Spring has finally sprung in Grand Rapids! The snow has melted and the flowers are blooming which means it’s time to do all the fun spring things in the area. Butterflies, mushroom hunting, walking trails, and tulips are just a few things we think of during the spring in West Michigan. We have put together our list of the best of the best spring fun in Grand Rapids. Check it out below!
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Blandford Nature Center
Education and nature meet at Blandford Nature Center. Enjoy all the beauty that nature has to offer while learning all about the environment around you. With over 264 acres to explore you are sure to have a day packed with fun. Begin your visit in the Blandford Visitor Center and enjoy some wildlife encounters right from the start. You can then head out to Heritage Village with buildings as old as 1853. Explore their numerous trails and see all the wildlife the area has to offer.
Mobile Wellness Relaxation Station Spa Experience
Unlock tension and relieve group stress on the Mobile Happy Lights Relaxation Station. This modern spa on wheels combines FDA-approved PhotoBioModulation, Red Light Therapy, AromaTherapy, HaloTherapy (Himalayan & Dead Sea Salt Therapy), and ChromoTherapy to cleanse and recharge the body. Improve Circulation, Decrease Inflammation and Reduce Stress to re-connect within. This meditative experience is great for team building, workplaces, weddings, birthdays, and more. Take a break from the long winter days, while boosting your group’s mental health.
Grand Rapids Public Museum
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) offers a fun and educational time for the whole family. With permanent exhibits as well as, rotating exhibits you are always sure to see something new at GRPM. Make sure to take a ride on the carousel and enjoy a show in the planetarium while visiting.
Hours: Weekdays from 9 am-5 pm and weekends from 10 am to 5 pm.
Fulton Street
Spring in Grand Rapids brings back one of our favorite things- farmers’ markets! And the Fulton Street Farmers Market, which is celebrating its 100th year this year, is one of our favorites. With roughly 118 outdoor booths and some additional inside booths, there is plenty to see and buy at this market. Main Market Season begins around the first week of May and goes through October. Market hours are Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 8 am-2 pm. Parking is limited at the market, but additional parking can be found within walking distance of the Market.
House of Wine: Wine Tasting Experience
Unwind from your busy day and escape to House of Wine, located in the center of downtown Grand Rapids on Monroe Center. Here you will indulge in an exclusive wine flight tasting and charcuterie experience.
House of Wine is a family-owned wine bar and retail shop with over 300 unique wines from all over the world. Enjoy 2 wine flights (4 samples per person), a friendly SA guide, and a hearty sharable charcuterie board (fruit or meat) to snack on while you indulge in the vast world of wine. Like anything you tasted? Feel free to purchase a bottle – or a case – to split with friends to remember the day.
Morel Mushroom Hunting
There are over 2,000 kinds of wild mushrooms in the mitten state, morels are among the safest. May is prime hunting month. Typical locations and signs include wooded areas, especially around dying or dead trees, sometimes in fields, landscaping mulch, and old orchards. They grow best in daytime temps of at least 50 degrees and nighttime temps of at least 40 degrees. Dampness is best for them to grow so with all these factors, springtime is perfect for them to thrive.
Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park
Meijer Gardens boasts eight different garden displays, including the Earl and Donnalee Holton Arid Garden, the Earl and Donnalee Holton Victorian Garden Parlor, and the Kenneth E. Nelson Carnivorous Plant House. Spring in Grand Rapids brings one of the most popular attractions of the year, the Fred & Dorothy Fichter Butterflies Are Blooming exhibition, which features 7,000 tropical butterflies all within the conservatory. The hot and humid Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory is a five-story greenhouse filled with tropical plants and birds.
Another highlight is The Richard & Helen DeVos Japanese Garden. Plants, sculptures, and an authentic Japanese Teahouse surround a tranquil lake. There is also a bonsai garden and Cherry Tree Promenade to enjoy. If you are bringing kids to Meijer Gardens, you can’t go wrong with the Lena Meijer Children’s Garden. A water table replica of the Great Lakes, an entire sensory garden, and a fantastic wooden playhouse are just some of the things that will thrill (and tire out) your kiddos.
Tulip Time
Tulip Time is an annual festival in Holland Michigan that lasts just over a week and offers a variety of fun, family-friendly activities. Aside from enjoying the beauty of thousands of Tulips all around Holland, there are concerts, food trucks, parades, and more to enjoy throughout the week.
Walk a Trail
The Grand Rapids area offers a large variety of trails to enjoy all year round. Arguably one of the best times to enjoy them is in the spring. When everything is coming back to life and blooming again, you are sure to get a glimpse of West Michigan’s beauty on any one of the trails listed below.
- North Country National Scenic Trail– Lowell
- Hemlock Crossing– West Olive
- Rosy Mountain Natural Area– Grand Haven
- Grand Ravine– Grand Haven
- Ottawa Sands County Park– Ferrysburg
- Lakeshore Bike Trail– Muskegon
African Making Cooking Class & Concert!
Spring is a time for all things fresh and new so why not try cooking a new dish! GR Bucket List is excited to partner with Motherland Cooking Xperience to bring you a West African cooking class. Take a trip to West Africa with us in this hands-on, interactive cooking class. We will visit various African countries together by cooking some of the best dishes from each region accompanied by live music and storytelling. Your taste buds, soul, and mind will thank you at the end. This class brings you on a food journey where you will learn how to make Puff Puffs, and how to prepare fish/meats with legendary African marinade for grilling. While the fish is soaking up all those juicy flavors from the marinade, we will prepare veggies for the flavorful pesto-like sauce. You will also get to take the recipes home with you.
This class takes place in Chef Mirabel’s spacious kitchen, where you will be able to get a first-hand experience of what it’s like to indulge in Africa’s rich and diverse culture. You will pair food, enjoy live music, and drinks using local ingredients from Greater Grand Rapids.
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