Activities for Kids in Grand Rapids, MI

Visit the Big Attractions

• Saturday afternoons are a good time to visit the Grand Rapids Art Museum (artmuseumgr.org) with kids. Docents are on hand for kid-friendly tours and the museum brings in artists to lead kid-friendly art projects. The Grand Rapids Children̵7;s Museum (grcm.org) is a gem for kids who love pretend play and beginning science. Of course, the kids will want to ride the old-fashioned carousel at the Grand Rapids Public Museum (grmuseum.org), but they'll also want to check out the museum̵7;s exhibits, which tell the story of Michigan̵7;s past. The Children̵7;s Garden at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park (meijergardens.org) is full of hands-on activities for kids, including a whimsical treehouse village and a sensory garden. The John Ball Zoo (johnballzoosociety.org) is just the right size for an afternoon adventure. The zoo̵7;s chimpanzee exhibit is one of the largest in the United States, while the huge touch pool in Sting Ray Lagoon is a kid favorite.

Explore Area Farms

• Just outside the city limits, you̵7;ll find Michigan farm country. There are fun things to do during every season at Teusink̵7;s Pony Farm (teusinksponyfarm.com). The pony rides are always a hit, but kids will also enjoy feeding the resident sheep and goats. Fall is the season to visit Schwallier̵7;s Country Basket (schwalliers.com). At harvest time, the kids can pick apples, navigate through a massive corn maze or explore the farm on a hayride. Depending on the season, they can dash through the snow in a horse-drawn bobsled, watch draft horses at work on plowing day or take a hayride through the apple orchard at Fruit Ridge Hayrides (fruitridgehayrides.com). Animal-loving kids will also want to pay a visit to the friendly sheep, cows, chickens and goats at Mary̵7;s Country Critters (maryscountrycritters.com).

Play Hard

• At Java Gym (javagymgr.com), kids can burn off extra energy on the indoor playground, whatever the weather̵7;s like outside. They can also bounce away a rainy afternoon on the inflatables at Jester̵7;s Court (jesterscourt.co). The playground is closed on Mondays but has open playtime the rest of the week. You can also engage your child̵7;s inner jumping bean with a trip to Sky Zone (skyzonesports.com), an indoor trampoline playground where kids can bounce on the ground and the walls thanks to a unique play area design. Or, they can race go-karts, play laser tag, try the bumper boats or play miniature golf at Craig̵7;s Cruisers (craigscruisers.com). In the summer, they can beat the heat at Millennium Park's 6-acre beach and splashpad (accesskent.com).

Hang Out with the Locals

• Grand Rapid Gymnastics (grgymnastics.ipage.com) has open gym time on Fridays and Saturdays when kids can drop in and play while their parents hang out at the gym or run a few errands. If your kids are in the mood for a less active afternoon, there̵7;s much more than books at the Kent District Library (kdl.org). Here, kids can learn chess, conduct science experiments, build with toy bricks and more. Check the online calendar for the library̵7;s scheduled programs and upcoming events.