Grand Rapids Beer and Beaches

grand rapids beer beaches
Grand Rapids beer beaches

Grand Rapids Beer and Beaches | Scrolling down the Nomadlist makes you wonder: Aren’t there any other places cheap and good than locations in Thailand? 5 of 10 such good and cheap tourist hot spots are destinations in Thailand. That’s 50%. If checking the top 5 only, it will even be 90% = 4 spots:

#1: Ko Samui
#2: Chiang Mai
#4: Bangkok
#5: Ko Lanta
#7: Phuket … yawn

Where is the United States? At #17 we find Pittsburgh, PA. Erm … no! Not a tourist destination on our radar. Maybe people do indeed go there for vacation, but not us. What about #23 Austin, TX? It must be other factors than the cost of living in Austin that makes tourists flock in there. Nomadlist gives Austin a hefty $2,578-per-month price tag. So let’s skip this too. But then comes Grand Rapids, MI at #33. We take a look …

Grand Rapids - Beer and Beaches
Grand Rapids Beer and Beaches

Grand Rapids is located on the Grand River. That’s 30 miles east of Lake Michigan. City population: 190,000. Grand Rapids is home to some of the world’s leading office furniture companies. For that it’s nicknamed ‘Furniture City’. Any idea why tourists want to spend time up there?

In 2014, Grand Rapids was named the #1 U.S. summer travel destination by Lonely Planet. Reasons: beer and beaches. Grand Rapids is undoubtedly one of the best beer cities in the US. Its beer-tourism rages on. Over 25 craft breweries pour in this area, and events like Cool Brews Hot Eats in February and the Summer Craft Beer Festival in August, keep up the tempo. But beer is not everybody’s thing. There must be a co-pilot. 30 miles west of Grand Rapids sprawls Lake Michigan’s Gold Coast – America’s most unexpected beach getaway. The shores rival Hawaii’s and Southern California’s – but in summer only. Along 300 miles of seemingly endless beaches lie sugar-white dunes, u-pick orchards, wineries, berry farms, cider houses, antique shops, Hemingway haunts. And you can even go surfing!

Grand Rapids - Beer and Beaches. White Lake at Lake Michigan
Grand Rapids Beer Beaches. White Lake at Lake Michigan.

Grand Rapids Beer Beaches. By Chili & Churp | © International Destinations | Visit our -> Travel Alphabet.