With our best friends now living in Grand Rapids, MI, we just knew it would be a matter of time before we visited! This travel guide will not only have my input, but also snippets from Haley, who now calls Grand Rapids home! From food, to fun to the places to stay, this Grand Rapids, MI is what you need for a fun and relaxing trip!

I couldn’t write this Grand Rapids, MI Travel Guide without having Haley’s input! 🙂 You’ll find her snippets in italics.

Grand Rapids Restaurants

Coffee

• Madcap Coffee – I loved the Iced Vanilla Latte with Oat milk and the little, hand-held waffles!
• Outside Coffee – my go-to order was an Iced Caramel Latte with Oat milk. Old faithful! Plus, they have the cutest little igloos and fire pits you can sit around! Another plus, they are super dog friendly.
• Squib – “One of my all-time favorites. Walking distance from our apartment and the seasonal drinks never disappoint! My go-to is the Café Miel with Oat Milk.” – Haley
• Lyon Street Cafe – Iced Caramel Latte with Oat milk and their avocado toast is a winner!

Breakfast/Brunch

• Brown Butter– crepes galore! My favorite was the Picnic crepe. John got the Campfire crepe and it was perfect for a sweets-lover.
• Terra Bagels – I didn’t get the chance to go here but it’s one of Leighton and Haley’s favorites! John and Leighton stopped in and John loved the B.E.C breakfast sandwich.
• Rise Authentic Bakery – “A true morning classic. Delicious coffee + perfect pastries (think: toaster tarts, donuts and muffins) and most options are vegan or support alternative diets! My JAM!” – Haley

Lunch/Mid-day Snack

• Fruition – talk about the perfect lunch/mid-day snack! I loved the Lightweight Bowl with chocolate chips added. John’s go-to was the Bulletproof Coffee and the Mood Bowl.
• Yesterdog – “The best spot for a midday treat and Leighton’s weakness! Chili dogs in soft, warmed buns all delivered through the walk-up takeout window. The perfect bite!” – Haley

Dinner

• Margaux – a show-stopping dinner! Grab a reservation for this place because you are going to WANT it! Here’s everything we loved: French onion Soup, bread & butter (may seem elementary, but their salted whipped butter is everything!), Roasted Half Chicken (some of the most insanely good chicken we’ve ever had), Braised Short Ribs and the Pastry Wrapped Salmon!
• Donkey Taqueria – such a fun and delicious place! We got take-out one night from here and devoured a feast of food. Here’s what we loved: Salsa de Queso, Taco Al Pastor (eat as many of these as you can!!), Torta de Jamón (best to share it as its BIG), Prickly Pear Margarita
• Terra – “Terra is THE Chicoine staple. If we could, we would get this once (or twice…) a week! Terra’s wood-fired Margherita pizza is the best pizza in town! Order to-go and you’ll get two pizzas and their Kale Caesar Salad for only $35. WHAT!” – Haley
• Butcher’s Union – “Our first-ever stop when we visited Grand Rapids a few months before our big move. A gastro-pub with an unrivaled whiskey collection and the most eclectic menu. Sit in the indoor terrace + enjoy the ambiance!” – Haley

Grand Rapids Shopping

What would a Grand Rapids, MI Travel Guide be without shopping? One of the coolest things about Grand Rapids is how much they support local shops and restaurants. There’s so many choices to choose from! Wealthy Street has a lot of fun, boutique stores that you just have to stop in and peruse. And the farmer’s markets!! Definitely worth a trip. Here were our favs:

Fulton Street Farmers Market

The Counting House

Stoffer Home

Louise Earl Butcher

Wax Poetic Candle Bar

Commune

Martha’s Vineyard

Nantucket Baking Company

Grand Rapids Hotels

We stayed at the Canopy by Hilton and absolutely loved it! It’s such a unique hotel. My germaphobe heart loved that there wasn’t gross hotel carpet everywhere in your room haha. We would definitely stay here again! They also said we were the first people from Nebraska to stay at their hotel, so it must be a newer one! Which I’m all for (germaphobe, remember? Haha!).

The JW Marriott looked super fancy and wonderful, so that would be another one to take a look at.

There was also a lot of cute VRBO and AirBNB options, so I would definitely check those out as well!

Looking for other travel guides and adventures? Look here!