Making the Most of a 14 Hour Stay in Grand Rapids

Matt and I love planning day trips or quick overnight travels to cities throughout Michigan–if it gives us a mini vacation and a way to spend more time together. And Grand Rapids is a city that tops our list of favorite travel destinations in the state.

I grew up in West Michigan and have experienced the transformation of the city. It’s grown in culture and activities, and there’s never a shortage of things to do. Live music, special events, art and good food are just a few things that continue to attract me back to Grand Rapids.

Read on for how we made the most of our quick trip Grand Rapids, pretty focused on the west side of the city!

The Stay

We stayed at Embassy Suites Grand Rapids, a new hotel that just opened this past April. Liz of the Lemon Bowl was a peach and connected me with the hotel for a free stay. I was blown away by the lobby–beautifully decorated and impressive with incredibly tall ceilings, flooding with natural light and a two story water feature. And I loved the furniture and decor. It looked like a place I could just sit and relax at all day.

We arrived just after 7 p.m. and missed out on the happy hour with free drinks and snacks that guests can enjoy each night (damn it!), so next time I know to get there a little earlier!

We did take some time to take in the views from our balcony facing the river and then ogle over how beautiful and large the suite was with a living room and separate living space, plus a gorgeous modern bathroom.

We’ll definitely stay here again–the perks of happy hour drinks, a big morning breakfast and incredible customer service–Matt and I both kept remarking how great of an experience it was staying there.

The Food

Matt was famished by the time we arrived to Grand Rapids and knew we needed dinner before we grabbed cocktails and light bites at the One Bourbon party. And since we love the Sovengard and the party was just down the street from the restaurant, it was the perfect place to pop in for a quick bite and drink.

The farm-to-table restaurant is located in a historic building, with an upstairs level and garden level all equally designed beautifully, not a bad seat in the place. Plus, they have a large biergarten with a converted ship container as the bar.

After we ate buttermilk fried perch and potatoes, we made our way to the party, full and a little tipsy!

The Party

We planned this trip around Liz of the Lemon Bowl and Adrian Butler’s The Menu party series. Each month, they are hosting parties at varying bars in the city with AB spinning the music and Liz being the amazing hostess I’ve experienced her to be at all occasions. The series is all about bridging the gap for those of us who don’t want to go to the club at midnight or go to bed at 9 p.m.–a curated party experience that people can pop in and out of from 8 p.m. until 1 p.m.

This event wad a sold out event with 100 guests at One Bourbon, a whiskey/bourbon bar located on Bridge St. in Grand Rapids. I walked in at 8:50 p.m. to Lizzo’s Truth Hurts with dancing already happening by the bar and I was instantly feeling the vibe! We grabbed cocktails and floated around to explore the bar.There was plenty of indoor space and outdoor space, but we found ourselves drawn to the large patio and you could hear the music perfectly outside too.

After the party, we grabbed slices of pizza before walking the half mile back to Embassy Suites and boy, did I feel like a wild child getting back to the hotel at 11 p.m.!

Morning Breakfast + Coffee

In the morning, we slept in until almost 9! Then we headed down to the restaurant at the hotel for the continental breakfast, which challenges the idea of the typical breakfast with made-to-order omelettes and a large selection of hot and cold breakfast items and a large array of pastries like donuts, scones and breads. Naturally, I had no self control ate mostly pastries and crispy bacon. Matt ate his omelet and mine!

After breakfast, we headed out to Madcap Coffee, one of our favorite coffee shops in town, for iced lattes and sat outside for a few minutes to unwind before heading back home. The perfect quick trip!

Such beautiful geometric details in the design from carpet to wallpaper. Plus I appreciated the wood accents, lighting and furniture.  Just a quick snap from the Sovengard which hardly does it any justice! What an incredibly fun night! I didn’t get a photo with AB, but glad to get a quick snap with Liz!  So happy to see fellow blogger Kherington and mindset coach Topsie! I just had my mindset reset intensive with her on Monday and what a delight it was to meet her in person. She lights up a room! My kind of breakfast: eggs, bacon, more bacon in my eggs and lots of pastries. Outside at the downtown Madcap location. A classic coffee shop choice to hit up in town!