How to Enjoy Grand Rapids, Mi in Winter: Frogs, RVs, & Beer

Updated

Grand Rapids is second in size only to Detroit, which makes it the second most-populated city in Michigan. I would never have guessed that the population was that large. Grand Rapids is a Big City with a Small(er) Town feel. The city was fairly easy to navigate, and we found parking to begin our adventure for the day and we found Grand Rapids in winter to be a treat.

Camper, Travel, and RV Show

The Grand Rapids Camper, Travel, and RV show was at Devos Place, right across the street from the parking garage. We have talked about investing in a camper and decided to go and check out the show. Exploring the many, MANY types of campers and RVs was a lot of fun. We spent 3 hours walking through the campers, peeking in the campervans, and marveling at the size of the largest RVs and campers. They are bigger than many tiny houses!

Camper kitchen with counter bar and lots of counter space
upholstered couch, tv, fireplace, and fridge inside a camper with a doorway leading to a bedroom
woman sitting at a table in a camper holding up a bag that says I'd Rather be Camping
Dining table inside a camper next to a window, outside the camper window is another window view overlooking a wide river with snow on the opposite bank
Man and woman looking at camera. behind them is a sign hanging inside of a building that says Grand Rapids Camper, Travel & Rv Show DeVox Place Exhibit Hall C and some campers behind them.

Campgrounds

We also chatted with salespeople, who gave us some good information about what to look for when purchasing a camper. Vendor booths lined the center aisleway, representing a variety of campgrounds scattered throughout Western Michigan. Many campgrounds offer cabin and RV rentals if you don’t have a camper or RV of your own.

Devos Building

If the camper and RV show isn’t quite your thing, Devos Place has a lot of opportunities for other events. As we were leaving town, many other people were arriving to see Aladdin at Devos Performance Hall. You can choose from many things to attend at this dual-venue.

Atwater Brewery

Man and woman sitting near each other and he's holding a glass of beer toward the camera
Burger and chips on a plate
Close up of a chicken wrap and fries

We were a little foot-weary and hungry after walking around the RV show for 3 hours. Checking around to see what was close and open, we found Atwater Brewery about half a block away. Atwater makes one of Gerret’s favorite beers, so it was an easy decision, and we walked over. Grand Rapids in winter is cold, so bundle up. They also had the Lion’s Game on (between outages) and drink specials for the game. The beer and food were delicious.

World of Winter Festival

In the winter months, Grand Rapids presents a series of sites for the World of Winter Festival, the largest winter festival in the US. We saw only a tiny fraction of what this festival offers, and it runs from mid-January to mid-March. You can plan your visit around your calendar since it runs across many weekends.

Festival Installations

Giant blow up frog with a man peeking out from behind it's front leg
Man standing next to a giant blow up frog with it's tongue touching his leg
Bare winter tree with lines of small lights hanging down from the branches next to a parking lot
large square on a stand with a circle inside the square both have fluid looking colors across them set on a hill in front of a building
man and woman standing in front of a tunnel of lights across a bridge in a city

Several World of Winter exhibits surround the Devos building, so we decided to walk from Atwater Brewery and do a circuit that brought us back around the other end of the building back to the parking garage. We stopped at the Singing Tree, which responds to the voices of those who sing under it. Then, we moved on to some spectacular giant frogs with interactive buttons. The Stargate is otherworldly and mesmerizing. Finally, we walked through the Sonic Runway across the Gillett Bridge. There are so many more ways to explore this festival. We hope you can check out Grand Rapids in winter.

Help Us Out

Downtown Grand Rapids always has something interesting to experience. We will be back for more explorations. If there are places we should check out in the city, drop us a note below, especially the ones that are not as well known! We love hearing from you and trying out your suggestions.

For more trip ideas, check out the Lexington weekend itinerary, the Port Huron day trip itinerary and the Metamora day trip itinerary.