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.

Super clean park, located off if east beltline and right next to the 63rd district court. They have…read morean infant/toddler section, as well as a section for older kids. Both play areas are well maintained and structures are very clean. There are also picnic pavilions and hiking trails, as well as tennis courts and basketball courts. I don't believe they have runs for dogs, but they are dog friendly!

Both lil ones and big kids have so much fun here. Heck throw in the parents too. Sometimes I see…read moredads playing on the hanging roundabout and moms going down slides! There's enough room to be socially distant from others and enough play spaces to keep kids entertained for a good chunk of time. There are plenty of parking spaces (unless there's an event then it could get limited). There are four basketball courts, one beach volleyball court, and three baseball fields. Plenty of grass for the fur babies to roll and roam, or you can keep it legal and follow the paved trail on a leash. Great park!

This is a beautiful place, although I didn't stay for more than one mile. It looks like there's a…read morelot of nice hills in here. I had to leave because I forgot my OFF and the mosquitos were horrendous!!! Stopping to take a photo or anything resulted in a swarm of them landing on me. Got bitten straight through my long pants even. Also I've never seen these where I live, but it was raining oak leaf rollers as well. Little worm-like bugs which float down on a silk, looks like a spider web coming down. Too much physical interaction with the insects for me. But I think this would be a great place to go if you can handle the excessive amount of bugs

This is a beautiful park. I came out here with a group of friends and fell in love. The trail…read moreallows for you to choose how far/hard you want to go, which accommodates for different hiking levels. There are portions in the trail that open up, but most of it is surrounded with trees and has a woodsy feel.

I like to come here to watch sunsets and spend time with family. There's a nice nature trail…read moreconnected to the park and it's lovely. 4th of July Fireworks are wonderful here. Also if you're hungry there's lots of awesome local eateries up the street.

Visited here while experiencing the COVID stay home, stay safe order in Michigan. It was a lovely…read moresunny day, and after being cooped up all week working, it was so nice to have lunch by the water! It's not far from home, so I'm looking forward to going back even after this craziness has subsided.

I would say Provin Trails is one of my favorite trails in Grand Rapids. Some people might find it…read morestrange that I say that, but let me explain! Provin Trails isn't the biggest trail/park out here. It's not even the most glamorous. But to me, it's one of the most interesting. There are 3-4 different routes you can take, and some are of course more challenging. There are some trails that can be quite steep, and others that are actually more sandy! There is a section in the middle of the trail where you can see some mini sand dunes. I was really not expected that, so it was really cool to see them. There were a good number of people walking their dogs here, so maybe something to note as a dog owner. I would come back here!

It's a go hiking in the greater Grand Rapids area. One loop around the perimeter is just under 1…read moremile and it's guaranteed to get your heart rate up. After living in Arizona and hiking the mountains of Arizona for a few years this was a good Michigan comparison. For clarity I'm not calling us a mountain

A visit to Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is the kind of outing that quietly turns into…read morehours of wandering without you noticing. One minute you're "just taking a stroll," and the next you're deep in a full-on appreciation tour of art, nature, and your step count. The blend of sculptures and natural landscapes is beautifully done. It invites you to slow down, look closer, and occasionally wonder if something is art or just a very confident tree. The butterfly exhibit was a highlight. Peaceful, delicate, and just the right amount of magical without trying too hard. Definitely worth lingering a bit longer there. That said, it was very crowded on a Saturday midday, even with the chilly weather. Apparently, everyone had the same "let's be cultured and outdoorsy today" idea. We're already planning a return visit next time we're in town, likely on a weekday in early fall, when the pace feels a little softer and the experience can breathe a bit more. Highly worth it... just maybe not at peak "everyone had the same plan" hours.

Bought a ticket for their Christmas light show and it was totally worth it!…read more Parking is free. There were attendants in the lot, guiding us where to park. Upon entry, there's a snack bar. You can buy food and drinks and bring them along with you. I got the spiked hot cocoa. I was surprised they have a fireball shot ski!!!! It was so cold that night. I really enjoyed warming up along the walking path at all the fire pits. They also had some pop up tents with heaters and more snacks and drinks. The whole event was well put together. The path was wide enough for adults, kids, strollers and people to pass by or stop and take pics. The sculptures were so pretty! My favorite part was the spot lights because the snow made the lights seem like they were sparkling. The inside of the building had Christmas trees from many countries. I enjoyed reading the captions and learning about their traditions. The gardens were open as well- the desert plants are so cool. The tiny train and building exhibit was nice. They have a ton of local architectural buildings that are miniaturized with natural materials. There is a 15 min Christmas video you can watch; I watched it. It was a little boring. I don't recommend that video for kids. Bathrooms are clean. The gift shop was very nice. They sell ornaments, shirts, plants, etc. Overall, this was such a fun holiday thing to do. I took advantage of all of it. I was there for almost two hours. The pasty was huge and delicious. I took one to go! Worth every penny. The spiked hot cocoa I got was $18 and came in a souvenir cup. It's a really nice cup! It has the museum logo on it. The lid has a great closing mechanism. It has a little air hole though so it can leak. But it kept my drink hot for the whole mile. Bring mittens, wear boots, cover your head and ears, and have hand warmers in your pockets. It's cold out there! But it was so nice to see the lights and the music interacting and to walk the path and enjoy the sculptures lit up. Tickets sell out so buy in advance online.

We've been living here in the area for almost two decades now and we finally decided to stop by…read moreVersluis Park. It's such a nice little lake beach that has a playground, trail, picnic tables and designated fishing areas. Definitely recommend if you live in the area and want a water view for these nice summer afternoons with the family.

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.

This is one of our absolute favorite parks. There are at least three separate playgrounds, one…read morebeautiful stream, several meeting spaces and a beautiful hiking area. This place has it all. We only used one playground and the stream this time as we had friends in from out of town, but we've been all over this park in the past, and we will surely be back!

This is a great park for walks/hikes and taking the kids. There are multiple playground areas, wide…read moreopen spaces, small hills, picnic tables, a creek...a lot to explore with the family. We've come here several times in all seasons. There are public bathrooms in the "clubhouse" (may or may not be open due to covid restrictions)

A party or reception can be even better, just add the Wave Room. April knows how to take care of…read moreyou. From themed wedding receptions to birthday or anniversary parties, the Wave Room is your place. The food is top notch! I have been blessed to photograph here during many different events, and have held business meetings here. Always great service!