40 Unique Dates in Grand Rapids: Rock Climbing, Beer + Board Games or … Circus Classes?

These Unique Dates in Grand Rapids Will Keep the Spark Alive

Dates in Grand Rapids with your cutie are always fun, but sometimes you can get stuck in the traditional “dinner & a movie” rut. (We don’t blame you – Grand Rapids has some fab date night restaurants!)

We’ve been there, too, and wanted to know what else there is to do in Grand Rapids. Boy, did we find a lot!

Kiss the “same old-same old” good-bye with this list of unique dates in Grand Rapids.

From thrill seekers to chill seekers, creatives to puzzlers, sports fans to table gamers, Grand Rapids is challenging you to make your next date anything but ordinary!

Feature image courtesy of Skydive Grand Haven. 

Nothing gets the blood flowing like a jolt of adrenaline. While jumping out of a plane is an option for the fantastically daring, you may not be ready for that big of a thrill.

You can still take to the skies with aerial obstacle courses at TreeRunner and then paddle off with a tandem kayak rental from Rogue River Rentals.

Climb to great heights when you’re rigged up at either Higher Ground or Inside Moves, or see how far you can go without a rope when you try bouldering at Terra Firma.

Find out just how graceful you can be when you drop in for an aerial silks or hoops class with the Grand Rapids Circus. In winter months, you can streak down the luge track or go for an ice-skating stroll on the ¼ mile-skating trail at the Muskegon Winter Sports Complex.

1. AAA Canoe Rental | 18 S. Squires St, Rockford MI 49341
2. Grand Rapids Circus | 1391 Gezon Pkwy SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49509
3. Higher Ground Rock Climbing | 851 Bond Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
4. Inside Moves | 639 76th St SW #1, Byron Center, MI 49315
5. GR Grand Prix | 8455 Byron Commerce Dr SW, Byron Center, MI 49315
6. Fowling Warehouse | 6797 Cascade Road SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546
7. Muskegon Winter Sports Complex | 462 Scenic Drive, N. Muskegon, MI 49445
8. Skydive Grand Haven | 16448 Comstock St, Grand Haven, Michigan 49417
9. Terra Firma Bouldering Co. | 1555 Marshall Ave, SE Grand Rapids, MI 49507
10. TreeRunner Adventure Park | 2121 Celebration Dr NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525
11. Wood Splitters Axe Throwing | 3170 Plainfield Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525

Less extreme, but still sure to get you worked up, are the brain teasers, puzzles, and search for clues that go into escaping from a locked room in less than an hour.

With different themes and styles there is certainly a storyline to fit your fancy, whether you are preventing a missile launch, stopping a viral outbreak, or solving a crime, there are a whole host of options to choose from in the metro-Grand Rapids area.

If you want something to fill even more time, why not make a whole evening of it when you visit a murder mystery dinner?

12. The Dinner Detective |2321 E Beltline Ave SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546
13. Grand Rapids Escape Room | 2675 E Paris Ave SE Ste. A, Grand Rapids, MI 49546
14. The Great Escape Room | 233 Fulton St E #211, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
15. Locked 460 | 2035 28th St SE Ste I, Grand Rapids, MI 49508
16. The Murder Mystery Company at Pietro’s | 2780 Birchcrest Dr SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506
17. The Ruse | 25 Division Ave S Suite 125, Grand Rapids, MI 49503

For a calmer scene, nothing quite draws two people together than to work together or side by side to create something wonderful.

Cooking classes are a big hit for many dates. Indulge your sweet tooth with your sweetheart with the perfect paper thin crepe at Brown Butter Creperie.

Or build a charcuterie board together with Nibble+Nosh.

You can also shape your own pottery pieces with drop-in sessions at Pottery Lane GR, painting a canvas under the tutelage of an instructor at Painting with a Twist or at Brush Studio. Paint pottery, fuse glass, or craft wood pallet signs at The Mud Room, you can unleash your creativity and imagination together.

18. Brown Butter Creperie | 1436 Wealthy Street, Grand Rapids, MI 49506
19. Brush Studio | 50 Louis NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49506
20. Painting with a Twist | 3233 Alpine Ave NW, Suite B, Grand Rapids, MI 49504
21. Pottery Lane | 401 Hall St SW #B128, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
22. The Mud Room | 1971 E Beltline Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525
23. Nibble + Nosh GR | Grand Rapids

I think it’s safe to say that Geek-Chic is strong these days, but that’s a good thing, because embracing one’s geekiness (as well as your significant other’s geekiness) is something to be celebrated.

Game night is making a come back, but beyond staples like Sorry, Monopoly, and Uno, board and card games are adding new titles constantly. So why not pick out a new game, settle into a cozy place with a favorite drink in hand and get your game on?

House Rules Lounge near Downtown Market is the best place to board game + beer. They have 500+ games to play. Reserve a table, hit up their full bar for a drink before you choose the game you’d like to play.

A few other fun “drink & play” spots in GR include Cafe Boba with its comfy couches and coffee tables for your game playing. If you would like to sip on something more adult, check out Eastern Kille Distillery where you can bring your own board games to play.

Location Recommendations

24. House Rules Lounge | 404 Ionia Ave SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
25. Galactic Toys & Games | 3120 28th St SW, Kentwood, MI 49512 | 4174 Alpine Ave NW, Comstock Park, MI 49312
26. Gaming Warehouse | 4365 Canal Ave SW, Grandville, MI 49418
27. Out of the Box | 114 E Main Ave, Zeeland, MI 49464
28. Schuler Books & Music | 2660 28th St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512
29. Vault of Midnight | 95A Monroe Center St NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 (Their helpful staff is great at giving recommendations.)
30. All-Star Sports GR | 5316 Clyde Park Ave SW, Suite H, Wyoming, MI 49509
31. The Gamers Warf | 2986 28th St SW, Grandville, MI 49418

Nourish your whole selves when you explore new ways to move together.

Get your feet moving as you waltz, samba, or tango into dance lessons at one of the three local Arthur Murry Dance Studios.

Shake up your workout by getting day passes to the Amway Grand Fitness Center that also features pickleball courts, racquetball, and an indoor pool to swim in or lounge by. Book a private yoga session just for the two of you and learn poses and flows designed to be done together.  These indoor date ideas may just be the ticket!

Check out a cruiser from a KDL branch and then peddle to the nearest trail for biking adventures.

Try one of the fastest-growing sports in America: Pickleball. Find a court here, schedule a pickleball lesson, or join The Grand Rapids Pickleball Club and play weekly in a league.

32. Arthur Murray Dance Studios |
    Kentwood | 3089 29th St SE, Kentwood, MI 49512 4485 Plainfield | Plainfield Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525
33. Fitness Center at the Amway Grand Plaza | 187 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
34. Grand Rapids Pickleball Club 
35. KDL Cruisers | Various Locations| May – October
36. Yoga Instructor – Megan Rader | Kula Yoga GR | 715 Wealthy St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503

If, in the words of Taylor Swift, “You need to calm down,” these ideas might help let loose of everyday life stress.

While it seems like we are dissing the dinner + movie vibe, we actually love the movie idea – especially if it’s a movie night with the GR Symphony playing the soundtrack as you watch.

Finding a nearby spa is always a great choice to unwind, and men, don’t shy away! So many spas have products just for men these days. Beard facials and gentlemen’s pedicures are on almost everyone’s menus these days.

Book a private yoga session just for the two of you and learn poses and flows designed to be done together.

Feeling a little chilly and want to warm up?  You can snuggle up together at a hot tub garden, or try flotation therapy. Floating in a warm Epsom salt solution will help reboot your mind. Dissolve away stress stored in muscles, and put your body in an ultra-deep state of relaxation.

37. Design 1 Salon Spa
    Cascade | 5747 28th St SE, Suite 102, Grand Rapids, MI 49546
    Gaines | 6750 Kalamazoo Ave SE, Suite F, Grand Rapids, MI 49508
    Grandville | 4693 Wilson Avenue SW Suite F, Grandville, MI 49418
    Plainfield | 4485 Plainfield Ave NE #201, Grand Rapids, MI 49525
38. Oasis Hot Tub Gardens | 5041 Alpine Ave NW, Comstock Park, MI 49321
39. Phlot | 1555 Wealthy St SE Grand Rapids, MI 49506
40. GR Symphony | 303 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Did We Miss Anything?

Any other unique dates in Grand Rapids that we missed? Let us know!

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