8 Things Kids Will Love About The Grand Rapids Public Museum

The Grand Rapids Public Museum hosted my family’s visit. The opinions expressed below belong to me.

We recently hit the west side of the state for some family fun, and when rain decided to squash our outdoor adventures, we were thrilled to have some amazing museums to visit instead. Grand Rapids is such a cool city with plenty of art, culture, and food. There is no shortage of options for things to do with kids, no matter the weather.

I’ve attended a few events at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, but had never gone through with my kids. This place is MASSIVE, and there truly is something for everyone. The museum’s tagline “Be curious,” is perfect — it really is a neat place to learn a little bit about a lot of things!

After getting tickets in the main lobby, we started our adventure in the main galleria, which was beautiful. My kids immediately went off in every direction to explore and play the games they had set-up. We spent about 2.5 hours at the museum, but you could easily spend more if you stopped and had a snack at their cafe.

Since there is so much to see, I decided to boil it down to the spots my family loved the most. Please know there is much more to see…You will just have to visit for yourself 😉

8 Things Kids Will Love About The Grand Rapids Public Museum

Michigan history. Sure, the collection of license plates and massive maps of Michigan are impressive, but so is the history shown throughout the museum. My kids loved seeing bones from “Smitty” the mastodon discovered in Grandville, Mich., and I loved learning about baskets weaved with porcupine quills from the Native American tribes who originally settled in West Michigan.

Streets of Old Grand Rapids. This exhibit was really neat and transported back in time to the Victorian era of Grand Rapids. We enjoyed peeking into the shop windows, and even learning the history of mineral water {aka how pop got its start} from one of the docents in the pharmacy/soda shop.

Toys! On the first level, we enjoyed looking into cases filled with dolls to try to decide which ones were the oldest. On the third level, we loved looking for different historical toys and laughing about how far we’ve come. We loved the interactive items used throughout.

Space. Though we didn’t catch a show in the planetarium, we really enjoyed learning about Roger Chaffee, who was a Grand Rapids native who was a NASA astronaut in the Apollo program. The kids also enjoyed using a microscope to look at different objects. Lots to see and touch!

An Arcade! The museum has a room full of old school arcade games, which my kids quickly proclaimed as their favorite spot. We cashed in a $5 bill for some quarters and all had some fun playing the games. {Each game is just a quarter, so bring some if you have them at home!} I loved hearing some hits from the 1980’s jukebox, too. It felt like being transported back in time.

Modern history on display. The GRPM works to capture the historic moments of our time and bring them to life inside the museum. A moving display on the walls included graffiti boarded up windows from around Grand Rapids after the murder of George Floyd last year. They are also chronicling COVID and have collected stories from local families that will be used in future exhibits. We’ve made a lot of history in the past year!

Animals. My kiddo who has a passion for biology LOVED this level. She loved seeing all of the creatures captured in dioramas and the many displays where she could identify or hear the species she was seeing.

My two wiggly kids had fun playing and putting on a play in a cute kids’ play area too.

Traveling exhibits. The museum hosts many traveling exhibits, making it a great spot to visit often during the year because it’s always changing. We loved the current one — POPnology — and spent a lot of time playing in there. It’s purpose is to “celebrate and explore the greatest works of popular culture inspired technology innovation and imagination in history.” The kids loved seeing robots, building a rocket, driving a rover on Mars, and more.

{This exhibit does add an extra $5 to your ticket price – FYI}  

Overall, this is a can’t miss museum if your family enjoys history as much as mine does. Lots to see and do while spending some time in Grand Rapids. Have fun if you visit!

Parking

We were able to snag street parking next to the building, but there is a parking ramp if needed. To street park, you will need to download a phone app, MOTU, and pay with a credit card. It’s a great way to save a lot of money as the nearby parking garage can add up quickly.

Admission, Hours, and Location

Ticket prices are as follows:

• $8/adults {$5 for Kent County residents}
• $7/seniors
• $3/students with ID
• $3/children, ages 3-17 {Kent Country residents and ages 2 and under are free}

There are not many museums we can visit as a family of 5 for just $25 {or $50 with the special exhibits added}. It is WELL worth the price of admission!

HOURS

• Monday – Friday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Saturday and Sunday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Some Fridays and Saturdays the Museum often has set up in its main galleria space for evening events beginning at 3:30 p.m.

LOCATION

The Grand Rapids Public Museum is located at 272 Pearl St NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504.

Learn more about the Grand Rapids Public Museum on their website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter.

NOTE: Masks are recommended, but not required.

What other spots do you love in Grand Rapids?