The Cascades: a glowing waterfall built by one man's dream

Jackson’s most famous landmark isn’t natural — it was built. The Cascades is a giant man-made waterfall that tumbles down a hillside in sixteen steps, lit by thousands of colored lights and set to music on summer nights, with fireworks a few times a season. It was the dream of William “Cap” Sparks, a Jackson businessman who, after seeing a glowing fountain on a trip to Barcelona, decided to build something like it for his hometown. He turned a patch of swampy ground near his house into a park, and the falls opened in 1932 to a huge crowd.

Nearly a century later it’s still running — pumps recycle the water up to the top, where it spills back down past walkways and reflecting pools. You’ll find it in Sparks Foundation County Park (also called Cascades Park) on the south side of town, run by the county parks department. The light shows run evenings from Memorial Day through Labor Day.