I've got lots of thoughts running through my head, simultaneously, all the time. So when I stepped…read moreup to the check-in counter at Millennium Park Boat Rentals, the thoughts in my head were: Wow! It only costs $8 per hour to rent a kayak? Sweet! Wow! These people checking me in and telling me safety information are incredibly young! Will they be able to save me and my family if our kayaks flip over and we fall into the lake? Wow! What a beautiful day! But I wonder how often people fall into the lake. I also wonder how deep the lake is. I also wonder if it's possible to be trapped underwater if your kayak flips over. In the end, I decided to kick it on the sandy beach and wave at my family as they happily paddled on the lake. They had a great time kayaking. I had a great time not kayaking. Like Hot Chocolate says: Everyone's a winner, baby. Kayaks are either single-person or double, and we used one of each. There are very few instructions given, which was a little alarming to me. (You mean you just assume we know what we're doing?!) But fortunately, my family knew what they were doing, so they didn't need much instruction to get themselves out on the water. As you paddle around the lake, you pass the Millennium Park beach and splash pad, plus little islands here and there. There is about four miles of shoreline to explore. I was told that the lake was nice and calm, and that it was a pleasant time on the water. We rented kayaks, but Millennium Park Boat Rentals also offers canoes, paddle boats and stand-up paddle boards to rent. Keep in mind that rentals are seasonal -- this place is only open from Memorial Day-ish to Labor Day-ish.

Absolutely beautiful! Beautifully maintained. Clean, well landscaped. So much parking. Extensive…read moretrail system. Could not believe how quiet it was and that more people weren't out enjoying it on a warm fall morning!

Great local park for a casual walk. There's tons of trails that lead you to an almost dried up…read morecreek, lots of wildlife, saw plenty of deer, chipmunks, squirrels. There's also a paved roads to drive to different areas of the park as it's huge. So many trees and will definitely look stunning in the fall as well. Lots of great backdrops for a photoshoot as well. Other amenities: golf course, kids playgrounds, large shelters for picnic, picnic tables, baseball stadium.

An underrated place to picnic and walk around. Giant trees, gorgeous leaves in the fall, ample…read morespace, and dog friendly. Really enjoyed coming here for the first time and will keep it in mind for future picnics. There's plenty of parking, too.

Ken-O-Sha Park is one of the best trails in Grand Rapids for runners. It goes on for awhile passing…read morea creek and little wooded trails. It's also shaded! Park in the spacious parking lot and just run...after you wear mosquito spray to fight off its many bugs. There are stops along the trail like a cone to sit in and enjoy the sounds of nature.

Beautiful setting and plenty of picnic tables. Wonderful shade and a nice path down the road to get…read moresome steps in. Clean bathrooms, what more could you want from a park.

This place is very beautiful and is a nice place to go spend time outside by yourself, with family,…read moreand or with friends.

I love this park! Lots of options for different age groups. Two things: wish there was some sort of…read morefence more so around the water area so little kiddos can't make there way over to the parking lot! Wish the splash pad would stay open longer (closes Labor Day weekend)! We still get some pretty nice, hot days in September.

Rosewood Park is the bomb. The splash pad isn't the biggest but it is enough to keep you cool…read more There is area to have a picnic with installed grills and shade ( gotta love the shade) and the play ground equipment is well maintained and entertaining too. They have a small snack bar for drinks and ice cream which is nice. The thing I love is the Frisbee golf course. This isn't terribly far from my house so it is nice to have a different park to play at now. The tees are open and not high par but still a nice toss. Well done Jenison parks and recreation!!

Decent view at one of the highest point in GR. It would be better if city trim some of the bushes…read moreoff at the edge to provide more opening to look at downtown. Not remove the plants, just trim the tops a little bit. I don't know if it is the same park but if you walk down to the end of the street, pass all the new built houses. You will arrive at another lookout.

Sure, Grand Rapids may be small, but it oozes charm. If you didn't think you could get some cool…read moreviews from the city on top of a hill, think again!! We were looking for a park to take some photos in and kind of accidentally found Lookout Park. Although it's small and in a neighborhood, it had some of the nicest views of the city that I'd seen! The neighborhood it's in is very beautiful as well, so it's the perfect place to take a stroll.

Recently went to Richmond Park for a birthday party in their picnic pavilion. I don't think I'd…read moreever been to this park before, and it's really nice. It's huge, with a big pond, two playgrounds, tennis courts, pool, basketball court, picnic tables, table tennis table, and more. I think people sled at this park in the winter, too! The pavilion was really nice, with attached bathrooms, a prep area, fridge, tables, and chairs. The space was a good size for the party of 30 people or so. The parking lot is a short walk from the pavilion. I liked the patio area overlooking the pond, and all the kids at the party loved the playgrounds! There was a grassy area outside where we set up cornhole. It's $45 per hour to rent the pavilion, with a minimum of 2 hours. Not bad! I'm so glad we got to experience this park and would definitely come back to relax and go for a walk!

I love this park. A great hill makes it's fun to explore and easy to get away from other people to…read morebe alone.

We have our monthly group walks and love the quiet and beautiful walk. Easy walk but definitely a…read more must see

I recently visited Johnson Park for disc golf - well, Nate and our friend disc golfed, I just…read more"hiked" the course with them. It was a super sunny and hot spring day, so the park was pretty busy with a lot of people looking to enjoy the sunshine. The parking lot got full after we arrived - not sure if there is overflow parking available. I can't really speak to the difficulty of the course for playing, but it is super hilly and made for a sweaty hike around for a couple of hours for me. There's not a ton of shade as many of the holes are out in a massive field. The areas in the woods are shadier but seems like it would be pretty easy to lose a disc in there. It's not very accessible - some of the holes in the woods are accessed by stairs with no ramping available. The park itself is huge and sprawling, with the majority of people playing disc golf. The course signage was good for 2/3 of the course - a few of the later holes didn't have the "next hole" sign directing you where to go. There are apps you can use that help with this. There is another park of Johnson Park that includes picnic areas, an open shelter, the historic shelter for events, ball diamonds, restrooms, playgrounds, and a winter sledding hill. There are trails to walk in this area as well.

Hagar Park is a great old growth forest with trails, old and "new" playground. Many shelters…read moreavailable for rent and picnic tables everywhere for a fun/ low key get together. I love biking or walking through the trails. I love how this park backs up to a neighborhood and feels quiet yet is still residential. There is a huge wooden play ground that overlooks a grass and rock replica of the USA complete with hills representing mountain ranges. You can walk the perimeter of it for a close up view, but the best vantage point is from the top of the hill. Many things to play on and do at Hagar Park. Pack yourself a picnic and enjoy the facilities during these warmer summer months.

We have a family reunion here most summers, reserving Maples Shelter. It is a gazebo styled covered…read morepicnic area with a concrete floor. There are several picnic tables, AC power outlets to plug in crock-pots, etc., and a counter to lay out food to serve. There is a drinking fountain just outside the shelter. Parking is close and the adjacent grassy area is great for yard games. It is also reasonably close to the massive wooden play structure and modern restrooms.

Waterfront Park ⁣ ⁣…read moreIf you know, you know. This park is one of our oh-so-favorites in the summertime, and it's a popular place on a Friday night. ⁣ ⁣ I absolutely love walking around downtown EGR, and one of my favorite places to walk is Waterfront Park. If you follow the path to water, there is a beautiful lookout of Reeds Lake. You can admire the sun shining on the water or you can have a seat and read a book! In the summer, I love to grab ice cream at Jersey Junction and walk to this lookout. ⁣ ⁣ It's a great place to take kids, as there is always plenty of fish, tadpoles, frogs, and turtles to see! It's a great area to walk and run! You can often find people fishing at the end of the dock too! ⁣

I found this when looking for something free to do. It's a really beautiful setting wrapped…read morearound Reeds Lake. You can walk all the way around the lake or venture into the adjoining Hodenpyl Woods. There are some nice floating boardwalks, wild flowers and birds.