Downtown Jackson and the river

Downtown Jackson is a grid, and the Grand River is the other half of the same afternoon. They are close. They are not the same walk.

Start on Michigan Avenue at the old square, Bucky Harris Park, with the commercial blocks around it and the courthouse just south on Jackson Street. The grid is readable on foot. You can see how the town was laid out without a brochure. Early October is a quiet time for those blocks, which is a fair way to see them.

Then go to the river. The Grand runs through the city on its way west, and the public edge is a park and a bank, not a continuation of the avenue. Walk it long enough to be at the water, then stop. Adding both the whole downtown and a long river trail is two outings.

One hour on the grid and one hour at the river is the visit. Jackson is a railroad and river city that still has a downtown you can cross on foot. That is the useful fact. Leave before it becomes a survey of every ward.

Jackson