Calling all ladies! I’ve got a great girls day trip planned for you! This post contains the perfect day trip to Rockford, Michigan! Last week, my mom, sister and I met up for a long overdue girls outing – our first in over 11 months. Every fall for the past 5 years my family held an annual bar crawl. Due to COVID, we knew it wouldn’t be possible this year. So instead of a bar crawl, the girls decided a day trip of our own is the best way to replace this annual tradition.
Rockford is a beautiful community located about 20 minutes north of Grand Rapids. Known for its natural beauty and picturesque downtown, there are plenty of things to do in Rockford. If you’re searching for a place to visit with lots of outdoor activities, Rockford is a great destination.
Finally, for additional fall adventure’s, check out my fall color tour post here. Alternatively, for a family friendly adventure, consider checking out a new to you u-pick pumpkin patch in the ultimate guide here.
~ Day Trip to Rockford Map ~
~ Perfect Day Trip to Rockford Summary ~
When: Saturday in fall
Why: We chose Rockford for our day trip destination because it’s far enough away from us to make it feel like we’re exploring someplace new. However it’s also nearby so traveling doesn’t take up most of our precious daylight hours.
Time Traveled (one way): 20 minutes from Grand Rapids, 2.5 hours from Detroit, 1 hour from Kalamazoo, 1 hour 20 minutes from Lansing, 2 hours from Traverse City
Time Spent at Destination: 7 hours
Budget: $$ – donuts, wine tasting, lunch, crafting, a drink, hot dogs
What we did during our Day Trip to Rockford
Starting out, we stopped by Robinettes Apple Haus to pick up donuts and do wine tasting. After that, we drove to Third Nature Brewing for lunch and beer flights. Once we finished, we painted a piece of pottery at Accidental Art.
Then, we drove and parked in downtown Rockford where we enjoyed a drink at Kayla Rae Cellars, walked around the shops, and stopped by the Dam Overlook. We wrapped up our day trip at the Corner Bar, a Rockford institution recently rebuilt after destroyed by a fire in 2017.
Other Things to do in/near Rockford
Parks, Trails, and other Nature Sites: Rockford is just one stop of many along the White Pine Trail that stretches from Comstock Park in the south to Cadillac in the north. Local parks with various outdoor activities and trails include Luton Park, Townsend Park, and Pickerel Lake Park also known as the Fred Meijer Nature Preserve. Other nature preserves in the area include Maas Family Nature Preserve and Brower Lake Nature Preserve. Finally Trestle Park is a small park with a unique, old stone trestle to check out.
Canoeing, kayaking & tubing: If you don’t have your own, from late spring to early fall, AAA Canoe Rental rents canoes, kayaks and tubes to use along the Rouge River.
Breweries: Rockford Brewing Company is located in downtown Rockford, just off the White Pine Trail!
~ Perfect Day Trip to Rockford Details ~
Robinette’s
Robinette’s is an extremely popular apple orchard in the Grand Rapids area. Their donuts are well known and beloved by local residents. Because of its popularity, Saturday’s in the fall are pretty busy. When we arrived at 10am, there was already a line out the door just to buy donuts! And on the way out, that line grew to almost reaching the road! Their pumpkin and cinnamon sugar donuts are worth it!
Besides donuts, there is a market selling fresh apple cider, prepicked apples, kettle corn, maple syrup and more! For the kids, there is a jumping pillow, petting zoo, and corn maze. Then for the adults, there’s a winery, which is where we went next. Wine tasting costs $8 for first time visitors. However, when you return with your glass, it’s $4. Each tasting gets you 5 samples.
In the winery, there are several tall tables all spread out to allow for distancing. Of the wines and ciders available, all of the apple based ciders and apple wine are made with Robinette’s apples. After our tasting, my mom, sister and I each purchased a bottle of peach spumante, our favorite we sampled.
Before you leave, don’t forget to take a family photo in front of the giant apple or giant Michigan adirondack chair!
Third Nature Brewing Company
Our second stop was Third Nature Brewing Co, about a 12 minute drive away. Prior to going, I made an online reservation per their recommendation. However we ended up arriving a little earlier and were still seated right away.
Third Nature has a huge back patio area with plenty of seating options – traditional patio seating, picnic tables, and chairs pulled up around fire pits. The brewery’s style is nature meets industrial. The primary focus is the trees surrounding the brewery and hops trellis’ near the patio and parking lot. Even if you sit inside, the floor to ceiling windows bring the outside in. Because we visited in October, the patio and outside was decorated for fall. There was even a fake graveyard with headstones of former celebrities!
We all ordered flights of beer since it was our first time at Third Nature. I ordered Leo the Legacy, El Hefe Jardin, Pumpkin Pie, and Raspberry Cider. Also, I tried their Tier 1 and 2 brewed from their own hops. Both the Pumpkin Pie and Leo the Legacy are amazing! The Pumpkin beer is made with 10 pumpkin pies, while Leo’s is brewed with mango and habanero flakes. Do you like spicy beers? If so, you have to try this one! I’m not crazy about the El Hefe Jardin. With cucumber and basil infused in it, the flavor tasted like a dill pickle.
Now for the food! I loved the hot chicken sandwich – the flavor is perfect and paired well with all my non- spicy beers! My sister ordered the wings and a side of fries while my mom ordered the sausage soup. Finally my dad (he tagged along to drive us around) ordered the porky pig flatbread pizza. Everyone liked the food they ordered so all in all a great experience!
Accidental Art
Next up we stopped at locally owned Accidental Art to paint pottery! (We figured it best to have a drink or two before painting to get the creative juices flowing).
Step one involved picking out which ceramic to paint. The pricing is located on a sticker under each choice. There are plenty of options to choose from – big, small, expensive to under $10. I decided to paint a lighthouse, and my family chose to paint a pineapple tray, square plate, and octopus.
Step two is painting your ceramic! After we chose our ceramics, we were taken to our table to craft. The lady helping us walked us through how many coats of paint to apply to ensure our ceramics turn out as expected. She also walked us through a number of tricks and stencils that are available in order to create unique textures.
Step three – finished! Once we completed, we left our ceramics on the table to finish drying and were instructed to come back in one week to pick up the final result.
Downtown Rockford
Rockford Dam Overlook
The final place we drove to on our day trip is downtown Rockford. While only encompassing a couple blocks, the downtown area is charming with nothing but independent boutiques, cafes, and restaurants. There are several places to park downtown – a few restaurants and businesses have their own lots, but there’s also plenty of public street parking.
Our first stop downtown was to the Rockford Dam Overlook. Here you can stop and watch the man made waterfalls, fishermen trying to catch something, or even just take in the beauty along the Rouge River. When we visited, it was near peak fall color and the trees lining the river were beautiful to look at.
The Rockford Dam was originally built in 1844 to help power a sawmill along the river. Rebuilt in 1920, a concrete base added to it helped control the frequent flooding Rockford used to experience. Finally in 2007, the dam and Peppler Memorial Park on the west side of the dam were renovated with the current overlook, picnic areas, and with access to the Rouge River Nature Trail to its west and White Pine Trail to its east.
Kayla Rae Cellars
Next up involved relaxing on the outdoor patio at Kayla Rae Cellars to take advantage of the beautiful fall day. My mom and I enjoyed an iced peach cider while my sister sipped on some white while.
Originally opened in 2013, Kayla Rae Cellars is owned by Bob and Rose Bonga, owners of Cascade Winery. Impressed with the business comradery and support from surrounding community, the owners decided to open a new winery in downtown Rockford. While both wineries share owners, each offers their own wines, beers, ciders and of course, ambiance.
Corner Bar
Finally, no stop to downtown Rockford is complete without indulging in a hot dog from the Corner Bar (especially if it’s your first time visiting)!
Recently reopened in 2018 after a devastating fire destroyed all but the front brick facade in August 2014, the Corner Bar is a Rockford institution. Besides being known for their variety of hot dogs, the Corner Bar houses a hot dog hall of fame displaying nameplates along their walls of anyone who ate a dozen hot dogs in one sitting. The record is currently 43 hot dogs!
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It was great to get together again with my family again and indulge in some grown up activities. While we visited Rockford during the fall, this trip can be replicated in any season. If you live in or are visiting the Grand Rapids area, I encourage you to head north and spend a day exploring beautiful Rockford!
from Michigan with Love,
Jackie
