Regional Community
Grand Rapids
Kendall is located in the heart of the thriving urban scene in downtown Grand Rapids.
Grand Rapids offers the cultural opportunities of an urban environment, coupled with the friendliness and accessibility of a smaller town. The city is known for its vibrant arts scene, its great cuisine (Michigan's only five-star, five-diamond restaurant is here), and its fabulous recreational opportunities.
The shoreline
Just follow the Grand River out to Lake Michigan and you're on one the world's most famous shorelines. Here, charming resort towns offer great leisure, dining, and entertainment, along with brilliant sunsets, towering sand dunes, and fresh, clear water as far as you can see. At Kendall, you’re just a half hour from famous beach towns like Grand Haven, Holland, and Saugatuck.
The cities
Grand Rapids is just 3 hours from Chicago—home of scores of museums, the Merchandise Mart (center of the contract design and furniture industry), and many other cultural and business centers of interest to students in our programs.
And we’re less than 3 hours from Detroit, another favored spot for Kendall students with its renewed cultural center surrounding the Detroit Institute for the Arts and its rich heritage in both art and design.
Our faculty members take great advantage of these proximities by encouraging students' attendance at regional shows and events and by hosting study trips for students in their programs.
The beautiful northern regions
Head north from Grand Rapids and you enter Michigan’s beautiful “up north” region of lakes, hills, and orchards known for is quaint inns, famous ski resorts, and incredible year-round recreational opportunities.
