Irish Hills
The Irish Hills is an area of land located roughly in southeastern Jackson County and northwest Lenawee County in Southeast Michigan. Its name comes from the Irish immigrants who settled there from 1830 until 1850. It is known throughout the state for its scenery, especially in the summer, with its hills and larger kettle lakes surrounding the Hayes State Park. It is also known for its chain of smaller kettle lakes along US Highway 12 that link to Cambridge Junction Historic State Park which adjoins the Michigan International Speedway.
The Irish Hills has a number of resorts including Evans Lake Resort. Real Estate marketers describe the Irish Hills as a resort area. Regarding tourism, the Irish Hills offers a modest amount of "tourist trapping," with its scenery, state parks, and lakes as the main attractions. It had several family-oriented locations, including an old west theme park known as Stagecoach Stop USA and a mock dinosaur exhibit named Prehistoric Forest. Both of which subsequently closed. In 2013 however, Stagecoach Stop was reopened as a resort, and is now called Stagecoach Stop Western Resort.
As of 2015, Mystery Hill, which is a gravity hill, is still in operation. Attempts are being made to save the observation towers known as the Irish Hills Towers. The Irish Hills is home to several family-owned restaurants and bars. There are several places to lodge, mostly on lakefront areas. The Michigan International Speedway hosts NASCAR races with about 300,000 fans a year during the racing season of June and August, and the Faster Horses Festival in July visiting the Irish Hills.
Some towns in the Irish Hills include Brooklyn, Napoleon, Norvell and Onsted.
