Coe House was constructed in 1871 for Henry Van Winkle, who owned and operated a hardware store and farm equipment "dealership" in Grass Lake. In 1953 Archie and Myrta Coe bought the home, and it was from Mrs. Coe, by then a widow, that the Grass Lake Area Historical Society bought the house in 1972. The architecture of the home is Tuscan Vernacular. It has been furnished to represent a typical home of the Victorian Era. A variety of events are scheduled throughout the year, including flea markets, craft shows, music and a heritage celebration.

The Dahlem Environmental Education Center is a place to experience, study and enjoy nature. With five miles of hiking trails containing forests, fields, marshes and ponds, visitors can enjoy a guided hike or experience the natural wonders on their own. A newly resurfaced 3/8 mile trail has been specially redesigned for visitors with limited mobility.  Hands-on interpretive signs will be added in 2013. The Dahlem Center offers year-round educational programs for students and families, including naturalist programs, workshops and special events. The exhibit area and Nutshell Gift Shop are located within the main visitor building. The Nutshell is a great place for outdoor enthusiasts to shop, and is an excellent source for nature-related books, clothing, bird-feeding supplies, jewelry and many other items, including fresh wreaths during the holidays. 

The Dahlem Center may serve as a natural history education center for kids, but it is also known around the state and country for having one of the largest bluebird trails. Birders can capture the songs of Eastern Bluebirds along this well-maintained trail, as well as the harmonies of other migratory songbirds. The annual festival to celebrate these birds is called the Birds, Blooms and Butterflies Festival.

In 1912, Ella Sharp’s farm and home were willed to Jackson for the creation of a park and museum, which opened in 1965. The Ella Sharp Museum features an 1860’s log cabin, the Dibble one-room schoolhouse, country store, print shop, doctor’s office, woodshop and the Merriman Sharp Farmhouse.  The Ella Sharp Museum of Art and History also houses six galleries including the Andrews Gallery of Wildlife Art, the Jackson History Gallery, a clock gallery and three galleries featuring traveling and “in house” exhibitions. Thousands of visitors are drawn each year for the Ella’s major festivals Sugaring & Shearing (spring), Art, Beer & Wine Festival (summer) and Fall Harvest Festival (fall).

Admission to the galleries is free every Saturday.

The Grand Community Room at the Ella Sharp Museum of Art & History is the perfect place for your next grand event. The 3,000-square-foot room features an outdoor patio, catering kitchen, and stage to accommodate a wide variety of uses. A huge, arched window looks out onto the surrounding park and a mid-19th century log house.
   

• Reunions
• Holiday parties
• Weddings
• Seminars
• Annual meetings
• Award ceremonies
• Galas
• Graduation parties
• Rehearsals
• Staff meetings
• Luncheons and banquets
• Dramatic presentations

The Gerald E. Eddy Discovery Center, at the Waterloo Recreation Area, introduces visitors to the fascinating world of geology and to the diverse natural habitats that are found today within Waterloo's 20,000-plus acres. It features Michigan rocks, minerals, fossils, crystals, and glacial information. A variety of programs are offered for school groups as well as the general public. See the website for Weekly Nature Program Schedule.

The Lee Conklin Antique Reed Organ & History Museum proudly displays over 100 fully restored and working antique reed organs. Visitors to the museum are often treated to the beautiful sounds of these antique instruments, as they are in playable condition. The collection includes parlor, cottage and church organs along with elegant rosewood melodeons, some dating as far back as the mid-1800’s. The historical collection includes a turn of the century classroom, barber shop, library, printing press and telephone switchboard. The museum building itself, once Hanover High School, was designated a Michigan Historical Site in 2000 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. The museum is owned and operated by the Hanover-Horton Area Historical Society. Special events include Rust N' Dust Days, Fourth of July Tractor Pulls and October Corn Mazes. 

The Heritage Park Event Center hosts monthly concerts called Bluegrass Bonanza and is also great place to hold your next gathering. Whether you are expecting a small crowd or a full house the event center can accommodate your needs. There are two rooms available. The small meeting room features a classroom style space that holds 44 people maximum and includes the use of the kitchen. The large meeting space is also available for rent and also includes the use of the kitchen. If you are interested in renting either room, please contact the Hanover-Horton Area Historical Society office at 517-563-8927.

Group tours are welcome.  The buildings and restrooms are handicapped accessible except for the 2nd floor of the museum. Please allow 1.5 hours for the tour. Please visit their website for more information on group tours.

More than 50 Boone and Crockett world record buck racks are on display at the museum, along with Michigan’s record holder. Visitors can see and feed the live deer seven days a week, year round. Also, see one of the country's largest chainsaw and farm museums.

Located within Ella Sharp Park, the planetarium’s primary goal is to be an educational facility, targeting students from the Jackson Public Schools and the surrounding school districts and colleges. Public Astronomy shows are presented under the 30-foot dome throughout the year as well as laser light shows throughout the month of July.

The Mann House is an excellent example of typical middle-class domestic architecture of the early 1880s. Built in 1883, the Mann House is now a museum operated by the Michigan Historical Center. It is furnished with the 19th century heirlooms of the Mann family including the family's sleigh, buggy, and many household implements. Caretakers recreate holiday celebrations by decorating and arranging the museum as it would have been seen during those times. A marbleized slate fireplace, peculiar catch-release doorknobs, and eight rooms of period furniture adorn the two-story house. Admission to Mann House is free.

Sheridan Stewart was born on his family’s Centennial Farm in Tompkins Township on November 7, 1917. He attended Tomkins Center School in the Village, graduated from Jackson High school in 1935, and was a graduate of Michigan State University in Agriculture Science.
Sheridan was always a very community oriented citizen, serving many years as Trustee on the Township Board, a longtime member of the Tompkins Cemetery Association, and a member of Tompkins Grange.  His main interests in life were farming, hunting and the stock market.  He described himself as, “a farmer and an investor”.
In his final years he made the decision to leave his 175-acre family Centennial Farm to the Township of Tompkins to be used for a possible building site for a new Town Hall and fire station, with the balance to be developed into recreational facilities, including ball fields, soccer fields, nature trails, a Township museum and other public activities.
This 175-acre Centennial Farm is said to be the largest acreage ever donated to any Township in the State of Michigan.
The Tompkins Historical Society, and the people of the Township, gratefully acknowledge his generous contributions to the public interest.
Today the Tompkins Historical Society has restored the family home into a museum open to the public for tours and special events.  Improvements continue on the property to restore buildings, develop nature trails and recently the addition of a pavilion and school house.

The museum offers a vivid look into 19th century pioneer life. Costumed tour guides take visitors through a 10-room farmhouse built by a German immigrant and seven additional outbuildings. Displays of tools, clothing, furnishings, and decorations depict the era’s farm life.

Antique and Classic cars are surrounded by a spectacular display of original gas and oil pieces.  Several rare "one and only" Jackson made cars are housed here, as well as other Jackson memories.  Features 40 cars, with 15 made in Jackson and 5 one and onlys. A 1915 Soda Bar is the setting for the unusual collection of Coca~Cola memorabilia.  Pedal Cars are found throughout the museum and in the Toy Room.

The facility can seat up to 65 people in the front hall and another 40 in the Coca-Cola room.