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.

Parshallville Grist Mill & Cider Mill is one of my favorite places to visit in the fall. The donuts…read moreand cider are delicious. The cider is naturally sweet but not overwhelmingly so. Like everything else in 2022, prices have increased but are on par with other cider mills I've visited this year. A dozen donuts are $10 and a gallon of cider is $10. The people who run the cider mill are friendly. I believe the owner came outside to say hello to us as we were leaving. The building is historic and there is a nice area around the side of the building to sit and eat and take photos.

Donuts are great, even when it's crowded the wait is never bad. Interior is clean and has a great…read moreselection of food stuff and little items. It is close to 23 and is a nice stop for the family. We like the running water and are ours at the waters edge on the benches there.

My daughters absolutely loved seeking out the fairy doors in Ann Arbor. I discovered a similar door…read moreat the Whitmore Lake post office. And at last count, there are three in the park next door to the post office. :-) Enjoy the magic!

This is my daughter's favorite pastime in Ann Arbor. She loves fairies, mythical creatures,…read morefantasy, and the entire magic of the experience. We love to seek out the tiny treasures around the streets and buildings. You can never be too old for fairies and fun. Over the years we have taken so many pictures of the kids next to the different doors. We were very inspired to purchase our own doors and fairy gardens. It really adds a bit of charm to this city and we are never tired of looking for that bit of joy hidden around the corners or tucked in the stores.

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.

Had a nice time picking blueberries last year, but decided to go for strawberries this year and…read morethey were pitiful. I even called ahead of time and wished I had been warned. The strawberries were extra small and scarce I ended up paying three dollars for a little over a handful mind you they are on sale at Myers three for five and they were huge so I won't be back for strawberries, but I'll go back for blueberries.

This is a nice and good size u-pick farm. The owners are friendly and kind. The produces are well…read moretaken care of and taste good. They only change $2 for a pint of strawberries for u-pick option. We will visit the Harvey's far at least once a month for fresh fruits and vegetables. If you live in Marshall, Battle Creek, or Lansing, the Harvey's far is not too far away. I highly recommend this place for family activities.

I hosted a Meetup for photographic artists on a cold, snowy day here recently, and the photos we…read morecaptured were amazing. Prior to coming here, I had heard that it was overrun with homeless and could be potentially dangerous, but I looked into it and felt it was more than safe, particularly in the winter, when there are less people in the actual alley, if any at all. It's a great spot for something different to add to your portfolio, and we'll likely make it a yearly Meetup here.

Such a cute, fun vibe! So colorful and great to just walk in, but also has great photo…read moreopportunities. Also love to see the local community expressing themselves freely.

Just to put this little place on the map; I dropped through here on a recent trip into southern…read moreMichigan. There are a lot of little places like this along U.S. 12. Little local hobby farms and food shops selling local products and Amish butter. What set this one apart was the U-Pick strawberry field. Now, I'm a big fan of sustainability and advanced horticulture. This little place had it in spades, from their little poultry pen to their biomass pellet furnace. But the real show-stopper was the hydroponic vertical strawberry field. Stacked six pots high and irrigated from the top, this place had it together. NIce modular planting towers and an incredible thing to see. I remember grubbing along the rows of densely crowded strawberries in a conventional field as a kid, dragging along my flat to be filled. This place was a far cry from that back-breaking experience, more like shopping than picking. The place had a great welcoming ambience, with one of the better prices on local apples I'd seen, an inviting little pumpkin stand (a young couple with three small boys were picking theirs out. Definitely an "awwww" moment) and a nice selection of local produce and Amish products like roll butter and bread. Things are a little pricey here, admittedly. It's a tourist kind of place and the prices are indicative of the quality of the produce offered. But sometimes, it's not about the bottom line or finding a simple "bargain." It's about making sure that those who produce excellence can earn a living doing so. Excellence is to be found in abundance here, and its more about acknowledging that effort than anything else.

Four stars for its charming well kept grounds. It is a small tiny town. With one cool coffee shop…read more"Breakfast Club Cafe" that we enjoy tasty lattes. A McDonnald's, Subway, a a few other mom and pop shops.

Small town near my family's lake house. Not much going on, no activity at this time of day. Just a…read morefew people bringing in their dogs to get groomed across the street to Hollywood'd Pet groomers. Not much to write about but nice and peaceful town.

Adrian is home for me and I like living here, primarily for the fact that it is quiet and…read moreuncomplicated. But that means there is also not much to offer in the way of excitement for the visitor. Other than being a lodging town for the activities at nearby Michigan Speedway, we see very few visitors in town. But there are some subtle niceties about Adrian that would interest those hardcore explorers who like to peel back the layers to experience the variety of everyday life in the US. Adrian has little in the way of touristy attractions. The vintage downtown area is a starting point. A two-by-two block area is decently preserved and fun to stroll. In that downtown area you'll find the Croswell Opera House, Michigan's oldest theater. The historic interior is quite lovely and worth a look. For fans of small museums, the Lenawee Historical Museum is a nice stop to acclimate to the history of the area. After that, the festivals are of interest. Artalicious in the summer draws a good crowd from around the region. The four downtown blocks are closed to traffic while booths and artisans line the streets. First Fridays mimics this on a smaller scale but on a more frequent basis (first Friday of each month). Shops typically stay open later on these special days. There's also a Halloween celebration during which local businesses and organizations set up with tables on the downtown sidewalks to give out goodies to the kids. It's also worth mentioning the parks. The River Raisin runs through Trestle Park, which has a nice boardwalk that facilitates strolls through a wetland patch. Comstock Park is quite a sight around the Holidays with end-to-end Christmas Trees that are sponsored by different organizations, families or individuals. Heritage Park is also a nice spot and Riverside Park offers a public pool. In a town of 20,000 people, you'd expect there to be a few good restaurants...and there are. My favorite in town is Fiesta Ranchera which offers tasty Mexican and Tex-Mex fare. You can get some creative burgers and fries at Chomp Burger on the edge of downtown. For comfort food, Tip Top is the...wait for it...top choice. Brenda's is a great Tex-Mex "hole in the wall" downtown. And JRs deserves mention if you like steak. For a nightcap, try Mammoth downtown. For a touch of class, Chaloners cigar bar is a fun spot. While Adrian is not a scintillating place to visit, there are some hidden, low-key things to do that might make it fun to spend a day here. If you're so inclined, hopefully these suggestions are helpful.

The little town of Blissfield is located in the same county in Michigan as our residence (Lenawee…read moreCounty). It's a place that's grown on me over the past couple of years. It's a little isolated as it's nowhere near a freeway (though it's on US223)...but that's part of its charm. We'll occasionally drive here for a half-day of enjoyment. Blissfield is a town of just over 3000 people and nothing of major historical significance has ever occurred here. So it's not a place where you'd expect to find a lot of high-profile things to do. And with that in view, you won't be disappointed or overly surprised to find out that's accurate. Having said that, however, Blissfield is a pleasant place to hang out for a morning or an afternoon. Blissfield's claims to fame, such as they are, are the antiques. While those are the major attractions, there's a bit more to it than that. To create the ambiance for a nice day on the town, strolling the vintage, diminutive one-block downtown area is a great start. As mentioned, there are a couple of antique shops that could keep you occupied for hours if you're into that sort of thing (and we are). There's a small Depot Museum with a few open hours on Saturdays that could be a fun stop. There are also several boutique shops on Lane St. that are worth patronizing. My favorite is The Packrat where you can find some fun stuff. One of the best things to do in Blissfield is to spend time in their two lovely parks, Ellis Park and Bachmeyer Park, that straddle opposite sides of the River Raisin. These parks are also where the River Raisin Festival takes place, with its carnival-like atmosphere. There's a Bluegrass Festival that also takes place in Bachmeyer Park. I've never been to it but have heard good things. There are some good restaurants in town. Lena's serves up good Italian fare. And their canopy-covered side patio is great in the summer. Beckey's offers some great comfort food, especially with the specialty sweet breads that they feature. Blissfield Coney Island downtown also offers comfort fare in a vintage space. Starling Lounge is a good coffee shop by day and a bar by night. And Emmy's Kitchen presents some wonderful baked treats. Because of lack of proximity to a highway and no major business in town, there are no hotels in Blissfield. But there are a couple of B&Bs that are interesting. The H.D. Ellis Inn and the Blissfield Bed and Breakfast both look like nice places to spend a weekend. Blissfield could be a lovely place to spend a bit of time. Hopefully, this review gives some thoughts that could help with that.