Calendar RSS FeedJuly 3, 2009Independence Day Celebration Cascade Falls FireworksJuly 3, 2009Giant FireworksSaturday, July 4, 2009Founder’s Festival Picnic & BBQ Cook-OffJuly 4, 2009Cafe @ the Creek Summer SeriesJuly 6th - 10th, 13th - 17th, and 20th - 24thSummer Day CampJuly 7 & 8, 2009Camp 9-1-1July 8, 2009Jackson Artist, the July 11-12, 2009Michigan Aerobatic ChampionshipJuly 11, 2009Christmas in July for Our TroopsJuly 14-August 2Michigan Shakespeare FestivalJuly 15, 2009Jackson Artist July 17, 18 & 19Hot Air JubileeJuly 22, 2009Christmas in JulySaturday, July 25, 2009PICNIC in the Land of NODJuly 25-26, 2009St. Joseph Parish Heritage FestivalSunday, July 26, 2009A Taste of HoneyJuly 27 - August 1, 2009National Stock Outboard Boat RacesJuly 29, 2009Steve BerkemierJuly 30, 2009Blue Lake Fine Arts International Youth Symphony Orchestra Benefit Concert July 30Blue Lake International Youth Orchestra
Museums/Historical Sites
Being the birthplace of one of the two major political parties lends itself to some history. Jackson area museums reflect this history and present it through exhibits, tours and historical reenactments. Learn a little about the area through its past.
Carnegie Library Building
224 W. Michigan Ave.
Jackson, MI 49201
517-788-4099
The library is on the National Register of Historic Places and on the State of Michigan Register of Historic Sites. Using a grant from Andrew Carnegie, the building was built in 1906 in a neoclassical style. There are 13 library locations in Jackson County.
Ella Sharp Museum
Museum hours:
Tuesday - Friday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Saturday & Sunday 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
Closed Mondays and major holidays
January - March closed Sundays
In 1912, Ella Sharp's farm and home was willed to Jackson for the creation of a park and museum, which opened in 1965. The Ella Sharp Museum features an 1830's log cabin, a one-room schoolhouse, a country store, and the Merriman Sharp Farmhouse. Other highlights include the Peter F. Hurst Planetarium, and the Ella Granary Restaurant.
Old State Prison / Armory Arts Tour
100 Armory Court
Jackson, MI 49202
(517) 795-2112 or (305) 336-1403
Take a guided tour of Michigan's first state prison – now Armory Arts Village. The tours, "From Historic Prison to Artistic Vision," are presented by Judy Gail Krasnow, Armory Arts' resident Storyteller and Author.
HEAR the history, plus colorful tales of former inmates
SEE the underground tunnels and solitary cells
ROAM the Art Gallery
MEET artists at work in their studios
VISIT an apartment, formerly over 30 prison cells!
EAT a delicious pre-ordered lunch at The Old Prison Café, prepared by The Catering Company
Make an outing of it!
Tours last 1½ - 2 hours and cost $8.00 per person, or $18 per person with lunch included.
Conklin Reed Organ & History Museum
101 Fairview
Hanover, MI 49241
517-563-8927
Open weekdays: 9:00a.m. -12:00 p.m.
The Lee Conklin Antique Reed Organ Museum proudly displays about 95 fully restored and working antique reed organs. Visitors to the museum are often treated to the beautiful sounds of these antique instruments. The collection includes parlor, cottage and church organs along with elegant rosewood melodeons, some dating as far back as the mid-1800's. The museum was renovated by the Hanover-Horton Area Historical Society.
The Mann House
205 Hanover St
Concord, MI 49237
(517) 524-8943
Built in 1883, the Mann House is furnished with the 19th century heirlooms of the Mann family. Caretakers recreate holiday celebrations by decorating, baking and arranging the museum as it would have been seen during those times. A marbleized slate fireplace, peculiar catch-release doorknobs, and eight rooms of period furniture adorn the two-story house.
Michigan Whitetail Hall of Fame Museum
4220 Willis Road
Grass Lake, MI 49240
(517) 522-3354
More than 50 Boone And Crockett world record buck racks are on display at the museum, along with Michigan's record holder. Visitors can see and feed the live deer seven days week, year round.
Waterloo Area Farm Museum
9998 Waterloo Munith Road
Waterloo, Michigan
517-596-2254
The museum offers a vivid look into 19th century pioneer life. Costumed tour guides take visitors through a 10-room farmhouse built by a German immigrant and seven additional outbuildings. Displays of tools, clothing, furnishings, and decorations depict the era's farm life.
WhistleStop Park Depot
218 E Michigan Ave
Grass Lake, MI 49240
(517) 522-4384
Built in 1887, this historic Romanesque train depot offers displays of local interest. Available for rentals, receptions, party's, etc.
Under the Oaks
Jackson
It is a historical site on the NW corner of Second St. and Franklin. It also serves as caretakers of the "birthplace" of the Republican Party.
Ye Olde Carriage Shop
3538 Henderson Road
Spring Arbor, MI 49283
(517) 750-4300
Features 40 cars, with 15 made in Jackson and 5 one and onlys. It also has a variety of automobile memorabilia, including gas pumps, signs and a Coca-Cola exhibit.
Gerald E. Eddy Geology Center
17030 Bush Rd.
Chelsea, MI
734-475-3170
Open: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m., Sunday, beginning the week after Easter until the Sunday before Thanksgiving (closed Mondays
Located in the Waterloo recreation area, the center is open year-round. It features Michigan rocks, minerals, fossils, crystals, glacial information as well as a classroom-style learning center that focuses on Waterloo's rich natural and human history.
Located within Ella Sharp Park, the planetarium's primary goal is to be an educational facility, targeting students from the Jackson Public Schools and the surrounding school districts and colleges. Beyond the educational community, it also offers shows to the public under its 30-foot dome.
Parlour Old Fashioned Ice Cream Shoppe
1401 Daniel Rd
Jackson, MI 49202
(517) 783-1581
Young and old, locals and travelers alike find the parlor's atmosphere refreshing and the ice cream a tasty treat. It was recognized by the readers of Michigan Living Magazine as the best ice cream in Michigan.
Walker Tavern Complex
13220 M-50
Brooklyn, MI 49230
(517) 467-4401
The complex memorializes the frontier and stagecoach era of the first half of the 19th century. Take a trip back in time and see a 1840s-style parlor, barroom, dining room and kitchen.
This site is closed for the 2007 season. 2008 season dates will be posted here in early spring.