Marion is a city in West Central Ohio and is the county seat of Marion County, Ohio. It is home to the Marion Popcorn Festival, an annual event that is held in September, the weekend following Labor Day every year in downtown Marion.

Understand

Downtown Marion, on W. Center St. looking west.

Visitor information

• Marion Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, 198 West Center Street, ☏ +1 740-389-9770, toll-free: +1-800-371-6688. 

Get in

By plane

• John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH ^IATA) in Columbus has direct flights from most major American cities.
• 1 Marion Municipal Airport (MNN  ^IATA). A General aviation airport. (updated Nov 2018)

By car

• U.S. Route 23, Marion can be accessed by U.S. Route 23 which provides access to Delaware and Columbus to the south and Toledo to the northwest.
• Ohio State Route 4 runs through Marion and its historic downtown business district. It provides access to Richwood, Marysville, Springfield and Dayton to the southwest and Bucyrus and Sandusky to the northeast.
• Ohio State Route 95 runs through the city of Marion and its historic downtown business district. It provides access to the village of La Rue to the west and Mount Gilead and Interstate 71 to the east.
• Ohio State Route 309 runs through the city of Marion and its historic downtown business district. It provides access to the cities of Galion and Mansfield to the northeast and the cities of Kenton and Lima to the northwest.
• Ohio State Route 423 runs through the city of Marion and its historic downtown business district. It provides access to the village of Waldo to the south and U.S. Route 23 near Morral to the north.
• Ohio State Route 739 begins in the city of Marion at Ohio State Route 4. It provides access to Honda of America and Marysville to the southwest.

By bus

Greyhound provides service to Marion. The bus station is located at 137 S State St.

Get around

• Marion Area Transit (MAT), ☏ +1 740-382-9850. Marion Area Transit (MAT) provides local bus and taxi service and is also the area Greyhound Passenger and freight agent. (updated May 2017)

See

Warren G. Harding Memorial

• 1 Harding Home and Tomb, 380 Mount Vernon Ave, toll-free: +1-800-600-6894. (Home), Vernon Heights Blvd. (Tomb) The Warren G. Harding home contains almost all original furnishings owned by the 29th President of the United States. Seasonal hours.  
• 2 Marion Palace Theater and May Pavilion, ☏ +1 740-383-2101. This rare jewel's architecture is just as fascinating as the acts on stage. The Palace Theatre is a must-see site in central Ohio and on the National Register of Historic Places. With Spanish architectural designs, guests are transported into an outdoor palace courtyard. The original 1928 cloud machine and blue sky with twinkling stars gives an open-air feel. Eberson's masterful technique for the atmospheric style is on full display throughout the theatre. You can learn all about the Marion Palace, its designer, John Eberson, and the unique architectural design of the atmospheric theatre--a movie palace. A book that explores the design of the Palace, the life of John Eberson and his theatres, written by Scott Hoffman, "A Theatre History of Marion, Ohio--John Eberson's Palace and Beyond," is on sale in the Palace box office. (updated Mar 2015)

Marion Cemetery

• 3 Marion County Courthouse. Historic sandstone courthouse building built in 1884. (updated Nov 2018)
• 4 Wyandot Popcorn Museum (Heritage Hall). (updated Nov 2018)
• 5 Marion County Historical Society. Operates several historical sites and small museums. (updated Nov 2018)
• The Huber Machinery Museum, 220 E Fairground St, ☏ +1 740-387-9233. Sa 1-4PM. (updated Nov 2018)
• 6 Caledonia Bowstring Bridge. A historic, but abandoned and overgrown iron bridge in nearby Caledonia. An interesting site for Urbex. If you go to visit, do not touch or use the bridge. (updated Nov 2018)
• Marion Cemetery Merchant Family Grave. A grave with a mysterious rotating sphere. (updated Dec 2018)

Do

Palace Theatre

• 1 Marion Popcorn Festival (downtown Marion), ☏ +1 740-387-3378. Annually the weekend following Labor Day in September. (updated Feb 2020)
• 2 Marion Palace Theater, 276 W Center St (from 23 take 309W, go thru downtown, Palace is on right), ☏ +1 740-383-2101. M-F 9AM-5PM. Built in 1928, the theatre was designed by John Eberson. Renovated in 1975 and 2015, this atmospheric theatre is the center for the performing arts in central Ohio. The Marion Palace presents an annual season of 3 to 4 touring artists, small concerts in its pavilion venue, and a 4-program educational theatre series for schoolchildren. During the off-season and at other times during the year when the theatre would otherwise be dark, amateur theatre and high school productions use the venue. The theatre, designed as a movie palace, also exhibits digital motion pictures. The pavilion venue is also available for rent for weddings and meetings.  
• 3 Marion County Fairgrounds & Veterans Memorial Coliseum. (updated Nov 2018)
• Groundhog day with Buckeye Chuck. February 2nd. Marion hosts Buckeye Chuck, a groundhog used to predict the arrival of spring. A smaller event than the one in Punxsutawney. (updated Feb 2020)

Learn

OSU at Marion

• 1 The Ohio State University at Marion, 1465 Mount Vernon Ave, ☏ +1 614-292-9133. (updated Nov 2018)
• 2 Marion Technical College, 1467 Mount Vernon Ave, ☏ +1 740-389-4636.  
• 3 Tri-Rivers Career Center, 2222 Marion-Mt. Gilead Rd, ☏ +1 740-389-4681. (updated Sep 2019)

Buy

There are a number of branded outlets north of the Ohio State Marion.

• Marion Centre (formerly Southland Mall), 1509 Marion-Waldo Rd, ☏ +1 740-389-5785, fax: +1 740 389-4148. M-Sa 10AM-9PM, Su noon-6PM. 

Eat

• 1 Carlyle's. (updated Sep 2019)

Drink

There are plenty of choices for alcohol. Most grocery stores carry it, as well as the gas stations, drive-throughs and convenience stores.

• 1 Ralphies Sports Eatery. (updated Sep 2019)

Sleep

• 1 Super 8 Marion OH, 2117 Marion-Mt. Gilead Rd, ☏ +1 740-389-1998, fax: +1 740 389-2017. 
• America's Best Value Inn by Vantage Marion Ohio, 1952 Marion-Mt. Gilead Rd, ☏ +1 740-389-4671, fax: +1 740-725-8202. 
• 2 Holiday Inn & Suites. (updated Sep 2019)
• 3 Fairfield Inn. (updated Sep 2019)
• 4 Comfort Inn. (updated Sep 2019)
• 5 County Inn & Suites. (updated Sep 2019)

Connect

• 4 Marion Post Office, 230 Barks Rd. W, ☏ +1 740-389-4621. M-F 8:30AM-5PM, Sa 9AM-1PM. (updated Sep 2019)
• 5 Marion Public Library, 445 E. Church St, ☏ +1 740-387-0992. M-Th 9AM-9PM, F Sa 9AM-5:30PM. The main branch of the Marion Public Library offers free internet access, although you may have to obtain a library card first. (updated Apr 2020)

Stay safe

Dial 911 from any telephone for emergency police, medical, and fire services.

Cope

Hospitals

• 6 Marion General Hospital, 1000 McKinley Park Dr, ☏ +1 740-383-8400. (updated Sep 2019)

Newspapers

• The Marion Star. The only daily newspaper published in the Marion area. (updated Sep 2019)

Go next

• Delaware is about 35 minutes south on U.S. Route 23.
• Columbus is about an hour south on U.S. Route 23.

Routes through Marion

Toledo ← Upper Sandusky ←	N  S	→ Delaware → Columbus
END ← Jct W E ←	W  E	→ Jct N → Mount Gilead → Wooster
Lima ← Kenton ←	W  E	→ Galion → Mansfield