Top 10 Reasons to Visit

1. Blues on the Mall

Join thousands of your soon-to-be-closest friends at downtown's Rosa Parks Circle for a free outdoor concert by a nationally prominent blues artist. Stick around for the after-party each week at The B.O.B. Held every Wednesday at 6:30 PM June to August.

2. Glass Sculptures

Dale Chihuly, the most sought-after glass artist in the world, is spotlighted in a large-scale outdoor exhibition at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. A New Eden features 14 monumental glass sculptures in diverse locations across the Gardens. Runs April 30 through September 30.

3. Farmer's Markets

Sample the fresh bounty of Michigan's West Coast - fruits, vegetables, flowers, plants, homemade goods and more - at numerous area farm markets. The largest include Fulton Street in Grand Rapids (open Tues, Wed, Fri and Sat), Holland (Wed, Sat) and Muskegon (Tues, Thurs, Sat).

4. Dutch Art

Grand Rapids Art Museum

The Grand Rapids Arts Museum hosts Dutch Utopia: American Artists in Holland 1880-1914 May 21st through August 15th. The exhibit examines the work of 43 American painters drawn to the Netherlands near the turn of the century. Artists include John Singer Sargent and Robert Henri.

5. Big-Time Baseball

The West Michigan Whitecaps, a professional minor league baseball team, play 70 home games each season starting April 11th through August 31st. Every Friday home game from June through August, a former Detroit Tiger great will be on hand to greet fans. The stadium is just five miles from downtown Grand Rapids.

6. Movie Mania

Grand Rapids is the birthplace of the movie multiplex and an increasingly popular filming location for Hollywood moviemakers. Celebrate at Saugatuck's Waterfront Film Festival (June 4-6), the Grand Rapids Film Festival (Aug 25-29), or one of our state-of-the-art movie theaters.

7. Festival Fun

Check out some of the area's biggest community celebrations: the Ionia Free Fair (July 21-31); the Coast Guard Festival in Grand Haven (July 30-Aug 8); Greenville's Danish Festival (Aug 19-22); Celebration on the Grand (Sept 9-11); Hispanic Festival (Sept 10-12).

8. Car Crazy

Help Berlin Raceway celebrate its 60^th year of stock-car racing. Races take place every Saturday in summer on one of America's premier short tracks. For a more leisurely pace, check out the 28^th Street Metro Cruise (Aug 27-28). You'll see more than 15,000 vehicles of all types.

9. Secret Beach

There are 18 public beaches on Lake Michigan between Muskegon and Saugatuck/Douglas. One of our favorites is Kirk Park, which boasts more than 68 acres of sandy beach, high bluffs and wooded dunes. It's often less crowded than other higher profile beaches, so keep it a secret!   

10. ArtPrize 2010

It doesn't start until September 22. But hotels sell out early for this amazing event, so now's the time to book your plans. More than 1,000 works of art will be displayed in the buildings and on the streets of downtown Grand Rapids. You vote on who wins the world's richest art prize.