Jackson TN is a great addition to Nashville or Memphis. Music history and family attractions are abundant in this area.
Brooksie’s Restaurant offers a wide variety of seafood and pasta dishes. This eatery is a hotspot for special occasion dinners and date nights.
1. Tennessee Legends of Music Museum
Sandwiched between hotbeds of country & western and the blues, Jackson’s own music heritage gets its due at the Tennessee Legends of Music Museum, a Carnegie-built museum housed in Downtown Jackson. Showcasing memorabilia that ranges from blues harmonica player Sonny Boy Williamson’s first guitar to Carl Perkins’ emergence as rockabilly royalty, the museum offers an excellent overview of the city’s musical roots.
Nearby Casey Jones Village, named for railroad engineer and folk hero Casey Jones, includes a railroad museum, restaurants and a 2,500-capacity performance venue. Also on-site is the aptly-named Train Depot, which features a model train track and a caboose. Stop by the Downtown Farmers Market to sample local produce, or Shelia’s Sweet Secrets to try strawberry cream cheese roll. Car aficionados will want to check out Rusty Robinson’s TV and Movie Car Museum, a family-friendly exhibit that showcases the cars that you may recognize from your favorite movies.
2. Hard Rock Cafe
The founder of Hard Rock Cafe is Jackson native Isaac Tigrett, who along with Peter Morton, started the popular theme restaurant chain in 1971. His story isn’t the typical tale of a man from a low-income family who became wealthy.
Jackson’s Hard Rock Cafe can be found in the Columns Shopping Center. Guests can enjoy pit-smoked barbecue and other southern favorites. The menu includes ribs, pulled pork, chicken, and more. The restaurant also features an eclectic array of salads, pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, and seafood dishes.
Sakura Restaurant on Carriage House Drive offers authentic Japanese and pan-Asian cuisine in north Jackson. The menu includes appetizers like edamame and miso soup, as well as fresh sushi, noodle dishes, and fried rice. Don’t forget to save room for dessert!
3. Tina Turner Museum
Tina Turner’s Museum is housed in a one room schoolhouse built by her great uncle. It was originally called Flagg Grove School and represents the rural schools that African-American children attended in West Tennessee following the Civil War.
Outlaw-Clark reports that the museum has seen a surge of visitors since Turner’s passing, even staying open late for fans to pay their respects. She hopes that the upcoming Exit 56 Blues Fest will draw even more people to the museum, which is free for all attendees.
A visit to the Tina Turner Museum is a must for music lovers and those who want to get a feel for west Tennessee’s Delta region. The museum is a great addition to any itinerary focusing on Tennessee’s pioneering music.
4. Rockwell Nature Park
A must-visit for history buffs, Rockwell Nature Park is located on another of Tennessee’s century farms and is home to an array of animals. You can drive through and visit the petting zoo or walk around and feed the animals.
A scenic cypress forest is the highlight of this Jackson attraction, which features a mile-long boardwalk trail. In this peaceful park, you can visit the 25-acre Wood Duck Lake or Killdeer Pond, and see herons, deer, and beavers.
Located in the heart of Downtown Jackson, this market offers local produce, meat and dairy products to visitors who enjoy fresh foods from the heartland. Locals and tourists from Nashville and Memphis love to visit the market, making it an excellent addition to any day trip itinerary.
5. Carl Perkins Civic Center
Named after a legendary country music singer, the Carl Perkins Civic Center is a multifaceted venue that hosts concerts, stage shows and other events. The Carl Perkins Civic Center is home to the Jackson Symphony, the Miss Tennessee Pageant and other events. The venue has seating for a symphony or stage show. It also offers movable partitions that can be used to divide the lower level of the venue into smaller conference and meeting spaces.
