Tourist seeking advice (Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing: house, theater, colleges)

[Creo]

Hello.

I've been interested in visiting Grand Rapids for some time and have finally decided to pay it a visit. For a frame of reference: I grew up in a suburb of Chicago, so the Midwest is my home territory, but I haven't had loads of Michigan visits. This is mostly because I have lived outside the U.S. a lot. From memory: Mackinac Island as a kid, trips to the southwest coast a few times as an adult (no further north than Holland), and two short visits to Detroit plus one extended visit there (stops in Jackson and Ann Arbor).

I will be in Michigan from Tuesday morning until Thursday night, and without research yet, my wish list is 1 Grand Rapids 2 Lansing 3 Battle Creek. I have a place to stay in Grand Rapids Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

What are things that are specific to Grand Rapids and special about it? That question also goes for food/drink (beer is a big thing there, I know). Some things I have an interest in: visiting sites with guided tours, interesting architecture, museums, urban art, the arts (music, dance, theater), nature (a good place for running and/or walking would be great), mass in a Catholic church (though during weekdays the range of options may be limited), and history.

Some more info: I am very much into cities, so I even think of giving Kalamazoo a bit of time- even twenty minutes driving around would be better to me than none- but I am also open to little "day trips", and I especially like small towns that have an interesting main street/history/architecture.

Thank you in advance for ideas.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by Creo

Hello.

I've been interested in visiting Grand Rapids for some time and have finally decided to pay it a visit. For a frame of reference: I grew up in a suburb of Chicago, so the Midwest is my home territory, but I haven't had loads of Michigan visits. This is mostly because I have lived outside the U.S. a lot. From memory: Mackinac Island as a kid, trips to the southwest coast a few times as an adult (no further north than Holland), and two short visits to Detroit plus one extended visit there (stops in Jackson and Ann Arbor).

I will be in Michigan from Tuesday morning until Thursday night, and without research yet, my wish list is 1 Grand Rapids 2 Lansing 3 Battle Creek. I have a place to stay in Grand Rapids Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

What are things that are specific to Grand Rapids and special about it? That question also goes for food/drink (beer is a big thing there, I know). Some things I have an interest in: visiting sites with guided tours, interesting architecture, museums, urban art, the arts (music, dance, theater), nature (a good place for running and/or walking would be great), mass in a Catholic church (though during weekdays the range of options may be limited), and history.

Some more info: I am very much into cities, so I even think of giving Kalamazoo a bit of time- even twenty minutes driving around would be better to me than none- but I am also open to little "day trips", and I especially like small towns that have an interesting main street/history/architecture.

Thank you in advance for ideas.

Middle of the week in the Fall is tough, there aren't a lot of touristy things to do downtown. You just missed ArtPrize, which would have been the perfect time to visit.

Check out GRAM, Meyer May House in Heritage Hill, and Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park for cultural tours. Or maybe even the Gerald R Ford Museum if you like Presidential history.

Food and drink options have grown way too immense to make a proper list. The "famous" ones that get the most national notoriety are Founders Brewery and Hopcat, though.

[RomanBrick]

I'll second the Frank Lloyd Wright Meyer May House recommendation. Their hours are limited (10:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Tuesday, I think) but the guided tours are free of charge..

[Creo]

Really enjoyed my visit. With ambition and energy, a visitor can see most of the attractions in two and a half days. It was great to walk so much and be in a place that has some cool architecture, quite a few colleges, solid museums (the Public Museum and the Ford Museum were the best two for me), and even a walking tour (Discover Michigan). Plenty of friendly people and a seemingly good economic outlook (almost no vacant storefronts in many places). The Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park have such outgoing staff and merit at least three hours. I'll put in a plug for Schuil Coffee, too.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by Creo

Really enjoyed my visit. With ambition and energy, a visitor can see most of the attractions in two and a half days. It was great to walk so much and be in a place that has some cool architecture, quite a few colleges, solid museums (the Public Museum and the Ford Museum were the best two for me), and even a walking tour (Discover Michigan). Plenty of friendly people and a seemingly good economic outlook (almost no vacant storefronts in many places). The Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park have such outgoing staff and merit at least three hours. I'll put in a plug for Schuil Coffee, too.

That's awesome! Glad you enjoyed your visit.