Jackson (Tennessee)

Jackson is a city in Western Tennessee that grew as a crossroads between various railroads in the four cardinal directions. It was the major commerce center of western Tennessee around the time of its founding in 1821 because Memphis had yet to emerge as a dominant community. Jackson hasn't been without its fair share of trials and travails as it knew the systemic ordeals of slavery for cotton production and lynchings and disenfranchisement as well as other places did in the South, plus high crime and tornadoes.

While passenger train service is no longer available, Jackson has an advantageous position due to its central location between Memphis and Nashville on Interstate 40 for those traveling by car or bus.

• 🌍 Greyhound Bus Station, 1400 Highway 70 East, has daily bus services from Memphis and Nashville. Tel: +1 731 427-1573.
• 🌍 McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport, 308 Grady Montgomery Dr, ☏ +1 855-268-8478. has limited service to destinations like Atlanta and St. Louis through an operator called Boutique Air. (updated Oct 2021)

• Jackson Transit Authority, 38 Eutah St, ☏ +1 731 423-0200. The city bus has several routes. $1.25 pay when boarding. (updated Oct 2021)

• 🌍 Casey Jones Home & Railroad Museum, 30 Casey Jones Ln, ☏ +1 731 668-1222. M-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su 1-5PM. Possibly Jackson's biggest tourist attraction and popularized by "The Ballad of Casey Jones" by Johnny Cash, this museum portrays how a locomotive engineer named Casey Jones gave his life to save a train full of passengers from major loss of life during a collision. Also features his home, the train (replica), and Civil War railroad exhibits. $6.50 adults. (updated Oct 2021)
• 🌍 Rusty's TV & Movie Car Museum, 323 Hollywood Dr, ☏ +1 731 267-5881. F-Su 9AM-5PM. Has a lot of original cars that were used in film production, such as Ghostbusters and Scooby-Doo. $10 adults, $5 children. (updated Oct 2021)
• 🌍 Bemis Mill Village Museum, 2 N Missouri St, ☏ +1 731 423-9140. Museum about a former mill town pertaining to cotton that was just to the south of Jackson. Kind of a quiet place. (updated Oct 2021)
• 🌍 Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park, 460 Ozier Rd, ☏ +1 731 988-5614. Daily 8AM-4:30PM, may be open longer in summer. Ceremonial and burial Native American earthen mounds, with staircase to the top of one. (updated Oct 2021)
• 🌍 Liberty Garden Park & Arboretum, 24 Channing Way, ☏ +1 731 425-8399. A small park with a veterans memorial and some flower gardens. (updated Oct 2021)

• 🌍 Cypress Grove Nature Park, 866 Airways Blvd, ☏ +1 731 425-8364. Daily 8AM-7PM (Spring/Summer). This is a pleasant getaway with boardwalks across swamps and sloughs, and an observation tower. Free. (updated Oct 2021)
• 🌍 Sky Zone Jackson, 65 E Park Square, ☏ +1 731 868-4418. (updated Dec 2020)
• Jackson Symphony Orchestra, 207 E Lafayette St, ☏ +1 731 427-6440. (updated Dec 2020)

• 🌍 Old Hickory Mall, 2021 N Highland Ave, ☏ +1 731 664-5319. M-Sa 10AM-9PM, Su noon-6PM. Not one of the most invigorating malls, but probably a fine specimen if you are doing a thesis on dying malls in America. (updated Dec 2020)

• 🌍 Dixie Cafe (Old Country Store), 56 Casey Jones Ln A, ☏ +1 731 668-1223. M-Th 6:30AM-8PM, F Sa 6:30AM-9PM. A popular buffet with Southern cooking that is part of the Casey Jones Museum complex. (updated Oct 2021)

• The Office Lounge, 82 Federal Dr, ☏ +1 731 668-9780. 

• 🌍 DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Jackson, 1770 US-45 BYP, ☏ +1 731 664-6900. $132. (updated Oct 2021)
• 🌍 SureStay Plus Hotel by Best Western Jackson, 1936 US-45 BYP, ☏ +1 731 664-3030. $67. (updated Oct 2021)