Experience Grand Rapids

Culture Pass GR is your ticket to explore the abundance of art and culture in Grand Rapids. With this pass, you’ll receive admission into many cultural attractions around Grand Rapids as well as additional exclusive discounts. See the best of Grand Rapids today!

Grand Rapids Culture Pass

The Grand Rapids Children's Museum celebrates childhood and the joy of learning by providing hands-on exhibits that inspire learning and encourage self-directed exploration.

Tired of bringing your kids to places where you have to remind them not to touch anything? In addition to its grown-up attractions, GR offers an entire museum of hands-on exhibits just for kids. The Grand Rapids Children's Museum opened in the 1990s with founders who believed strongly in the value of play and hands-on learning to child development. One of its oldest and most popular exhibits is the "Kidstruction Zone," where kids can put on hard hats, play with tools, and use toy trucks to haul gravel. Other exhibits include kaleidoscopes kids can climb inside of and a kid-sized rock-climbing wall.

The museum is also known for its exterior, which features colorful murals and mosaics. A great place for selfies, it may be worth checking out even if you don't have kids with you.

Cover photo credit: Experience Grand Rapids.

Grand Rapids Children's Museum

The Grand Rapids Public Museum is a place of never-ending inspiration and discovery, with a focus on science, history, and culture, with three floors of hands-on fun and education exhibits for families to explore. 

The GRPM, which overlooks the Grand River on Pearl Street, has something for everyone. Eclectic exhibits focus on both the natural history and the human history of this region, with plenty of hands-on and kid-friendly activities as well as more traditional museum displays. One recent exhibit, about space exploration, featured simulated space capsules visitors could climb inside. Another paid tribute to a West Michigan war hero and philanthropist who made his fortune designing the equipment to make Goldfish Crackers. 

 The permanent attractions here include a planetarium, an exhibit on local ecosystems, and an exhibit on the Ashinibek (also called 
Anishinaabeg), the indigenous people of this region.

Before Michigan was part of the United States, it was part of the Three Fires Confederacy, an alliance of the Ojibwe, Ottawa, and Potawatami tribes that may have been in place as early as 796 AD. This group had good relations with the earliest French and English visitors, trading furs and even intermarrying.  According to the most recent census, Native Americans now make up about 2% of GR's population. In 2016, the GRPM hosted an exhibition honoring contemporary Native American culture alongside its classic Ashinibek exhibit.

Grand Rapids Public Museum

A new institution based on an old tradition of storytelling.

Oral history, in African culture, was performed by the griots or storytellers. They kept the history and traditions of the family, the tribe and the nation but this was generally a masculine job. When the Africans were brought to the Americas, that duty shifted to our womanfolk, and in recent times that person was a grandmother, granny, nana, grandma or GRAAMA. Our acronym describes much about our mission and where we are focused: telling those shared stories of the people from this community through changing exhibits and live performances. "Always listen to your GRAAMA."

Think you already know everything interesting about Grand Rapids? If you're searching for stories you haven't already heard, you're likely to find them here. Started by local artist and curator George Bayard, the museum is currently located in a storefront near Rosa Parks Circle as they raise funds for a permanent museum. 

In addition to a permanent collection of art and heirlooms donated by the African American community, recent exhibits have included "50 Faces of MLK," "Voices of the Civil Rights Movement," and "Black Comedians and Social Change." Bayard discusses his inspiration for the museum in this video:

Well-known African Americans who have lived in Grand Rapids include civil rights activist Helen Claytor, musician Al Green, boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr.,  and Rev. Lyman Parks, who served as mayor of GR from 1971-1976.

Cover image: Courtesy of Experience Grand Rapids.

GRAAMA

Get up close and personal with some of the world's rarest creatures.

John Ball Zoo inspires the Grand Rapids community to be actively engaged in the conservation of wildlife and our natural environment. Over 1,500 animals including lions, tigers, bears (oh my)! Both indoor and outdoor exhibits. Interactive experiences include a funicular (tram), zip line, high ropes course, and more!

The stars of the show are the big carnivores, which include rare Siberian tigers as well the enormous grizzly bears that once terrified settlers in this area. Enclosures with plexiglass windows allow visitors to get surprisingly close to (and sometimes take selfies with) these powerful creatures. Not surprisingly, it is a favorite place to bring kids. But the zoo also encourages adults to visit on their own with events such as "Rock, Roar, and Pour," an evening when visitors who are 21+ can enjoy the zoo with adult beverages.

If you've been to the zoo before, it's worth visiting again, because they often welcome new residents as part of their efforts to breed endangered species in collaboration with other zoos.

 Recent additions include a mated pair of Bali mynas, a species of bird that has been nearly destroyed by its own popularity-- their beautiful feathers and ability to mimic human and animal sound has created such a demand for the birds as pets that there are now fewer than 100 left in the wild. A mated pair of endangered Canada lynxes are also new to the neighborhood. Hope, a female two-toed sloth, was recently sent to a zoo in Connecticut where she is getting to know a male sloth named Jabba. (They are taking it slow).

Cover photo credit: Experience Grand Rapids

John Ball Zoo

World-class art, old and new, in the heart of Grand Rapids.

Established in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, the Grand Rapids Art Museum is internationally known for its distinguished design and LEED® Gold certified status. GRAM has grown to include more than 6,000 works of art, including American and European 19th and 20th century painting and sculpture and more than 3,000 works on paper. Welcoming spaces invite guests to explore the collection and discover new ideas through traveling exhibitions and innovative programming, including hands-on workshops in GRAM Studio, artist talks, guided gallery tours, live concerts and performances, and more.

If you don't think of Grand Rapids as being on the cutting edge of art, GRAM might surprise you.  While their permanent collections contain art dating back centuries, they also have an impressive collection of modern art. Their recent exhibitions have included pieces by 20th century greats like Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenburg, and Sol DeWitt and contemporary artists like Anila Agha. "ArtPrize," GRAM's most popular yearly event, brings innovative artists from around the world to GR with their newest work. But if that's not your taste, don't worry-- other exhibitions feature a wide range of familiar artists such as cartoonist Rube Goldberg, children's book illustration Maurice Sendak, and Gilded Age painter James McNeil Whistler.

While Grand Rapids has had an art museum since 1910, this building was completed in 2004 and was the first museum to receive a LEEDS Gold certification for environment-friendly design. Their landscaped grounds in the heart of downtown are a beautiful place to enjoy the free concerts offered by the museum during the summer.

Grand Rapids Art Museum

Learn how Grand Rapids shaped a future president.

Gerald Ford was born in Nebraska, but he moved to Grand Rapids with his mother when he was young and spent most of his childhood here. He studied economics and played football at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor before heading off to law school at Yale. 

The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum features a permanent exhibit that highlights the lives of President and Mrs. Ford's lives before, during and after their time in the White House. In addition to that, the museum has both temporary and online exhibits that bring in stories and artifacts from across the nation. Most of the museum's exhibits were redesigned in 2016 and offer an immersive experience. Check out this video made by the museum:

In college, Ford was involved in a controversy when the Georgia Tech football team refused to play against Michigan unless their one African American player, Willis Ward, sat out. The two players were good friends and had been roommates, and Ford initially threatened to quit the team if Ward did not play. In the end, Ward urged Ford to play anyway for the good of the team. Although Willis Ward did not play against Georgia Tech, he went one of the top athletes in the school's history.

Ford went on to serve in the US House of Representatives. He was the Minority Leader in 1973 when Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned, and President Nixon nominated Ford as Vice President. When Nixon resigned in 1974, Ford became president until Jimmy Carter succeeded him in 1977. That makes Ford the shortest-serving president, and also the only person to serve as both president and vice president without being elected to either post.

He is remembered for working to reduce hostilities between the US and USSR, and for his decision to grant a presidential pardon to Nixon. His wife, Betty Ford, is remembered as an outspoken First Lady who was a leader in the women's movement both during and after her husband's presidency.

Both President and Mrs. Ford are buried here at the Ford Museum, which contains exhibits and interactive activities that honor their memories. Highlights include a full-sized replica of the Oval Office as it looked in Ford's time, where visitors can sit on the vintage 70s furniture and imagine themselves as the next US president.

Cover photo credit: Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library

The Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts builds creative community by fostering new forms of expression, promoting collaboration, and providing genuine experiences with contemporary art. UICA features gallery exhibitions of work from regional, national, and international artists throughout the year. They also host a range of dynamic events including concerts, performances, artist receptions, and gallery talks. UICA’s 195-seat film theater shows independent cinema, international films, and documentaries six days a week.

The UICA began as an organization founded by a group of artists in 1977 and moved into this building in 2011. Unlike many GR museums that blend the old with the new, UICA has no permanent collection-- they only host exhibitions, and artists can apply to have an exhibition here. The eclectic shows feature contemporary artists both local and international, and celebrate design as well as fine art.

Though it's known for its galleries and cinema, the UICA is not just a place to look and watch. It also includes an "Art Commons" that offers art classes for kids an adults and even an open studio that visitors can use to make their own art. In addition to established artists, their exhibitions highlight work by recent graduates and emerging artists in the local area. 

The UICA is also part of GR's annual "ArtPrize" event which brings artists from around the world to show their newest work. For the most recent ArtPrize, UICA sponsored three public art projects in three different GR neighborhoods.

Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts

With instant delivery and easy mobile access, this is the easiest way to see and save in Grand Rapids!

Whether you're visiting, new to town, or a longtime resident who wants to get to you know your city better, a 3-day culture pass will help you make the most of your time in Grand Rapids. Pass-holders receive free admission to six of GR's best museums and the zoo, and discounts at many other family-friendly attractions.

Passes are delivered instantly to your phone via text and email and are ready to use immediately with nothing to download! Sharing and gifting tools make it easy to gift passes or invite friends and loved ones to share an experience.

Cover image: Grand Rapids, photo released to Public Domain.

Culture Pass GR

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Tucson inspires a sense of freedom among all who visit. Freedom of thought and expression. Freedom to discover and explore. And the freedom to be yourself.

Grand Rapids Culture Pass

Grand Rapids Children's Museum

Grand Rapids Children's Museum

Grand Rapids Public Museum

Grand Rapids Public Museum

GRAAMA

GRAAMA

John Ball Zoo

John Ball Zoo

Grand Rapids Art Museum

Grand Rapids Art Museum

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library

Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts

Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts

Culture Pass GR

Culture Pass GR

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