Find 20 Best Date Ideas in Grand Rapids
Looking for some fun date ideas in Grand Rapids MI?
Grand Rapids is one of the best places for date ideas in Michigan, with unlimited options for both romance and fun.
There is something special about Grand Rapids: as the changing of seasons takes place, new opportunities for festivities and fun begin. Whether you’re bringing along your partner, a first date, or even a best friend, these 20 top date ideas to do in Grand Rapids Michigan will have you eager to go out and enjoy the city.
Embrace those butterflies and get ready to explore some of Grand Rapids finest and best date offerings for a memorable time spent with your special person.
Fall Date Ideas in Grand Rapids
Take West Michigan Fall Color Tour in a Helicopter
The Grand Rapids Fall Color Helicopter Tour is certain to be a date you and your partner won’t forget. Take in the beautiful fall colors from the air by booking a helicopter on JoinMyFlight Tours during weekends through the end of November.
This unique and special experience is a one-of-a-kind offer in Grand Rapids and takes you and your date on a flight over the city of Grand Rapids to enjoy the breathtaking fall scenery. Check out the variations of the tour options and book your ticket for a fantastic fall-themed date.
PRO-TIP: Are heights not your thing? Check out these beautiful walking trail options to
enjoy the wonderful display of autumn colors in Grand Rapids from the ground.
- Millennium Park
1415 Maynard Ave SW, Walker, MI 49534
- Ball Perkins Park
1675 Perkins Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
- Reeds Lake Trail
Reeds Lake Trail, East Grand Rapids, MI 49506
- Blanchard Nature Center
715 Hillburn Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Explore the Wine, Beer, and Food Festival at the DeVos Center
The fall season calls for delicious warm food, great-tasting beer and wine, and a partner to share it with. Starting November 18, 2022, Grand Rapids 15th Annual Wine, Beer, and Food Festival takes place at the DeVos Place Convention Center and offers over 1,000 wines, beers, and ciders to taste, along with mouthwatering food samples from some of the best restaurants in the area.
This festival provides a great experience to share with your partner and is a great leeway into your next great date together for your next new favorite restaurant or brewery. Build your appetite up, your dating game on, and enjoy exploring your senses and making tasty memories with Grand Rapids culinary experiences.
Visit A Corn Maze, Apple Orchard, or Pumpkin Patch
What’s more festive and romantic than taking time to spend together through the corn
stalks and picking out your perfect pumpkin?
Grand Rapids is a great place for amazing access to some great cider mills, local corn mazes and pumpkin patches around the area. Take a trip to Robinette’s Apple Haus & Winery for corn maze options, wine-tasting opportunities, and snack on some freshly made donuts. Or check out Wells Orchard for more options of corn mazes and a great pumpkin patch to browse with your partner.
Don’t miss Ed Dunneback And Girls Farm Market, a great visit for “U-Pick” seasonal fruit, which grows a variety of delicious apples for you and your partner to choose from. Be sure to check out their Live Music events as well for the fall months for you and your partner to enjoy.
Indulge in the seasonal fall food, fruit, and fun, and share some wonderful fall festive memories with your special someone in the great outdoors that Grand Rapid’s Michigan has to offer.
Get Spooky at the Annual Grand Rapids Halloween Bar Crawl
Looking for something a little more spookily specific? At the end of October, the annual Halloween Bar crawl starts at the Tin Can Bar and takes you through seven more downtown bars, including an after-party and a costume contest with a 1,000-dollar prize.
Order your ticket to get into the event with a lanyard and event badge to check-in. Spend the night in a perfect couple’s costume while getting to explore the nightlife of Grand Rapids to further enjoy the spooky season of October and Halloween. And who knows? That cash prize could easily be yours.
Enjoy the Roaring Nights and Living Lights
Following the Halloween theme, John Ball Zoo has a great light show with fun-themed food and live entertainment, along with a costume contest.
Aimed at those 21 years of age and up, this event is perfect for a spooky date night to walk through John Ball Zoo together and take in the spectacular light show, having both you and your partner mesmerized by the changing neon lights. Escape into another world of ambiance with John Ball Zoo’s provided Roaring Nights and Living Lights.
Winter Date Ideas in Grand Rapids
Go Skating in Rosa Parks Circle
135 Monroe Center St NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
When the snow starts falling and the Christmas Lights are all lit up and aglow, nothing is
more romantic and magical than spending a perfect winter night ice skating with your
date in the famous Rosa Parks Circle.
Rent some ice skates or bring your own and share laughter and memories gliding along the ice and taking in the city lights, truly a romantic Christmas movie scene come true.
PRO-TIP: Grab a hot chocolate or coffee afterward at the nearby Biggby across the street or shuffle down the streets to some great specialty coffee shops and cafes such as MadCap Coffee to warm up your hands and debrief the time spent together.
See the The Nutcracker Ballet
A classic winter tradition, the Grand Rapids Nutcracker Ballet provides the perfect
opportunity for a romantic winter evening. Treat your date to a time at the Grand Rapids
DeVos Performance Hall, have fun dressing up, and get lost in the favorite Christmas
story and ballet performance of “The Nutcracker”.
The Grand Rapids Ballet is Michigan’s proud one and only professional ballet company and upholds the reputation of its artistic excellence and delivery of beautiful dances. Get lost in the immersion of classical music performed by the Grand Rapids Symphony and the storytelling through dance performed by the Grand Rapids Ballet, and have a luxurious and rich, classy, and traditional experience with your partner watching “The Nutcracker”.
PRO-TIP: Reserve dinner at “The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck” before the ballet performance for you and your date to enjoy high-quality food and a romantic meal together, located right in the Amway, within walking distance from the DeVos Performance Hall.
Make Art at Brush Studio
11 Ionia Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Looking to get away from the cold winter air and spend some time together indoors that’s a change of pace from a usual restaurant?
Try out Brush Studio, for a date that’s filled with artistic fun and creativity. There’s no need to worry about being an expert artist to book a date- Brush Studio provides you with all the materials you’ll need and an artist to instruct the session together on how to make the chosen painting.
Brush Studio provides the opportunity to order some drinks and time to chat it up with your partner as you create your masterpiece. Not only do you get to take away some great memories together from the class, but also a great souvenir of your painting to remember the night you shared.
Sip Some Coffee in an Igloo
734 Wealthy St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Coffee shops provide a great atmosphere to get to know someone. What if you took it a step further and did coffee outside, even during the winter months?
That’s right, Outside Coffee Company serves coffee from a cute coffee truck and provides specially insulated igloos with heaters for you and your partner to huddle in and stay comfortable and warm. This coffee experience will be unique and fun and is a pleasant change of scenery. The atmosphere of the string lights, snow, and delicious coffee brewing from the truck will make for a perfect afternoon date.
Skip Bowling; Try Fowling
6797 Cascade Rd SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546
Fowling is the new and upcoming winter indoor activity to plan with your date, a double date, or a fun time with a group of your friends.
The Grand Rapids Fowling Warehouse provides the opportunity for you and your date to have an enjoyable time and try out this mixed sport of football and bowling and share some fun and laughter together doing it. Reserve a lane, grab a drink from the offered bar, and get to throwing as you and your date enjoy some time indoors together exploring a fun new activity.
Spring Date Ideas in Grand Rapids
Explore the Frederik Meijer Gardens
1000 E Beltline Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525
Frederik Meijer Gardens offers countless opportunities for a perfect springtime date, including their popular Butterfly exhibition that starts in the month of March.
Tropical butterflies from all over the world fly around in the conservatory every spring and make for a magical immersion of beautiful butterflies and time spent with your date. How much more romantic can you get?
Be sure to check out the other offered gardens that bloom during the springtime offered at Frederik Meijer Gardens, such as The Richard and Helen DeVos Japanese Garden, which features authentic Japanese garden traditions and plants, with a Zen Garden, teahouse, waterfalls, and more. This tranquil garden is a beautiful space to take your date for peace and quality time spent together.
See the Animals at the John Ball Zoo
Once springtime comes around the corner, so do all your favorite animals. John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids reopens every year during the month of March, making for a great spring date when the weather begins to warm up. Enjoy the fresh new beginnings in springtime by viewing all the wildlife that comes back to John Ball Zoo for an exotic and light-hearted date.
Wanting something a bit more intimate? Check out John Ball Zoo’s “Adult Night Out”, which are specific dates that are only catered towards those 21 years of age and up during after-hours of the zoo. Order some drinks and walk around the zoo kid-free with your date to get an even more specialized time together.
Experience Holland Tulip Time
Tulip time in Holland is only a thirty-minute drive from Grand Rapids and is worth the extra bit of travel. The Holland Tulip Time Festival attracts people from all over the Midwest and makes for a wonderful time spent together with your date.
Walk the beautiful fresh tulip trails together and marvel over the display of the Dutch heritage with traditional Windmills and attractions. The vivid colors of the tulips will have you and your partner snapping pictures left and right, and will no doubt make an enjoyable, relaxing, and beautiful
spring date. Be sure and explore Windmill Island Park, too, when the whole are ia alight with colorful tulips.
Share Some Laughs at LaughFest
Grand Rapids LaughFest is a festival that features stand-up comedy, improv, and showcases to celebrate “laughter for the health of it”. Showcasing every year in March, LaughFest works to bring its audience to life just as the environment around them is starting to bloom into color again.
Better yet, LaughFest raises awareness and donates funds for Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids, which helps families in need of support struggling with cancer. Not only do you get to have a blast laughing the night away with your date, but you’re also helping towards a good cause. That’s a night for the books.
Find Some St. Patricks Day Fun
As spring comes into season, so does the color green. Grand Rapids makes sure to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with festive fun and opportunities to bring your date along to some Irish-themed activities.
Hit the Irish Pubs such as Flanagan’s, Quinn & Tuites, and O’Toole’s Public House after attending the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown Grand Rapids. Irish bands and entertainment will light up the nightlife venues of Grand Rapids, so you and your partner can celebrate the Irish Heritage together for a memorable St. Patrick’s Day spent together.
Summer Date Ideas in Grand Rapids
Find Fun at Food Truck Friday
2001 Monroe Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
Food Truck Friday located in Riverside Park is a cute and casual date option for the warmer months of summer. Bring your partner to the tasty variety of Food Trucks displayed on a Friday evening for an outdoor dinner or snack eaten in Riverside Park, then walk the beautiful scenic trails together within the park afterward to catch up and get to know one another, overlooking the river. Simple, fun, and outdoors. What can get easier than that?
Shop the Fulton Farmer’s Market
1145 Fulton St E, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Grand Rapids Fulton Farmer’s Market makes a great shopping date for you and your person to experience together. Browse the outdoor vendors of fresh produce, locally-made products, and unique artisan products to chat about and spend time together.
Who doesn’t want to get some delicious fresh fruits and vegetables, while bonding with someone they care about? Connect over preparing a home-cooked meal together and picking out your ingredients at the Grand Rapids Fulton Farmer’s Market for a perfect summer date done right.
Visit Grand Rapids Roof Top Bars
As the sun becomes warmer and brighter and shows its face longer, so do the outdoor dining and rooftop bar options in downtown Grand Rapids. Enjoy your extended daytime and beautiful city sunset views at some of these amazing rooftop city bars.
IDC Lounge
187 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
A private balcony bar that has a great view overlooking the streets of Grand Rapids, the IDC lounge is located on the second floor of the Amway and requires a secret code to get in, which can be obtained by signing up on their website. This club is worth joining and will be sure to impress your partner with its tasty cocktails, comfortable private seating, and outdoor access. End the night right with this speak-easy experience.
MDRD
187 Monroe Ave NW 27th Floor, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Another great outdoor bar option located on the top two floors of the Amway, MDRD tall windows and rooftop seating make for the best romantic scenery and memories overlooking the city of Grand Rapids together. Specializing in modern Spanish cuisine and drinks, MDRD will give you and your partner a luxurious rooftop bar experience to enjoy a special night out celebrating one another’s company
Reserve Wine and Food
201 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Located on the second floor of the Reserve restaurant in downtown Grand Rapids is a special outdoor terrace to bring your partner to for a special private and outdoor city experience.
With more than 100 wines to choose from, seasonal cocktails, and a menu that consists of flavors from locally sourced ingredients, the Reserve outdoor terrace will be a date night for the books and may just become your new favorite place to take spend your romantic evenings together.
Visit Some Grand Rapids Ice Cream Shops
What’s summer without getting some ice cream with a loved one? These Grand Rapids Ice Cream Shops will have you and your date coming back for more to treat yourselves to some sweet treats and an even sweeter time together.
Frosty Boy
1757 Plainfield Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
With great vegan and gluten-free options, Frosty Boy in Grand Rapids is the perfect ice cream date no matter your dietary needs. Enjoy summer’s favorite sweet treat without any harm done.
Love’s Ice Cream
435 Ionia Ave SW Ste 106, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Located in the Grand Rapids Downtown Market, Love’s ice cream makes for a great visit
to grab a cool treat while you and your date explore the indoor market together. Homemade gelato with vegan and keto-friendly options caters to all audiences and is made with love, perfect for you and your date.
Pinkies Ice Cream and Dessert
1127 Wealthy St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506
You can’t miss this pink ice cream shop, with over 30 hand-dipped flavors for you and your date to choose from. Share a cone, shake, or split a sundae and savor the favorite cold sweet treat of summer together during a warm summer day spent downtown.
Furniture City Creamery
958 Cherry St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506
This cute and quaint ice cream shop offers patio seating and local house-made ice cream. Be sure to catch their new and unique flavors, which sell out fast and can be very exclusive. Taste-test your favorites with your date and share a cone covered by some shade in their umbrella-covered seating.
Have a Picnic Date
Picnic dates are a must when it comes to the summer months in Grand Rapids.
Visit these parks after packing some delicious lunch and snacks, either from home or after stopping by the Fulton Farmer’s Market or Bridge Street Market located in Grand Rapids to have a lovely homemade meal outside with a loved one.
Lookout Park
801 Fairview Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
Located on top of a large hill, Lookout Park lives up to its name with a wonderful view of the city of Grand rapids and the Grand River. You and your partner will feel on top of the world and reminiscent as you enjoy your fresh made picnic and conversation privately outdoors together.
John Collins Park
650 Lakeside Dr SE, East Grand Rapids, MI 49506
Placed in the center of East Grand Rapids, John Collins Park is a family-friendly park with offered tables and great tree spots for hammocking. Overlook Reeds Lake and relax on your date, soaking up the summer sun.
Viewing Park at Gerald R. Ford International Park
4910 Kraft Ave SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512
With hundreds of planes landing and taking off to their next destinations, the Viewing Park at Gerald R. Ford International Park in Grand Rapids will give you and your date a show to watch and enjoy as you enjoy your summer picnic at an offered picnic table or from the back of your car.
Spark conversations about travel and destinations you have in mind as you watch each plane take off in the summer blue skies, dreaming about where you could go together next.
Yes, Grand Rapid’s Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park is open all year so you can explore the natural beauty of the seasons in West Michigan.
Find More Fun Things to Do in Michigan
About the Author-
Ella Graber is a content writer for mymichganbeach.com. Attending Grand Valley State University to pursue a major in writing, Ella has loved to read and write ever since she was young. Growing up in the Midwest city of Grand Rapids, she is excited to use her love and passion for the beloved mitten state to help spread the great news about all things Michigan. Outside of writing, Ella enjoys finding new coffee shops, taking outdoor walks with her labradoodle named Louie, or spending time visiting Michigan beaches with her friends.