Grand Rapids – Things to do with your Team

Located on the Grand River for which it was named, Grand Rapids is the second-largest city in Michigan and is a surprisingly great place to find family-friendly fun that both you and your team can appreciate and enjoy.

Grand Rapids is the hometown of U.S. President Gerald Ford so a visit to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum is a fitting way to spend some downtime.

If historical attractions and museums aren’t your team’s first choice, Grand Rapids still has many other entertaining things to do while you’re there, including John Ball Zoo, Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, and more.

 

Grand Rapids Public Museum

A visit to the Grand Rapids Public Museum will leave your team inspired and eager to learn and discover more about science, history, and culture. This facility features three floors packed with permanent and traveling exhibits.

These exhibits include Grand Fish, Grand River, where you and your team can observe live lake sturgeon, a threatened species of fish that’s also the region’s largest and oldest; Streets of Old Grand Rapids, a scaled-down, intricately detailed recreation of Grand Rapids in the 1890’s that you can stroll through and feel as if you’ve been transported back in time; Be Curious, a rotating exhibit that showcases the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s extensive collections, and more.

For an additional fee your group can attend an astonishing simulated stargazing experience in the Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium or take part in a mind-bending challenge as you search through a simulation of the museum’s archives at Puzzle Room: Quest for Conviction.

Before leaving, grab a bite to eat or a fun memento of your visit at the Museum Cafe and Curiosity Shop. 272 Pearl St NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504

 

John Ball Zoo

John Ball Zoo brings together animals from all corners of the globe right to your team’s travel destination of Grand Rapids. The facility features 1,300 individual animals of 227 different species, housed in specially-curated exhibits that will make you feel as if you’ve been immersed in a variety of natural habitats.

At Crawford Tigers of the Realm you’ll be in awe as you observe the largest of the feline predators, the tiger. While at the exhibit be sure to check out both the upper and lower “realms,” as well as the trail system that runs between.

Van Andel Living Shore Aquarium will immerse your group in a world teeming with aquatic life as you visit a Michigan stream, the coast of Patagonia, and the northwest coast of the U.S. You can also watch as Magellanic penguins as they fly underwater and surround yourself with eels, anemones, and exotic fish in the 40,000 gallon Kelp Forest Tank or Tide Pool. No matter what kind of animal is your favorite, you’re likely to find them at John Ball Zoo!

The zoo features various concessions stands located throughout the zoo, making it convenient for your group to grab some grub as you make your way through this fantastic facility.

On your way out, stop by the zoo’s gift shop, Gifts of the Wild, to find great souvenirs like hand-crafted eco-friendly and fair trade items from around the world, t-shirts and apparel, toys, stuffed animals, and more.

Groups of 25 or more are eligible for discounted admission prices. 1300 Fulton St W, Grand Rapids, MI 49504

 

Grand Rapids Children’s Museum

If you’re visiting Grand Rapids with a team of younger children, they’ll love getting to direct their own learning at Grand Rapid’s Children’s Museum, a hands-on museum that features both permanent and changing exhibits.

There’s Diagnosis: FUN!, where children can explore the health sciences and see what it’s like to be a nurse, surgeon, doctor, or medical technician; Kidstruction Zone, where children can build a PVC pipe maze, sharpen their masonry skills as they create a foam brick wall, and move wheelbarrows full of gravel from one end of the construction site to the other; and Bubbles, which lets children see what the world looks like from inside a gigantic bubble as well as create glistening bubbles of their own on the bubble tables.

Best of all, that’s only a taste of all the fun things there are to do at the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum! 11 Sheldon Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503

 

Celebration! Cinema Grand Rapids North & IMAX

Rainy day in Grand Rapids? No worries! Just bring the team to catch the latest movies on the big screen at Celebration! Cinema Grand Rapids North & IMAX.

Seeing a movie there is like having a celebration! Why? Because Celebration! Cinema features reserved seating to ensure that everyone gets the best seat in the house, as well as food options that are a far cry from your typical theater fare, including mac and cheese, wraps, sliders, and more.

If your group is looking to have a thrilling theatergoing experience like no other, go to see a movie in one of their IMAX theaters. No matter what kind of movie you end up seeing, you’ll enjoy seeing it at Celebration! Cinema! 2121 Celebration Dr NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525

 

To find hotel rooms closest to where your team is playing in Grand Rapids or any city, visit https://www.hotels4teams.com/. Hotels4Teams – The Best Hotels at the Best Prices, Closest to the Action!

 

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

For an experience you can only find in Grand Rapids, take the team to Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. You’ll view modern sculptures in a stunning garden at a 158-acre combination botanical garden and sculpture park that’s always growing, always beautiful, and always new.

The plant life at the garden includes exotic plants, desert and Victorian gardens, wetlands, meadows, all situated alongside stunning sculpted works of art by famous artists throughout.

The Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park also features the Taste of the Gardens Café, which serves up seasonal food for both kids and adults, and the Meijer Gardens Gift Shop. 1000 E Beltline Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525

 

The Great Escape Room

You and your team will have a great time exercising your minds at The Great Escape Room. The Great Escape Room is a room escape game facility that features games based on popular computer and mobile phone games.

After entering the room of your choosing with your team, the door is then locked behind you. Once it’s locked, 60 minutes are on the clock! You’ll all have to work together in order to find clues and solve puzzles in order to escape the room before time runs out.

There are three rooms to choose from. In Sherlock Holmes’ Library you’ll have to put your skills of deductive reasoning to the test and see if you could be selected as an apprentice to the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes.

In Professor Moriarty’s Gameroom, you’re needed to help find an antidote to save the world from Professor Moriarty’s nefarious scheme.

Nobody likes nuclear Armageddon, that’s for sure. In the room The President’s Bunker you’ll have to attempt to regain control of the nuclear missile program after it has been comprised. 233 E Fulton St, Suite 211, Grand Rapids, MI 49503

 

Gerald R. Ford Museum

Grand Rapids’ pride in native son and 38th American President Gerald R. Ford is reflected in this fascinating museum that bears his name. At the Gerald R. Ford Museum you and your team will be transported back to the 70’s through interactive displays and holograms, including a chance to eavesdrop on an eventful day in the Oval Office.

The 54,000 square foot museum features a combination of both permanent and temporary exhibits, but not all museum programming revolves around the exhibits; they also offer a wide variety of family-friendly events and lectures on a regular basis. Commemorate your visit to the Gerald R. Ford Museum with a souvenir from the Museum Store, which sells items relating to the Ford presidency, other Presidents and First Ladies, and many more unique items. 303 Pearl St NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504

 

Fish Ladder Park

One of the quirkiest attractions to visit with your team while in Grand Rapids is Fish Ladder Park. The centerpiece of the park is its fish ladder, a functional piece of artwork that provides both practical application as well as aesthetic pleasure.

Designed to allow migrating fish a means of circumventing the powerful water flow at the man-made rapids in the Grand River, this popular sight is sure to entertain your group as you watch fish jump up the “ladder” during their seasonal migration in the spring and late summer. 560 Front Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504

 

Grand Rapids is a city full of surprises. While it might not have a spot on your personal top 10 of places you want to visit before you go, you’ll leave impressed by the variety of fun attractions that can only be found in this unique city. Your team is sure to be impressed too and will definitely leave looking forward to the next time they get to return to the “River City.”