Experience

If you’re anything like me, winter comes with two competing impulses: burrow into a blanket fort or blaze out the driveway on a mission.

West Michigan’s Farmgirl Flea Holiday Market returns this November, offering one of the area’s largest holiday shopping experiences.

Last summer, Steve Zaagman, the founder of the Grand Rapids Original Swing Society, hosted a fantasy ball on his parents’ property in Byron Center.

Few things can bring together a group of friends like a solid game of bocce ball.

The City of Grand Rapids, in partnership with Priority Health and Downtown Grand Rapids Inc., is hosting its tenth annual summer series of free outdoor fitness classes.

Each year, we endure the unrelenting chill of winter–waiting, albeit not always patiently, for the unparalleled bliss of a West Michigan summer.

It’s that time of year again. You want to see friends and do something fun, but it seems like you’ve done everything there is to do in West Michigan already this winter.

Rediscover a timeless hot spot without ever stepping into the cold

Drive a few minutes northwest and you’ll find Bridge Street, sitting just across the Grand River, where Michigan Street turns into the West Side Neighborhood.

Talk to anyone who lives in Alger Heights and one of the first words out of their mouth is “walkability.”

When one thinks of Knapp’s Corner, the words “on the cutting edge of design” probably aren’t what comes to mind.

What do Houdini, Liza Minnelli and Barbie all have in common? No, this isn’t a mystifying riddle, but, in fact, all puzzle pieces that led to the community space that is Studio Park

If you’re dreaming of a Christmas-time European getaway, you don’t have to travel farther than the Downtown Market. 

Drive the short 13 minutes east, from downtown Grand Rapids and you’ll find Ada, the quaint town that strikes just the right balance between old and new.

Historic homes and in-progress apartments; pubs in place for generations and trendy new eateries; walking trails and playgrounds.

November in Michigan brings cold days, gray skies and fleeting daylight. But most importantly of all, it brings anticipation of the holidays.

When Maribeth Groen talks about kids in need in Kent County, she doesn’t just talk about the poverty level — she talks about something more subtle. 

The grand opening of a tire store in Wyoming had an unexpected outcome for a puppy named Peanut who was part of the festivities.

Jenny Roberts is an artist, poet and Chicago transplant living in West Michigan, whose work examines the subtleties of life.

Janyre Tromp knows something about PTSD. She suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder due to childhood trauma. She experienced it as a result of her daughter’s long illness, which brought to the surface her childhood experiences once again. Combine that with stories from her grandfather’s experiences in World War II and a friend’s family history, and she had the makings of a novel.