Leaving Jackson Platform 517, Car #29 will take you on a ride back in time. This Express Route from Jackson to the spur of Wolf Lake, and into Grass Lake, will immerse you in history, STEM based learning, and family fun.
We’re excited to share with kids and adults alike this interactive virtual reality experience. Organic conversation will narrate the local story of one of the most innovative, yet forgotten times, in our history.
Digitally enhanced historical footage brings the past life on window displays, as you take the casual and smooth ride inside Car #29 from downtown Jackson to the Wolf Lake Casino Spur, and into Grass Lake, as you return home from shopping downtown to prepare for the Wolf Lake Casino’s weekend Vaudeville show and music.
From its creation in late 1800, each car cost $ 13,400 to build and cost the rider 5 cents. Boasting 10,000 riders in a single day, the Interurban Railway was the way to travel in the early 1900’s. As we restore Car #29 into a Virtual Reality Experience, creating ADA barrier free access for all, yet honoring all the historical integrity, we need your support more than ever.
This STEM based project, with a budget boasting $ 300,000 will turn the museum into a hot destination! Acting as both an eastern gateway to Jackson County and the western gateway to Washtenaw County, your support has put Grass Lake back on the map with one of the only ADA accessible Interurban Virtual Reality experiences in the country.
The Virtual Reality Project is now Open.
Take a brief teaser ride on the Boland Express by clicking on the picture below. You'll have to come to the Museum to see the remaining 9 minutes of the ride.
Our Thanks to the Michigan Arts & Culture Council for its restoration support and assistance in creating the Boland Express experience.
