18 Fun Things to do With Grandkids Around Grand Rapids

Thank Goodness for Grandparents!

Grandparents are basically superheroes in regular clothes – and we’re not just referring to free babysitting. They’ve got endless love and patience, the best stories, and somehow always have a piece of candy stashed in their purse or pocket.

But sometimes even superheroes need a game-plan when it comes to entertaining grandkids. That’s where we come in!

If you’re a grandparent (or an honorary one who fills that role), we’ve got you covered.

This guide is packed with fun, easy things to do in Grand Rapids and around West Michigan that kids will love and grandparents won’t need a nap to recover from… well, at least not a long one. 

Lewis Farms grandma and toddler with camel Buckner
Grandparents and grandkids love to visit Lewis Farms and Adventure Park

Top Voted Things to do With Grandkids in Grand Rapids

Our annual Grandtastic votes revealed our reader’s favorite places for kids to play in Grand Rapids.

Share this list with Grandma or Grandpa and help them plan a fun outing with your kids!

winner badge grandtastic fcp

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

Best Things to do With Grandkids in Grand Rapids

Are you ready to make amazing memories with your grandkids (and any stray kids who tag along)? Grab your notepad and jot down these ideas for west Michigan’s best things to do with grandkids.

1 – Explore Grand Rapids Museums

Grand Rapids offers fantastic museums available for grandparents and grandkids to explore together.

Whether you opt to ride the vintage carousel together at Grand Rapids Public Museum, get hands-on at the GR Children’s Museum, explore your artistic side at Grand Rapids Art Museum, or see a replica of the Oval Office at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, your grandkids are sure to learn a lot while having a blast!

Everyone loves to play at Grand Rapids Children's Museum
Everyone loves to play at Grand Rapids Children’s Museum

2 – Go Wild for Animals

Head over to John Ball Zoo to visit all kinds of different animals. Family favorites include the tigers, hippos (including a new baby pygmy hippo), red pandas, gorillas and penguins.

But don’t stop there! The zoo is just one of many amazing places for your grands to interact and visit animals around West Michigan.

Grandma and Grandkids at John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids
Grandma and grandkids at John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids

For the most adorable farm animals around, check out Deer Tracks Junction. From piglets and prairie dogs, to a playground you share with baby goats, this place is a must-visit for hands-on animal encounters for the animal-loving grandkids in your life.

We’re not done yet! Did you know there’s a place to see exotic animals nearby? Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park has over 1,500 animals, a walkable safari, and flat sidewalks throughout, making it an easy place to visit with strollers or wheelchairs.

Looking for Fall Fun and animals too? Don’t miss a visit to Lewis Adventure Farm with 46+ farm attractions! The Fall Festival at Lewis Farms is a great place to start if you’re looking for places to take your grandkids this fall.

3 – Spend the Day at Frederik Meijer Gardens

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park’s indoor and outdoor gardens and vast array of sculptural wonders are a must-see for anyone in Grand Rapids. We’ve listed all our insider tips to maximize your next outing to FMG’s Children’s Garden.

Meijer Gardens even has classes offered especially for grandparents and kids like “Grandma and Me: Totally Turtles.” You can check out all their class options here.

Secret Garden indoor play area at Frederick Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, MI
Meijer Gardens has a Secret Garden themed play area in their lower level

4 – Head to Holland and be Dutch for the Day

Grandparents and grandkids will love exploring all things Dutch with a day trip to Holland.

Kick off the day with a delicious breakfast at deBoer Bakkery or the Windmill Restaurant in downtown Holland. Then spend the day at Windmill Island or Nelis’ Dutch Village…or both!

Things to do with Grandkids: Nelis' Dutch Village
There are lots of photo opp spots at Nelis’ Dutch Village

5 – Take a Nostalgic Train Ride

The Coopersville & Marne Railway Company, offers the perfect outing for grandparents and their favorite littles just 30 minutes west of Grand Rapids. Their passenger cars are from the early 1900s and they have a diesel locomotive that was built in the 1950s.

We rounded up all the Magical Christmas Trains & Train Displays around Michigan to help you plan a relaxing holiday outing that will take you back in time.

Coopersville Marne Train grandpa and boy peeking through window Rudd
Grandpa and grandson on the Coopersville – Marne train

6 – Attend a Live Performance (or See a Movie!)

Concerts, ballets, musicals…there are many venues and options when it comes to attending a live performance in Grand Rapids. The Civic Theatre presents kid-friendly performances and the Grand Rapids Symphony has Lollipop Concerts for families.

Watching a performance of CARE Ballet is another great way to introduce young children to the arts.

Grandma and grandsons watching a Lollipops concert
Grandma and grandsons watching a Lollipops concert

Everyone can enjoy getting dressed up for a fancy date to the symphony or you may prefer some good old fashioned cinematic fun! Celebration Cinemas offers free kid movies periodically, and AMC Theaters has their own specials on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

7 – Cheer on Local Sport Teams!

Grand Rapids is the home to many awesome minor league and club sports teams. Whether Grandpa is a hockey fan or Grandma is a baseball buff, you’ll be able to find a great sporting event in GR anytime of the year!

Want to keep it even more local? Cheer on some of the kids soccer games going on in nearly every town in West Michigan, or find a team your grandchild could be a part of!

Whitecaps game with grandkids
Take in a Whitecaps game with grandkids of any age

8 – Find Fall Fun at a Farm, Orchard, or Cider Mill

Fall in Michigan is so magical, we have to include some Fall Farms on our list of best things to do with grandkids around West Michigan. Apple picking, pumpkin patches, hayrides, corn mazes, cider & donuts – no wonder families flock to these farms in the fall!

Want classic fall fun like apple picking, pumpkin patch, and playgrounds? Ed Dunneback Farms has it all. On weekends get the Fall Fun Pass for a small fee and enjoy all the extra activities like the super slide, wagon ride, giant hamster wheel, barrel train + more in the back 40.

Dunneback Farm also has food, drinks, and a farm market, so stock up on all the goodies before you leave.

Ed-Dunneback-pumpkin-patch-boy-fall

Robinette’s Apple Haus is famous for its fall offerings, including horse-drawn wagon rides, petting zoo, apple picking, bakery fresh donuts , and many family-friendly activities.

You’ll also find a winery, bakery, farm market, and gift shop. Robinette’s Is a perfect fall day-trip destination with your grandkids.

9 – Enjoy A Sweet Treat from Van’s Donuts

Grand Rapids has some fantastic Mom & Pop Donut Shops that grandkids and grandparents should visit. One of our favs: Van’s!

Step back in time at Van’s Pastry Shoppe, the oldest bakery in town. It’s like walking into your grandma’s kitchen. From sweet treats to vintage cookie jars and old-fashioned toy cars as decor, we guarantee your grandkids will love it.

Van's Pastry Shoppe Donut Case
Grab a donut at Van’s Pastry Shoppe in Grand Rapids

10 – Run Wild at the Playground

Park, Trails & Playgrounds are some of the most affordable, easy places for kids to work out their energy and also show grandma and grandpa their best tricks.

Get ready for about 1,000 “Grandma, watch this!” comments while you’re there.

If you’ve got a runner, you’ll appreciate Frog Hollow Park, which is completely enclosed save for the entrance (it’s also ADA accessible).

Allendale Community Park has a sandbox in addition to play equipment. For a playground with super cushy turf (great for avoiding scraped knees), try Cascade Township Park.

There are 80+ more parks featured in our massive Grand Rapids parks directory, which will allow you to search for a park by amenities like bathroom facilities, toddler playground, and more.

Frog Hollow Playground in Wyoming, MI
Frog Hollow Park is enclosed so grandkids can’t run off

11 – Take a Hike

West Michigan is chock full of hidden natural treasures like Fitzgerald Park, Helder Park and Wittenbach Wege Nature Center in Lowell. 

Plus, here’s a list of All the Excellent Hiking Trails for West Michigan …to plan the perfect adventure for active grandparents and their favorite kiddos!

Paved trail at Grand Ravines park
An easy thing to do with grandkids: hike on Grand Ravines’ paved trails

12 – Have Some “Right Brain” Fun with Creative Classes and Open Gym

There are lots of creative classes around Grand Rapids that grand-friends can attend together. Local library programming (like GRPL or KDL) offer a host of children’s story hours and other special programming.

Also be sure to check out our Grand Rapids Gymnastics Guide for open gyms and toddler times. Even if you can’t participate with your grandchild, it’s always good to help them be active. 

A visit to an art studio can offer great fun and most of the GR museums also feature a variety of one-time classes that may pique the interest of grandparents and grandkids alike.

group music lesson music class music program 480x480
Grand Rapids grandparent activities: take the grandkids to a music class

13 – Get Cozy Together With a Book at a Coffee Shop

Visit a local bookstore (or comic book store!) and let the grandkids pick out a book. Show them some favorites from when you were a kid – they may love it, too!

Three of our favorite local stores in Grand Rapids are Books & Mortar, Schuler Books & Music, and Vault of Midnight

Wanna grab a sweet treat after finding your new favorite book?  Schuler Books & Music has cafe right inside, so you can enjoy your book without leaving. Le Bon Macaron or The Sparrows are local cafes we love to recommend.

Sparrows Coffee, Tea, & Newsstand in Grand Rapids
Sparrows has coffee as well as a colorful shopping experience

Grandma and Grandpa and their grandkids will love reading together and you could even bring a favorite board game along from home.

Who doesn’t love going out for hot cocoa (or coffee/tea for the grandparent) and getting lost in a book? Sounds like a perfect outing for grandparents and grandkids to me!

14 – Head for the Water: Splash Pad, Pool, Beach or Fishing 

A trip to the beach always makes for a fantastic grandparent outing. Check out this list of Favorite West Michigan beaches, according to Grand Rapids Kids readers, to plan your next beach trip.

If Grandpa enjoys fishing, and you’d like to do some catch and release fishing, here are seven great fishing ponds around GR:

  1. Millennium Park – 1415 Maynard Ave SW, Walker, MI 49534
  2. Whistlestop Park – 2120 76th Street, Byron Center, MI 49315
  3. Heritage Park – 4264 Canal Ave, Grandville, MI 49418
  4. Ada Township Park – 1180 Buttrick Ave SE, Forest Hills, MI 49301
  5. Waterfront Park on Reeds Lake – 2205 Reeds Lake Blvd, East Grand Rapids, MI 49506
  6. Riverside Park  – 2001 Monroe Avenue NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49501
  7. Kroc Center Catch and Release Pond – 2500 Division Ave S, Grand Rapids, MI 49507
  8. Pickerel Lake Park – 6001 Ramsdell NE, Cannonsburg, MI, 49317
Things to do with grandkids in Grand Rapids, MI. Fishing.
Fishing with Grandkids

15 – We All Scream for Ice Cream

Warm days in Michigan call for ice cream with Grandma and Grandpa, don’t you think?

Check out our list of top-voted Ice Cream shops in West Michigan and you may find a place you and your grands haven’t tried before!

Get some ice cream for your next Grand Rapids grandparent outing

16 – Teach Them an Appreciation of Old Things at an Antiques Shop

If you love antiquing, Grandma and Grandpa, check out our Vintage, Resale Trail Guide for Greater Grand Rapids.

Bonus? The grandkids may even get a history lesson or two while rummaging around for old artifacts and cool knick-knacks.

Grand Rapids mainstay is famous for its fall offerings, including wagon rides, apple picking, donuts, and many family-friendly activities.
Outings for for grandparents and grandkids: Vintage and antique stores

17 – Learn Together 

Grandparents and older grandkids can enjoy an architecturally-inspiring tour of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Meyer May House in Heritage Hill, Grand Rapids.

This gorgeous home can be toured for free on Sundays from 1 – 4 PM or on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 AM – 1 PM.

Grand Rapids grandparents and grandkids will love the architecture at Meyer May House

For older grandkids, shopping together at the mall can be a fun way to spend an afternoon. Even with young grandchildren, a trip to the mall is always fun when it involves the children’s play area.

Both Woodland Mall and RiverTown Crossings offer free indoor play areas for kids, and Rivertown Crossings even has a carousel and a movie theater.

A mall is a great rainy day activity!

Woodland Mall
Woodland Mall

19 – Arm Yourself With Indoor Fun Ideas

Because of our often crazy weather patterns, grandparents should keep some indoor play options up their sleeve for those icky outside days when you are stuck inside and kids are bouncing off the walls.  

Grand Rapids has fantastic indoor play options at every turn! So put on those rain boots (or snow boots or sandals) and get your energy out at one of these exciting venues!

kids play place indoor playground allegan event family fun center
Allegan Event is a mega indoor play arena that encourages all ages to participate

Grandparents, What Are Your Favorite Things to do With Grandkids?

What are your favorite things to do with grandkids around town? Leave us a comment below!

4 thoughts on “18 Fun Things to do With Grandkids Around Grand Rapids”

  1. What an awesome list! Thanks so much for including Sparrows in here. Marvelous Me books is the name of our new children’s bookstore at Sparrows. We also have Remington in the space, selling fair trade goods! We’re three mamas collaborating to try something new to serve our community.

  2. Latisha A Luckett

    Whoever thought of this topic just made my day because grandparents don’t get enough recognition thank you so very much for the ideas

  3. Tammy churchill

    Rocket Fizz Candy & Soda Shop is a great place for grandparents to bring their grandkids. It carries nostalgic candies as well as today’s favorites. But that’s not all, this place is filled with items for all ages.
    It’s very enjoyable how the grandparents and grandkids get to show each other “their” favorites to each other.

    It’s located at 2090 Celebration Dr Ste 122
    Grand Rapids, MI. 49525

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