Affordable & Free Spring Activities around Grand Rapids
There’s nothing like warmer weather and a little sunshine to inspire us to get out and explore these free spring activities!
West Michigan has everything we need to relieve our cabin fever after a long winter. I love that we can find inexpensive indoor and outdoor spring things to do with kids in Grand Rapids.
From movies to museums, to music, and more, there are a variety of affordable adventures to be had.
46th Annual Rock & Mineral Show
Thursday, April 6 & Friday, April 7: 9:30 am-9 pm
Saturday, April 8: 9:30 am-7 pm
Rogers Plaza Town Center – 972 28th Street Southwest, Wyoming, MI 49509
Brought to you by the Indian Mounds Rock & Mineral Club, the popular Rock & Mineral Show is back for the 46th year!
Learn more about all things ROCKS at the many displays, demonstrations and hands-on stations.
With treasures for everyone – beginners, kids and seasoned collectors, too, expect to find hands-on kid fun, grab bags, minerals, fossils, crystals, gems, jewelry, beads, stone carvings, equipment, books, and MORE.
FREE ADMISSION & FREE PARKING
Admission Free April at Blandford Nature Center
1715 Hillburn Ave. NW, Grand Rapids, MI, United States, Michigan
Free Admission includes access to 264 acres of forests, meadows, and wetlands, 8 miles of trails including 1 mile of ADA accessible trails, 2 outdoor playscapes, the Blandford Farm and Children’s Garden, and our Wildlife Education Center with over 40 rehabilitated wildlife ambassadors.
As part of Admission Free April, they are also offering a variety of free programs and activities throughout the month! More information: blandfordnaturecenter.org
Lowe’s Build & Grow Workshops
Various Lowe’s Locations – West Michigan
This monthly event is free for families – it just requires registration. Sign up for your local Lowe’s store, show up, build something cool, spend quality time with your kids – all for free! Workshops hosted by one of their experts are held from 10:00am – 1:00pm.
The next free Lowe’s Build and Grow event, Build a Bunny Planter, is slated for April 1, 2023, and there is still some availability at several West Michigan locations.
A Spring Popup Flower Workshop is scheduled for May 20, 2023.
Home Depot Kids Workshops
Various Home Depot Locations – West Michigan
Home Depot also hosts a monthly workshop event that is free for kids (registration required.)
Upcoming free Home Depot workshop events include:
Poolside birdhouse – April 1, 2023
Flower Planter – May 6, 2023
Putting Green – June 3, 2023
Find an Easter Egg Hunt
Various locations around West MI
Hop over to an Easter Egg Hunt. They’re a favorite of the free spring activities offered in Grand Rapids. Most egg hunts this year are on April 1 or April 8.
Easter is April 9, 2023.
April Storybook Walk: Milk and Juice: A Recycling Romance
Pierce Cedar Creek Institute, 701 West Cloverdale Road, Hastings, MI 49058
April Storybook Walk: Milk and Juice: A Recycling Romance
by Meredith Crandall Brown
Follow the journey of Juice and Milk on their recycling love story though transformations to pen and soap dispenser and even laundry detergent jug until they are finally reunited in a most unexpected way (the fourth “R” – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Reunite). This storybook walk is thanks to the generosity of Joel and Barbara VanDyken.
Free (self-guided on the trails) MORE INFO
Recycling Center Activities & Tours – Monday Open Hours
Kent County MI Dept. Public Works, Wealthy St SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Mondays from 9 am – noon. Learn the ins and outs of recycling, watch our workers and machines sort right in front of you, and have fun playing games and creating upcycled crafts as we reimagine waste together. All ages welcome. Closed-toed shoes are required. Details
Open Play at Holland Playland
Central Wesleyan Church Playland, 446 W 40th St, Holland, MI 49423
For children ages 6 months to 11 years old. While the kids play, you are welcome to check out the Gathering Grounds coffee shop and hang-out place. M-W • 9am–1pm; F • 5–9pm; Sat • 9am–1pm; Sun noon-3pm; closed Th. Details
Watch Airplanes at the Viewing Park
4820 Kraft Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512
Visit one of our favorites: Pack a lunch and watch the planes land at Ford Airport Viewing Park. Details
GRAM Free Tuesdays & Thursday Nights
101 Monroe Center St NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Free general admission to the Grand Rapids Art Museum on Tuesdays from 12 – 6 pm each and Thursday Nights from noon – 9 pm. Details
Free Thursdays at Muskegon Museum of Art in Muskegon
296 W. Webster Avenue Muskegon, Michigan 49440
Free general admission, 11am – 8pm. Details
Flick’s Family Film Fest
Celebration Cinema Locations
Kids ages 12 and under watch movies for free while big kids and grown-ups are just $5.
FREE Family Movie Days: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Frauenthal Center, 425 W Western Ave, Muskegon, MI 49440
The Frauenthal Center invites everyone to attend our family-friendly entertainment series featuring 9 FREE family movies inside the Frauenthal Theater, once a month beginning in September 2022 through May 2023. The series aims to open doors for families in the community to experience the Frauenthal Center together or for those who are simply looking for a free and fun afternoon.
Date: Sunday, April 2, 2023
Time: 3:00 PM | Doors Open at 2:15 PM
Activate Your Library Perks
Grand Rapids Public Library Patrons: Take advantage of the FREE perks for cardholders through their amazing Check It Out! program
– This is a great way to access free passes to incredible outings like Frederik Meijer Gardens, John Ball Zoo, the GR Children’s Museum, local sporting events, theatre productions, GR museums, and more.
Kent District Library Patrons: KDL cardholders can get free passes to area attractions through their Perk Pass program. Cardholders can reserve passes online, print their passes and visit their attraction on the date they reserved. Attractions include Meijer Gardens, the GRAM, and occasionally, the Children’s Museum.
Library cardholders can also use their cards to access the Michigan Activity Pass, which allows patrons to print a pass to one of many state parks, historic sites, cultural attractions, campgrounds and recreation areas and other free spring activities throughout the state.
Hit the Books
Grand Rapids Public Library Patrons: Take advantage of the FREE perks for cardholders through their amazing Check It Out! program
–The kids areas are fun these days – try out these Library Play Places. While you’re there, stick around for storytimes & other fun library events.
Kids Eat Free
Plan a family dinner out at one of the many places around West Michigan where kid eat free (or for less.)
Pro Tip: Tuesdays and Wednesdays have the most Kids Eat Free deals.
New Things to Do Outdoors
These are such welcome free spring activities!
Head out on one of West Michigan’s many hiking trails.
It’s also a great time to visit a nature center and go for a hike, as the bugs of summer haven’t woken up yet, but lots of flowers are coming out of their winter slumber.
Try a new-to-you Grand Rapids area playground.
Want an urban adventure? Go on the Grand Rapids Mural Crawl.
Really, there are a ton of outdoor things to do in spring in West MI:
• Disc Golf
• Geocaching
• 2.5-mile City Adventure Walk – be sure to find the giant tire swing!
• Best Family Bike Ride Spots
• Enjoy the great outdoors at the Calvin Ecosystem Preserve – the trails are open for exploration.
Holland Museum
31 W 10th St, Holland, MI 49423
Discover local Holland history and more at Holland Museum for free on the second Monday of the month. The Holland Museum is open the second Monday of every month from 4:00-7:00 p.m. with FREE admission for all visitors! Check out our current exhibits including Spark!Lab Smithsonian!
Lakeshore Museum Center free Community Day
430 W. Clay Ave, Muskegon, MI 49440 United States
Lakeshore Museum Center – Muskegon Heritage Museum’s Community Days are FREE for all participants! See unique machinery in operation, discover Muskegon products and explore our region’s unique industrial heritage. Each Community Day features a different theme.
Wednesday, May 4, 2022 – Movie Magic: A Century of Cinema in Muskegon & Muskegon Heights
Join us on opening day for our 2022 season with our first free Community Day of the year. Star Wars Day seems like the perfect time to look back at the history of movie houses and cinemas along the lakeshore. Share your memories of the silver screen, the theaters and the staff that brought magic to life. May the 4th be with you!
Sugar Bush Fun
Maple Trees around West MI
Early spring means the sap is running! See how maple syrup is made at one of the many local sugarbush events and festivals.
Visit a participating farm for Michigan Maple Weekends in Norther Lower Michigan in March. Trees will be tapped and sap will be flowing! Come see how it’s harvested, and then made into the delicious syrup you enjoy. You may also catch a glimpse of maple candy, maple cream, and maple sugar being made. Meet the sugar makers who work their maple magic at these free spring activities.
Shop Consignment Sales
Various locations around West MI
Spring means garage sales and consignment time! See where you can save big on stuff for your rapidly growing kids throughout the season!
Watch a Tulip Time Parade or Dutch Dancing
Downtown Holland, MI
Tulip Time takes over downtown Holland May 7-15, 2022. Dutch dancing, parades, an artisan market, miles and miles of tulips, and more are highlights of this annual flower festival.
Free Things to Do Event Calendar
A calendar full of free spring activities.
Love all these ideas 🙂
Crystal Lynn White