Entertaining-Eastown

For students attending college in the Grand Rapids area, for young adults living in the neighborhood, or for families looking to get out and have fun, Eastown, Grand Rapids provides entertainment for all ages. This section of Grand Rapids, with its main street being Wealthy Street and Lake Street, can be both a great nightlife as well as an exciting “daylife”.

For those who are of age, a local bar located at 1437 Wealthy Street SE called Billy’s Lounge has boasted a good time for many years. Drink specials are featured every night, and Monday’s are especially popular because of open mic hours and $1 off microbrews. These microbrews range from Bells Brewery of Kalamazoo, MI to Sierra Nevada of Chico, CA. Local attendee Michael Kraai who is also a student in the area claims, “Billy’s is one of my favorite things to do on a Monday night. When the long week is just getting started and homework is building up, heading over to Billy’s with a bunch of guys for a couple beers and listening to music takes the stress out of my studies.” To hear music by bands played at Billys, visit their myspace.

If you find yourself under the age of 21, just down the street is the Hookah Lounge which is located at 1522 Wealthy Street SE. Walk in whenever, pull up some couches with friends, and take advantage of the great food and hookah bar. Boasting to be the first of its kind in Eastown, this lounge attracts college kids from Grand Valley, Aquinas, to Calvin College on a regular basis. Michelle VandenBerg, a local who lives down the street from these two amusements and attends Calvin stated, “For my underage friends, it’s really fun to get a group together on a weekend and go smoke hookah. The flavors are unique, and the music is always pretty good.”

These are just two of the many highlights to visit in this part of the city. Whether looking for a place to sit, have some drinks, and enjoy free music or eat some great food and smoke some flavored tobacco, the sites of Eastown offer plenty of different flavors of entertainment.

By Erin Groenewal