Experience Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids continues to draw attention from around the country for our quality of life, affordability, economy, education, beer, etc. We've heard we are the best place to raise a family, start a business, retire, and so much more. How about best place to have a cocktail?

Ahhh, the food, the flavors, the deliciousness of it all. Restaurant Week Grand Rapids is just around the corner, and it's a 12-day culinary delight with thousands packing restaurants trying out new food creations and celebrating the wonderful chef's and restaurants we have in Grand Rapids.

Grand Rapids surly is The Right Place! We are The Right Place, for the second consecutive year, because Area Development Magazine has ranked the Grand Rapids-Wyoming MSA as the third best area in the country for businesses to prosper. The sixth annual “Leading Locations” study was published on Area Development’s website this week.

They held a celebration luncheon Wednesday to announce the check donation from over 65 restaurants and sponsors who participated in Restaurant Week Grand Rapids . During the lunch, five students from Grand Rapids Community College’s Secchia Institute for Culinary Education were awarded scholarships from the fund created by Restaurant Week Grand Rapids donations.

The Grand Cocktail Competition kicked off summer in the city in Grand Rapids this past weekend. You can gather at some of the 29 restaurants, meet their bartenders and mixologists competing, and enjoy some creative cocktails throughout the month of July through August 4. The most votes gathered online by August 4 will decide the “People’s Choice” Grand Cocktail Competition winners in both categori

Fresh off the heels of being named Best Beer Town by USA Today and Top 10 Vacation Spot for Beer Lovers (www.TheStreet.com), Beer City USA will once again host beer lovers and food enthusiasts from all over Michigan and beyond for Cool Brews. Hot Eats. in Grand Rapids, which runs Feb. 16 to 28.

It's not often excellence in service is recognized, is it. If we get bad service at a restaurant, or hotel for example, then we certainly talk about it. We complain, leave a bad tip, whatever, but when a server goes over and above board, maybe we thank them, but that's it. Experience Grand Rapids and the Kent County Lodging Association are doing something about that, and will celebrate the sixth

Another large conference/convention is here in Grand Rapids, and it's a real feather in our hat to have it here this weekend.

Restaurant Week Grand Rapids 2014 will burst on the scene in August again during the peak of the summer harvest in West Michigan. This year Restaurant Week GR will include 12 days of creative local 3-course menus at over 60 restaurants – from Wednesday, August 13 through Sunday, August 24 – adding an additional day for the event, which since 2010 has been 10 to 11 days.

It's baaaack! Restaurant Week Grand Rapids 2013 will bring the freshest-to-your-fork during this annual 11-day event which takes place from August 14 - 24. Restaurant Week GR 2013, in its fourth yea,r so far includes fourteen new restaurants and over 50 returning restaurants to take part in the event this year.

Experience Grand Rapids and the Kent County Lodging Association have opened the 6th Annual WAVE Award nominations. The annual awards program recognizes outstanding service providers in the Grand Rapids and Kent County hospitality industry.

It's here, and it's happening.  "Cool Brews. Hot Eats" is called the winter version of Restaurant Week, but it has more of a focus on West Michigan craft beers.