Things to do in Marion, Kansas

A picturesque, tree-shaded resort lake amid rolling hills, a huge recreational reservoir, and a state-of- the- art indoor aquatics center combine with quaint antique, arts, crafts, and thrift shops, plus two local bakeries, to make Marion a premier travel destination.

Nestled in a valley along a ridge on the west edge of the Flint Hills, Marion is built around a large central park with historic springs and modern playground. It’s just minutes away from both lakes, from the birthplace of sainthood candidate Emil Kapaun, and from Tall Grass Prairie National Preserve.

Seat of government for a county that at one time extended hundreds of miles west to the Rockies and south to Indian Territory, it includes six sites, one of them a fully restored hotel, on the national and state registers of historic places. It was settled in 1860 after a surveyor accompanying explorer Zebulon Pike declared it “best place I’ve seen.”