Western Michigan’s second-largest city didn’t become famous by accident. Grand Rapids earned its reputation through grit, creativity, and an impressive ability to reinvent itself. What started as a fur-trading outpost became America’s furniture capital, then transformed into one of the nation’s top craft-beer destinations. Here’s how Grand Rapids became one of the Midwest’s most interesting places to visit.
Long before anyone called it Furniture City or Beer City, Grand Rapids was home to the Anishinaabe people — the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Bodéwadmi — who lived along the Grand River for thousands of years. The Ottawa called this waterway O-wash-ta-nong, meaning “far-away-water.”
The first fur trading post arrived in 1806 when Joseph and Madeline La Framboise paddled their canoe from Mackinac. After Joseph’s murder in 1809, Madeline took over and became one of the region’s most successful traders.
When Furniture Made the City Famous
In 1826, Louis Campau bought 72 acres for $90 and named his plot Grand Rapids. The location was perfect: the river’s 17-foot drop provided power, nearby forests offered hardwoods, and the Great Lakes made shipping easy.
William Haldane arrived in 1836 and became the city’s first cabinetmaker. The 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition put Grand Rapids furniture on the national map, and suddenly, buyers from around the world began traveling here.
By the 1920s, Grand Rapids ran ten exhibition halls and hosted 560 dealers during Market season. About 30% of the city’s workforce built furniture. Skilled woodworkers from Germany, England, Scotland, and Canada joined Dutch and Polish immigrants to create quality pieces that middle-class families could afford.
Brewing Up a New Identity
The 1990s brought change, as Grand Rapids had no operating breweries. That changed in 1997 when Founders Brewing Company launched, barely avoiding bankruptcy before becoming the city’s largest brewery.
By 2012, Grand Rapids won its first Beer City USA title. The city now has over 40 breweries within 30 minutes of downtown, earning USA Today’s Best Beer City title every year from 2021 through 2025. Brewery Vivant operates in a converted 1894 funeral home, while The Mitten Brewing fills a Victorian firehouse.
Art Takes Center Stage
In 2009, entrepreneur Rick DeVos launched ArtPrize, a radically open international art competition. Any artist could enter, venues throughout downtown would host the work, and the public would vote for winners.
ArtPrize now draws over 800,000 visitors annually, making it one of the world’s largest public art events. Walk through downtown during the 16-day festival, and you’ll find sculptures in parks, installations in restaurants, and paintings in hotel lobbies. More than $7.4 million has been awarded to artists since 2009.
Why Visit Today
The Grand Rapids Public Museum houses furniture exhibits, while the Heritage Hill Historic District preserves hundreds of historic homes, including the Meyer May House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
You can tour a brewery in a former funeral chapel, vote for your favorite artist at ArtPrize, then grab dinner at a restaurant that serves duck nachos. The Beer City Ale Trail lists over 80 breweries within a short drive, Lake Michigan beaches sit just 35 miles west, and the Grand River runs right through it all.
Whether you’re a history buff, craft beer enthusiast, or art lover, Grand Rapids offers something you won’t find anywhere else. This is a city that’s comfortable in its own skin, proud of its past, and excited about what comes next. The Grand River still rushes through downtown just like it did centuries ago, but now those banks are lined with restaurants, museums, and tap rooms. Come see for yourself why Western Michigan’s comeback story is worth experiencing firsthand.
Sources: experiencegr.com, grpl.org, grandrapidsmi.gov, britannica.com, grhistory.org, historygrandrapids.org, gvsu.edu, chipstone.org
Header Image Source: experiencegr.com
