Things to Do in East Grand Rapids

Founded in 1989 as a roadside produce stand, the family-owned Schwallier’s Country Basket has since expanded into a full-grown farm market filled with autumnal attractions. Clues based around an annual theme are hidden within the corn maze, which guests of all ages navigate under the watchful eye of safety enforcers. Upon emerging from the labyrinth, visitors can pedal down the tricycle path, tour the grounds on a guided wagon ride, or greet a baby goat at the animal barn. A gated kids area also entices youngsters with attractions such as duck races and a straw mountain swarmed with prospectors trying to spin it into gold.

Elsewhere, raspberries, pumpkins, and more than 15 varieties of apples await picking in the farm's fields and patches. An onsite store also stocks various fall goodies, such as apple cider, indian corn, and homemade pies alongside crafts, toys, and fall-themed decorations.

Since opening in 1930, Kent County Conservation League has sheltered shooting fields and courses dispersed among more than 170 acres of wooded and open land. Sharpshooters of all experience levels can mill about a sporting clay course's 13 shooting stations as they shatter targets flung from abundant angles or nestle into a five-stand course's covered range before eliminating 25 clays. The League's rifle range distributes targets at intervals between 50 and 300 yards and their pistol range remains lit for nighttime sessions. As they draw back a tightly strung bow on the archery course, patrons can finally live out their childhood Robin Hood fantasies without donning green tights in an effort to frighten neighborhood kings.

Certified instructor Tim Wiley gives pupils the benefit of more than 15 years' skeet shooting experience during group or private lessons on five fields huddled behind Kent County Conservation League's clubhouse. Visitors can find additional instruction at defensive shooting sessions or a shooting program for youngsters that covers trap, sporting clays, and skeet. Delectable bites await famished gunslingers at Shooter's Grill, and a pro shop equips patrons with gun-toting apparel and silver bullets for clays that transform into werewolves. Kent County Conservation League hosts private and public events annually, and their grounds have welcomed major shooting outings such as the 2010 Michigan Sporting Clays Championship.

Inside Expressions of Grace Yoga's studio, wall-spanning windows grant views of the glistening Versluis Lake and its surrounding trees, echoing yogis balancing peacefully in tree pose. The studio's signature method is the Anusara style, which focuses on building strength and flexibility through postures that emphasize proper bodily alignment, broken up by difficulty levels to accommodate practitioners of all abilities.

Seven diligent professionals—enough to also field a baseball team with two catchers playing at once—comprise Expressions' staff of yoga instructors, all bringing to the table their own various certifications and areas of expertise. Collectively, the staffers put to practice a belief in a supportive teaching philosophy, and individually they are also available for private sessions to help students obtain a deeper understanding of their practice.

At Alpine Ridge Farms, riding instructor Rebecca Bradley designs lessons to help students learn and progress at a comfortable pace. Certified by both the United States Hunter Jumper Association and the American Riding Instructor Association, Rebecca aims to instill confidence in her students, boosting their self-esteem and deepening their appreciation for animals. During lessons, Rebecca gives students a solid foundation of riding and horsemanship, and also encourages them to compete. Alpine Ridge Farms' large indoor riding arena allows the instructor to host lessons year-round by providing firm, dry ground in the event that horses refuse to put on their snowshoes.

For more than three decades, AAA Canoe has rented canoes, kayaks, and tube floats to explorers bound for the scenic, tranquil Rogue River. The rental center accommodates both individuals and group outings, outfitting each trip with paddles and life jackets or flotation cushions before chauffeuring boaters and their vessels to their trip’s starting point. Each trip ends at the Rockford Dam in downtown Rockford, where passengers can explore the city sights and regain their land legs from unscrupulous alleyway leg merchants.

Boasting more than 60 midway games in stock, Fun Services of Grand Rapids proffers traditional fairground entertainment for festivals, picnics, and school events. Games such as a bean-bag toss and duck pond thrill young competitors, and bottle ring tosses and shooting games challenge older players' coordination and distract them from the latest fad of underwater tweeting.

On a larger scale, Fun Services' staffers inflate obstacle courses, slides, and bounce houses, and set up sports-related games of skill such as dunk tanks and putting. They also organize pony rides, elephant rides, and trackless train rides to let guests experience the way people traveled before railroad tracks were invented. Staffers can hand-deliver the games and help helm concession stands such as cotton candy wheels and sno-cone makers.