Bright walls organized another colorful festival this year between Sep 16-18. Bright Walls Mural…read morefestival event include live mural painting, concerts, food trucks, dancing, magic show and even a dog-themed event. While they were unable to host international artists this year due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, the Bright Walls team planned some pop-up art installations until finale in 2022. The festival is a free event open to all ages, and it is held on several streets in Jackson. All the art is free to be viewed and photographed. Along with the mural projects, there were a variety of street vendors and food trucks that cater to the public. I was thrilled to attend my first ever mural event. I mainly went to meet the famous artist couple Lisa and Victor, who create iconic post card murals. I am a huge fan of their art work. The amount of detail in their mural is amazing. I like their artwork which captures the town and display local points of pride. It was such a pleasure to meet this cool couple. Their mission is to paint in every state and to create a collection of timeless landmarks for locals and travelers to interact with across the country. They have created nation wide mural projects and this is their 52nd post card mural across America. This couple came all the way from California to help create a special Jackson greeting. This year "Greetings from Jackson" mural is the highlight of the festival. Each letter features some of the most iconic buildings and a Jackson landmark within it. With the new addition, there are now 41 murals to see in downtown Jackson since the inception of Bright Walls.

Prior to three years ago I didn't know much about Jackson, MI beyond there being a prison there…read more Around here going to Jackson is usually taken to mean going to jail for a long time. Three years ago I stopped for food on a road trip and discovered Jackson had two competing Coney Islands on the same block that had been open since around the time of World War I, a situation uncannily similar to Lafayette and American Coney Islands in Detroit. That was about all I took away from that short visit. Well, last month I was on another road trip and figured I'd stop to fill my belly at Jackson Coney Island since I'd already tried Virginia Coney Island and Jackson is the bizarro Virginia. I'm not ready to review either yet. They're just Coneys and I'm not ready to wade into the wearisome partisan debate. It's boring enough with American and Lafayette back home. But here, in the third paragraph, I will venture to review Bright Walls because it was such a pleasant surprise and unexpected hour long sightseeing tour. (It's nice traveling on a not so rigid schedule and to be taken away on a tangent like this.) Bold, colorful murals with all kinds of themes and plastered larger than life all around downtown Jackson and they are awesome. I wasn't good about reading all of the placards and you won't get any informative name checking or discussion about specific pieces here like I usually do with art museums but Bright Walls was a beautiful diversion, a definite departure from the drab and dreary Prisontown USA people around here usually picture when they think of Jackson. I can't speak on what goes on when the mural painting actually takes place, watching live painting or if there's special events, but the one other review didn't elaborate on that either. Suffice it to say I like what was left behind. Maybe some year I'll head out this way during the brightening of the walls and be able to provide a more comprehensive update.

This was the location of the founding of Jackson, originally called Jacksonburg, named for…read morePresident Andrew Jackson. This park at West Michigan and Jackson has a small fountain and murals depicting early Jackson heritage.

Jackson County in many ways is an enigmatic community. Economically, they have not been in the best…read moreof positions for many years. The population actually peaked in 2010 and has fallen slightly by about 0.3% since then estimated at just under 160,000. The county has been slow to grow in recent times as it has not experienced double digit growth over the course of a decade since the 1950s. It does not seem to attract large business as the six largest employers are various government functions (state corrections, local governments and schools), utilities and medical care. The unemployment rate in the county is slightly above state average, the average income is slightly below state average and the housing prices are largely flat relative to 2000. There are three (one public, two private) post-secondary institutions classified as colleges or universities. The number of persons holding a bachelor's degree or higher among eligible adults is more than 1/4 less than the national percentage. The county seat is Jackson which is a small city of about 33,000, or slightly more than 20% of the county population. Jackson has standard commercial offerings with a small mall. There are a few parks highlighted by Ella Sharp Park which features an annual balloon race. The claim to fame is that it is the birthplace of the Republican Party. The county is largely rural and is very laid back. There is plenty of open space and many back roads to drive in relative solitude. The Amtrak Wolverine Line runs through the City of Jackson on its route between Chicago and Detroit. The train station is actually very nostalgic and lovely. There is an airport west of the City of Jackson that had commercial service until 1984. It has since served only as a General Aviation Facility. Generally speaking, this is a relatively uninteresting place to visit unless you like to observe Midwest and Michigan cultural life. There are no marquis sites to see although there is a new Prison Museum that opened a little over a year ago that might have some promise to allow Jackson County to claim a noteworthy site for visitors. It would be a slow-and-easy place to live, however. The average commute time to work is about 18 minutes and the home prices are very reasonable though you won't see much increase in your investment. It is one of those counties in the US that easily gets overlooked.

Confusion exists as to the birthplace of the Republican Party. For seventy four years I understood…read moreit was Ripon, Wisconsin. Please clarify

"Under the Oaks" is the location where the Republican Party was formed in Jackson, MI in the 19th…read morecentury in opposition to slavery. This small park has several markers dedicated to this historical moment that changes American politics forever.

We saw the Rocky Horror Picture Show here. It's a beautiful old theatre from 1930, run by a…read morenonprofit corporation. Seats 1500, with a balcony, giant medallions on the ceiling, ladies' and gentlemens' lounge on the second floor, stained glass light fixtures, giant marquee, etc. The place is a little shopworn in places (a little plaster shows on the ceiling; a few threadbare carpet patches) but it's in great shape for a theatre this old. The staff is very friendly. In addition to Rocky screenings once a month they show classic old movies here, concerts, etc.

we went a couple of weeks ago and they played the wrong movie.. The Accountant.. tonight we went to…read moresee Star Wars and the movie they played contained commercials.. like they just pulled it off of utube.. additionally it started 30 minutes late.. not sure who they have running things now but it definitely NEEDS IMPROVEMENT. We are thinking of a membership, but if this is how it's going to be run moving forward, we are going to reconsider.

Could be a nice park but the unruly and mentally unstable kids who play there ALWAYS end up…read morestarting a problem making it a very UNSAFE PARK. You've been warned!

I've been here for the park and the splash pad many times. The park is pretty big, a lot of trees…read more For the splash pad: WATER IS ALWAYS COLD! ICE COLD! Whenever I try to go in I literally can't. I get so cold my lips are blue. Splash pad is pretty tiny, but it's pretty cheap to get in to it's whatever

This is a museum rich in history of Michigan and Jackson contributions to the military fighting…read morewars from the Civil War to the Vietnam War. Little known Jackson museum but worth the visit.

We love the Jackson Symphony Orchestra - especially their Christmas Special- the Nutcracker. It's…read morebeen a longstanding tradition in our house to go see a performance of the Nutcracker a few weeks before Christmas by Chelsea Ballet. They have yummy snacks (usually even a gluten free option) at intermission. The Sugarplum tea is every little girl in a tutu's dream too! If you are in the fence- go! It's a blast. We not made it to any other shows, but I'm looking forward to trying out their pops shows like Harry Potter or their Halloween special where kids dress up and attend for low cost. Thanks JSO for the great shows locally!!