trip. In that short amount of time, I discovered that it may not be the biggest city in the state, but it is definitely one of the most interesting and one of America’s most underrated wheelchair friendly cities. With so many things to do in Grand Rapids MI, from interacting with animals at the zoo to trying the plethora of local beers and much more, I’m excited to tell you how to have the best day ever in Grand Rapids!
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Things to Do in Grand Rapids MI in 1 Day
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John Ball Zoo
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The first attraction that I visited during my day in Grand Rapids was John Ball Zoo. Since I visited in August, I arrived to the zoo right when it opened so that it wouldn’t be too hot. This gave me plenty of time to see the more than 2,000 animals within the zoo before the temperature was in the 90s. However, even if you visited when it was warmer, there are plenty of indoor exhibits so that you can cool off, including an aquarium. That’s right, this zoo has everything you could possibly think of!
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John Ball Zoo is really large and I saw almost every animal that I could think of here; everything from monkeys to red pandas and even snakes. My favorite area though was the Wild Way Trail. On this accessible trail near the entrance of the zoo, kangaroos were freely roaming about and I was able to get extremely close to them. Ever since I visited Sydney, Australia and first saw them, kangaroos have been some of my favorite animals.
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For wheelchair users, I did see an accessible companion care restroom at the entrance of the zoo and manual wheelchairs are available for free on a first come, first served basis if you need one. Electric scooters are also available to rent. Lastly, it’s also important to know that John Ball Zoo was built on a hillside, so you might want to study the zoo map online before you go. This way, you can plan your route and won’t drain your battery if you use an electric wheelchair. I had no problems with the sometimes steep terrain in my powered chair, but it might be a bit challenging in a manual chair in some areas… unless someone can push you if needed.
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Aside from the hills, the zoo was tremendously accommodating and I’d certainly recommend visiting it if you’re looking for fun things to do in Grand Rapids MI. In my opinion, it was one of the best zoos that I’ve ever visited because there were soooo many animals! Plan at least 2-3 hours to see everything.
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Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
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Now that I had seen all of the amazing animals at the zoo, it was time to check out one of Michigan’s most popular attractions – Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park! This is an absolute must-visit and out of all of the things to do in Grand Rapids, this should top your list. It blew past all of my expectations and I’m sure that it will do the same for you.
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First off, this place is huge! It’s about 200 acres of gardens, both inside and out. As soon as I arrived, I made my way to the indoor tropical conservatory and the carnivorous plants house. There were Venus flytraps, which were really cool to see, and many beautiful flowers.
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After scoping out the indoor areas, I made my way outside. I started in the Japanese garden, which actually turned out to be my favorite area with its bamboo, authentic Japanese tea house, and even waterfalls. It was gorgeous and it was so nice to just leisurely stroll around and admire it all. Aside from the Japanese garden, there was also a children’s garden, a farm garden, and more. If you like visiting botanical gardens, this will be heaven for you.
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What makes this place so special is the fact that even though it has stunning botanical gardens, it also has a sculpture park. So you’re basically getting to visit two attractions for just one price (I always love a good deal, don’t you?)! There are more than 50 major works in Sculpture Park and rolling around and seeing them all was a true highlight of my time in Michigan. The sculptures are quite varied and they’re spread out a bit. I saw them all just fine on my own, but if you’d rather take it easy, there is a tram tour. The tram is wheelchair accessible and has a guide that will explain the sculptures to you.
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It took me a couple hours to roll through the gardens and Sculpture Park, so by the end of my visit I was ready for some lunch. I ate at Balk Café, which was toward the entrance and by the gift shop, and I was impressed with the plethora of options on the menu. I had a soup, which was delicious, and it was a great ending to my accessible visit to Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.
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Grand Rapids Public Museum
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After being outdoors pretty much all day (and getting a nice tan sunburn), it was time to head over to the Grand Rapids Public Museum. I actually considered a couple other museums like the Grand Rapids Art Museum and the Gerald R. Ford Museum instead, but after browsing the website of the Public Museum I decided on it. It seemed to offer the most variety and looked like a lot of fun. I’m sure the other museums in Grand Rapids are fantastic, but I ended up being really happy with my decision to visit the Public Museum.
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Admission is only $8 per adult and with all that there is to see and do in the museum, that’s an absolute steal. The museum was wheelchair accessible and there were sooo many different exhibits to check out! You can see everything from a 1928 Spillman Carousel to the Great Lakes region’s largest and oldest fish, the Lake Sturgeon. While all of that was awesome, my favorite exhibit by far was Streets of Old Grand Rapids. In this exhibit, I was able to roll through a 3/4 scale detailed re-creation of Grand Rapids in the 1890s. There was a drug store, a department store, and 9 other shops based on actual buildings and businesses from the era. It truly felt like I was rolling through 1890s Grand Rapids and it was cool to see how much the city has changed in the past 120+ years. It was also nice to go back in time, even if only for fifteen minutes or so.
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Toward the end of my visit to the Grand Rapids Public Museum, my powered wheelchair started dying from adventuring all day. I had to miss a few exhibits and went back to the hotel to charge my chair, but I definitely saw enough of the museum to realize that it’s one of the best things to do in Grand Rapids MI, whether you need a little respite from the summer heat or want to escape the cold of Michigan’s winter.
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Grand Rapids Brewing Company
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Once my wheelchair was charged up and ready to go again, it was time for dinner. Since one of Grand Rapids nicknames is Beer City USA, what better place to go than Grand Rapids Brewing Company? They have an extensive beer selection, but a large food menu as well. There are a number of breweries around Grand Rapids, but this one was only a short drive from my hotel and honestly, their menu looked the best.
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The main entrance of Grand Rapids Brewing Company had a step to get inside, but I called the brewery and they had someone come out and take me to an alternative entrance that was accessible. Once inside, I looked over both the beer and food menus until I reached a decision. I’m not a huge fan of beer usually, so I opted for the “Rainbow Universe” beer. It was easily the best beer I’ve ever had and was pretty sweet. It had hints of raspberries, blueberries, and lemon in it… yum! For food, I had the buffalo cauliflower wings with fries and that was delicious also.
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Where to Stay in Grand Rapids
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While in Michigan, I stayed at the JW Marriott Grand Rapids and found it to be a perfect place to stay. It was in the heart of downtown, within walking/rolling distance of many things to do in Grand Rapids. Plenty of restaurants were nearby and some of the top museums, including the Public Museum, were less than half of a mile away.
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My room was wheelchair accessible with ample space for me to maneuver around. A hoyer lift could not roll under the bed, but luckily I didn’t need that feature this time. The staff in the hotel was friendly though, so I’m sure they could figure out a solution if needed.
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The bathroom in my room was great. It had a roll-in shower, grab bars around the toilet, and a pull-under sink.
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Aside from the room being accessible for me, I also loved the fact that the JW had a Starbucks and a wonderful breakfast buffet. The breakfast was an added cost, but definitely worth it in my opinion.
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If you’d like to check prices at the JW Marriott Grand Rapids, just click here.
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Rosa Parks statue in downtown Grand Rapids
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Even though I only really had one full day to explore Grand Rapids, I fell in love with this Midwest gem of a city. Whether you use a wheelchair or not, you’re sure to discover plenty of fun things to do in Grand Rapids MI. While this may not be the state’s biggest or most visited city, that doesn’t mean that it’s not the best!
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*Thank you to Pure Michigan and Experience Grand Rapids for working with me on this trip and the many things to do in Grand Rapids MI! While most of my experiences in Grand Rapids were complimentary, all opinions expressed are authentic and my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you click through on a link, you won’t pay a penny more, but we’ll receive a slight commission which helps us keep this information available to you. Thanks!
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