Jackson is the county seat for Jackson County, likely because it's the only city in the county. The 2010 census counted over 33,000 Jacksonians, as locals are called. If you drive into Jackson in your RV, you can find it along U.S. Route 127 and Interstate 94, around 40 miles south of Lansing and the same distance west of Ann Arbor.
This city was founded in 1829 and named for President Andrew Jackson. The first prison for the state was opened here in 1838, and it's still operational today. At the start of the 20th century, this city became an early manufacturing center for the nascent automotive industry. It was at this time that the population saw real growth as people flocked from other states and countries to work in the many factories.
Jackson is fairly small as cities go, but you'll find a lot of restaurants. Jacksonians love to eat out, and they often joke that the city has a high per-capita ratio of restaurants. Klavon's Pizzeria and Pub might be the best place in town, especially if you're looking for calzones. If you have a craving for cinnamon rolls, then check out the Roxy Cafe breakfast diner that looks like it is still in the 1920s.
Jackson has 28 public parks all throughout the area. Ella Sharp Park has 562 acres of natural beauty along the Grand River banks, with terrain varying from flat to hilly, where you can enjoy hiking, wildflowers, and many different sports. If you get here during the summer, then splash your heart out at Nixon Water Park with its pool, water slide, and splash area.
Campgrounds Near Jackson, Michigan
Apple Creek Campground and RV Park offers 180 campsites spread across 125 gorgeous acres. The tree-covered sites have their own fire pits and picnic tables. You can socialize with others at the pool, game room, rec hall, and camp store. Full hookups are available along with both pull-through and back-in sites.
Hideaway RV Park is only six miles from Jackson's downtown area, and you'll love the calm and tranquility of this particular park. Sleep to the sounds of nature by night, and enjoy swimming, fishing, and paddle boating in Grass Lake during the day. Spacious pull-through sites wait for you with full hookups and cement pads.
Don't worry about finding a spot in Greenwood Acres Family Campground because there are over 1,000 campsites spread across 300 scenic acres with a mile of Goose Lake water frontage. This high-caliber RV resort has a cafe and store servicing manicured grounds where you can park any size RV. Enjoy social events, playgrounds, a swimming pool, mini-golf, and even a nine-hole golf course. Enjoy full hookups and both pull-through and back-in sites.
State Parks Near Jackson, Michigan
Burt Lake State Park has 2,000 feet of shoreline in the north-central part of Michigan. Year-round activities include camping, fishing, boating, and sightseeing. Find these 400 acres of recreational space on the southeastern corner of Burt Lake near the Indian River. Over 300 modern campsites await you, and some of them have 50-amp hookups for RVs. Hike along the mile-long trail for scenic sights, and consider visiting the nearby towns of Alpena or Traverse City for more amenities.
Bay City State Park boasts 2,000 acres along Saginaw Bay with ridges, shorelines, marsh ponds, and wooded wetlands. During your visit, you can enjoy fishing, biking, hiking, and swimming. May through October are usually the best months to visit. The state park campground has 189 different campsites that can fit 50-foot RVs or longer. Enjoy fire pits, restrooms, water spigots, and electric hookups. You can even bring your pets so long as you restrain them and clean up after them.
Pinckney Recreation Area has over 11,000 acres of recreational space across a number of connected parcels of land. Enjoy glacial moraines, swampy lowlands, and kettle lakes for campgrounds and hiking trails. If you want to stay outside the recreational area, consider Hell Creek Ranch Campground nearby for big campsites, a swimming pool, and clean restrooms. Many of the campsites come with electricity and water while others just have electricity or are primitive. A few feature concrete pads.
National Sites Near Jackson, Michigan
Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial has the tallest Doric column in the world. This place commemorates one of the most decisive events of the War of 1812, which is the Battle of Lake Erie. Several fatalities from both the American and British sides are buried here. You can take a memorial tour, walk around the memorial fence, or go fishing in Lake Eerie. The sunset scenery is amazing, and there are even night tours. The Wetlands and South Beach Trail lets you watch birds and hike through prairie marsh while the Magee Marsh Boardwalk Trail takes you over a wooden boardwalk where you can see thousands of warblers from late April to early May.
Head over to the Charles Young Buffalo National Monument to learn what role the Buffalo Soldiers played during the Civil War. See a short film about Charles Young who served until 1903. Learn even more with a cellphone tour, and visit the house by appointment. Hiking trails include the Perimeter Loop Trail with a 120-foot swinging suspension bridge and the Pittsburgh-Cincinnati Stage Coach Trail, where you can sit on fallen logs to watch the water go by or view nearby cliffs. Nearby John Bryan State Park Campground has a limited number of RV campsites with partial hookups, nine trails, and 18 holes of disc golf.
Dayton Aviation National Historical Park is where the Wright brothers first tested their aircraft. Park rangers offer guided tours of several sites here during the summer, but you can also get in hiking too. RV accommodations are available nearby at multiple nearby locations, including the Dayton KOA Resort and Caesar Creek State Park.
National Forests Near Jackson, Michigan
The Wayne National Forest is actually three main tracts of public land preserves covering over one million acres throughout the Appalachian foothills in the southeastern corner of the state. While close to many urban areas, this is a natural oasis of wetlands and forests where you can go hiking and fishing.
You'll find the Huron-Manistee National Forest on Michigan's Lower Peninsula between the shores of Lakes Huron and Michigan. Nearly one million acres of diverse habitats are bordered to the north by dense forests and to the south by agricultural lands. In the forest, you'll find marshes, bogs, coastal marshlands, fens, oak savannahs, dunes, and dry sand prairie remnants. Cold-water watersheds feature robust trout fishing, and hikers can enjoy over 330 miles of trails. RV-friendly locations close to the park include Soaring Eagle Hideaway RV Park, Everflowing Waters Campgrounds, and Cadillac Woods Campground.
Ottawa National Forest runs from the southern shore of Lake Superior in Wisconsin into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The nearly one million acres of forest have 18 waterfalls. More than 2,000 miles of streams and rivers feed over 500 named lakes, so anglers love it here for ice fishing. Hiking and snowshoeing are also popular activities, along with off-roading. Nearby RV campgrounds include Rohr's Wilderness Campground, West Bay Camping Resort, and Patricia Lake Campground.
