Jackson sits at the geographic centre of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, a mid-sized city with a handful of claims to fame. The Republican Party held its first major convention here in 1854, under the oaks on what is now a small park. The city later served as a Civil War training facility and became a railroad hub — the switching and repair headquarters for the Michigan Central Railroad, with the original Amtrak depot still in daily use.
The main attraction is Cascade Falls Park, home to one of the largest man-made waterfalls anywhere — a concrete cascade illuminated with coloured lights on summer evenings. The park also has hiking trails, paddle boats in summer, and an ice rink in winter.
The Ella Sharp Museum preserves Jackson's farming heritage in a complex that includes a log cabin, one-room schoolhouse, country store, and the Merriman Sharp Farmhouse. The All Star Dairy (known locally as The Parlour) is an ice cream institution — brave visitors attempt their 21-scoop Dare-To-Be-Great sundae.
Racing fans know Jackson as the home of the Michigan International Speedway, one of the largest and fastest oval tracks in the United States, hosting NASCAR races each summer. On the third weekend in July, the Hot Air Jubilee fills the sky above Jackson County Airport with dozens of balloons. The state's first penitentiary still stands at the north edge of town, with a wing now run as the Cell Block 7 prison museum.