Heritage Hill
Heritage Hill is Grand Rapids’ pride and joy, a pristine collection of early 20th century mansions, cottages and brick churches set amid tree-lined avenues. As the city’s oldest neighborhood, Heritage Hill imparts a stately, historic air from the moment your coach rolls up to its borders. Have our team drop you at Heritage Hill’s centerpiece, the striking Heritage Hill Public Museum. This striking 1887 Renaissance Revival building alone justifies the journey, while the museum within enthralls with exhibits on Grand Rapids’ founding, furniture design heritage and more. From the museum, set off on foot to admire the neighborhood’s character-laden homes. Be sure to pay a visit to the Meyer May House, one of the world’s best-preserved examples of Prairie School architecture and a National Historic Landmark since 1985. Along your ambling route, you’ll occasionally come across jaw-dropping landmarks like the Renaissance-style Oakwood Manor or the ivy-strewn Grand Valley State University Alumni House and Visitor Center. Finish with a stop at one of West Fulton Street’s art galleries and eateries to refuel after your urban expedition.
Uptown
Despite “uptown” being a rather antiquated term in most cities, Grand Rapids’ Uptown District remains as hip and happening as its name implies. This breezy stretch of Wealthy Street is a veritable buffet of globally-inspired restaurants, craft cocktail bars, and outdoor cafes spilled across tree-shaded sidewalks and tucked-away plazas. The handsomely renovated Wealthy Theatre sets the tone here, drawing crowds to its golden marquee for movies, improv comedy shows and retro gaming nights. Beer enthusiasts should hit up breweries like Founders, Grand Rapids’ original taproom that helped put the city on the craft beer map back in 1997. Time your bar crawl right and you can groove to live music at venues like Billy’s Lounge and The Pyramid Scheme. Prefer a daytime excursion? Burnish your bohemian credentials by letting your bus drop you at Uptown’s Indoor Farm Market on the first Saturday of each month (May through December) to support local artisans, sample international street foods and more.
East Hills
The intersection of Wealthy Street and Lake Drive SE is the nexus of the East Hills, one of Grand Rapids’ most venerable upscale neighborhoods. Just a short distance separates you from Wealthy Theatre and Downtown’s epicenter, yet the area feels worlds away in both geography and ambiance. Originally settled by some of the city’s wealthiest industrialists, the East Hills is lined by stately Victorians, Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired homes, and gracious parks. East Grand Rapids’ Cherry Street is the area’s main artery, an arcadian lane of cafes, boutiques and galleries begging for an afternoon’s ramble. Take your time browsing delightfully incongruous stores like the Mayan art and handicrafts emporium Q’orikicha or the Horse & Heart folk art mecca. Redbud Row, blooming with flowering trees each spring, makes for a lovely strolling avenue between shop hops. After exploring the high street, reconvene at Cherry Park for a sunset picnic under the gazebo’s Gothic arches.
Westside
Despite spanning just six blocks, the Westside packs in deliciously funky variety. Once a hardscrabble quarter populated by Polish and Dutch immigrants, the Westside is now Grand Rapids’ definitive bohemian enclave – think banging burritos, for-the-people nonprofits and artist-owned boutiques hawking hand-blown glass, to name but a few highlights. While modest rowhouses and duplexes remain, there’s a shifting vibrancy and undeniable community spirit that sets Westside apart from the vaunted snobbishness of other neighborhoods. Centro Woodbridge provides an edifying glimpse into the neighborhood’s past. Housed in the original Sundial Lodge, a 19th century settlers’ social hub in what was then called Polishtown, the museum operates walking tours to point out Dutch farmhouses, wooden shoe carvers’ homes and other historic sites. To experience today’s Westside, secure a long table at Nuevos Amigos for traditional Mexican fare, wiggle into a bar stool at Greyline for next-level cocktails or browse West MichiGames for tabletop treasures. Cap your visit by catching an indie rock band at nouveau dive bar The Meanwhile.
Creston
Waves of immigration have left an indelible imprint on Creston, a neighborhood just northeast of Downtown GR where nearly half the residents hail from overseas. Untold culinary rewards await the intrepid epicure – aromatically spiced Jamaican plates at Pal’s Diner, papery banh mi from Pho An Viet and about a zillion ways to tame your craving for tacos or pupusas between all the pupuserias and taco trucks clustered on Plainfield Avenue alone. Creston’s cosmopolitan spirit is exemplified at the Creston Neighborhood Association’s family-friendly International Summer Festivals when music, food vendors and performers converge on Briggs Park. Away from the main drag, rambling side streets conceal further foodie gems like the divey Ranch Cafe, a breakfast and lunch joint slinging soulful morning fare and a legendary olive burger. Or come around November to watch traditional Parachico dancers kick off an annual posada procession complete with mariachis, roaming nativity displays and warmed ponche.
Eastown
Situated on Grand Rapids’ outer eastern rim, Eastown defies its somewhat remote geography with a fiercely independent streak, embraced over the decades by self-professed hippies, punk rock renegades, counterculturists of all stripes and even stray academics. A singular, proudly alternative ambiance pervades Eastown’s restaurant, retail and entertainment scene. You’ll find the obligatory head shop, vegan eateries and groovy bookshops. But you’ll also turn up stylistic curveballs like The Score Tennis Shop and its resurrected retro tennis culture or The Happy Dog, Old Town style hot dogs and killer vegan takes. For maximum fabulousness, base your Eastown bar crawl on Wealthy Street between Norwood and the I-196 overpass. Craft brewery blind spots will be ecstatic to discover Brewery Vivant’s gorgeous Belgian brews and Second Wesleyan Church’s ornamental digs, while vinyl collectors salivate over the stock at Vertigo Music. Between stops, keep an eye peeled for the murals of pompadoured rock gods, monster trucks and Japanese lanterns decorating building walls in a burst of neighborhood pride.
East Grand Rapids
To its knowing residents, East Grand Rapids represents far more than a suburb or bedroom community of Grand Rapids proper. It’s a polished enclave unto itself, a prosperous lakeside haven where clipped hedges frame stately mansions and country clubs broadcast a preppy, privileged ambiance. Cluster around Reed’s Lake’s shimmering expanse to see what all the fuss is about. Spend a leisurely afternoon watching sailboats glide past the Rose Garden Island or check out the North Evergreen Natural Area’s picturesque trails and boardwalks. Once you’ve soaked in Reed’s Lake, strike out from downtown East Grand Rapids along Wealthy Street to window-shop the designer boutiques, sample upscale cuisine or say hi to Mark Ruiz, the acclaimed artist whose eponymous studio anchors the neighborhood’s celebrated Gallery Row. The promenade climaxes at Fred P. Titus Park, an emerald field of baseball diamonds and cross-country trails suited for working off East Grand Rapids’ abundant country club chardonnay.
Alger Heights
Alger Heights feels a world removed from East Grand Rapids’ opulence despite being scarcely five miles south. Where East Grand Rapids brims with polished lawns and prestige restaurants, this neighborhood is all about the finer things in life – mom-and-pop eateries, vibrant street art and fostering family bonds via its park system, school district and community events. Highlights include the pocket-sized Alger Park where enormous wish trees invite passersby to share their dreams in writing amidst delicate hanging ornaments. But the true star is scenic Alger Hills Park, the city’s largest green space at 100 acres. Trekking the densely wooded trails under a canopy of mature hardwoods reinvigorates the senses like stumbling across a hidden glade. Your group might also catch a softball game or farmer’s market at the pavilions, play areas and community gardens studding this year-round destination. Recover from your adventures over hefty diner portions of biscuits and gravy at family-run Morning Light Cafe.
Millennium Park
Don’t confuse Millennium Park with its famous Chicago counterpart – Downtown Grand Rapids’ new Millennium Park is practically brand-new, inaugurated in 2018 on former river frontage and revivifying the west end with serene green spaces, hiking trails and event spaces overlooking the Grand River. After construction crews demolished the futzy old 1960s-era parks along the riverbanks, this updated 12-acre zone emerged with thoughtfully designed features like urban forests, winding stone footbridges and sampan water taxis ferrying picnickers across the tiered, 40-foot waterfalls marking Millennium’s centerpiece. Although the park has yet to evolve traditions, expect fundraisers, weekend yoga sessions and seasonal festivities to develop around its ample facilities. The most prominent so far is Millennium Park’s West Michigan Lunchtime Outdoor Concert Series, free summertime open-air gigs set against the rapids with food trucks and craft brews for on-site refreshment. The Music Factory venue within the park’s central Meeting House also hosts high-energy concerts and events year-round.
Book a Bus With Us
Ready to create a custom neighborhood tour of Grand Rapids? Let our team curate an itinerary to hit your preferred districts while handling all the transportation logistics. We’ll match your group with the perfect bus model and plan chauffeured service to each destination. Maybe your reunited friend crew prefers a compact 18-passenger shuttle to explore Entertainment District dives. Or a large wedding party needs a kitted-out motorcoach to shuttle guests around hot spots like East Town. Whatever your unique requirements, dial 313-209-8435 to book your ideal Grand Rapids adventure today.