12 Best Things To Do In Marion, Illinois

1. Williamson County Historical Museum

This red brick establishment was built in 1913 and originally served as a county jail and sheriff’s home. It was in 1972, after the new jail was completed, that the Williamson County Historical Society received the building for a museum. Williamson County Historical Museum is now a research center for genealogy and a historical research library. It features artifacts, antiques, and records of a bygone era. It houses exhibits of old-fashioned school rooms, old clothing, military uniforms, displays of period furniture, tools, entertainment, and more in 17 rooms.

The building is accessible to the public via tours and research during posted hours of operation.

Williamson County Historical Museum

Address: 105 S Van Buren St, Marion, IL 62959

Website: Williamson County Historical Museum

Opening hours: Wed - Fri: 12pm - 5pm; Sat: 10am - 5pm (closed from Sun - Tue)

2. Harry L. Crisp Sports Complex

This facility hosts cross-country meets, soccer games, and tennis matches. Are these your favorite sports? Harry L. Crisp Sports Complex is worthy to check out if that’s the case. Should you just want to relax and unwind, you can still do so as the area is a popular family destination for recreation. Folks go here for the great walking and jogging track, playground for the kids, and the outdoor amphitheater. The best time to visit the complex is early morning to avoid the huge crowd.

Harry L. Crisp Sports Complex

Address: 1606 S Carbon St, Marion, IL 62959

Opening hours: Mon: 10am - 10pm; Tue - Wed: 10am - 8pm; Thu: 10am - 10pm; Fri - Sat: 10am - 5pm; Sun: 12pm - 5pm

3. Pyramid Park

If you like big spaces, people watching and parks full of young and active people, then Pyramid Park is definitely one of the Marion, Illinois, attractions you should go to. There is a playground, two softball fields, and its main attraction, Skate Park. There are also restrooms located in the park and many grilling spots, so it’s a perfect place to go for a family afternoon on fresh air. The park has its own parking lot.

Pyramid Park

Address: 1300 Bevabeck Drive

Website: Pyramid Park

4. Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge

If you really like nature and enjoy seeing a lot of wildlife in their natural habitat, then the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge is a place for you. Their main goal is wildlife conservation, which is protecting, enhancing and managing natural resources. But they also have a couple of other purposes: agricultural, industrial and recreational.

Some of the wild species you can see while visiting the refuge are the bobcat, wild turkey or bald eagle. It is a very interesting and educational place to visit. They also provide many fun visitor activities, like fishing, wildlife seeing, and photography and you can even camp there.

Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge

Address: 8588 IL-148, 62959 Marion, IL

Website: Crab Orchard

5. Marion Carnegie Library

For every book lover, Marion Carnegie Library is a must-do. Their collection exceeds 75,000 items and the whole library has over 1,200 square meters (13,000 square feet). Everybody will find there something for themselves and, if not, they can at least spend some time among many, many interesting books.

The library was opened to the public in 1916 and stands on the site of the former “Grandma Cline” residence. The story is that Grandma Cline haunts the library. If you’re into that kind of thing, you need to look it up.

Marion Carnegie Library

Address: 206 S Market St, 62959 Marion, IL

Website: Library

6. Mandala Gardens

Another pretty place on our list, Mandala Gardens will be a good place to go for everybody who likes spending some time surrounded by flowers and trees. During that little but magical adventure, you can explore many pathways and discover cute hidden benches, spend some time with goats, chickens, and ducks, or admire amazing stonework by a local artist. During the season you can also purchase fresh, colorful vegetables and herbs. Mandala Gardens are especially recommended in the fall.

Mandala Gardens

Address: 1704 North State St, 62959 Marion, Illinois

Website: The Gardens

7. Rent One Park

I mentioned that Marion is a home to the baseball team called the Southern Illinois Miners, right? Well, every baseball team needs a stadium. Rent One Park was built in 2007. It’s especially worth a visit because of its unusual look, void of green steel and red brick, and especially because of the roof, that slopes down to the field. Thanks to that feature, if you’re lucky enough to go watch a game, you may have a chance to catch a ball.

Rent One Park Stadium

Address: 1000 Miners Drive, 62959 Marion, IL

Website: The stadium

8. Little Egypt Off-road Motorcycle Club

Now, here’s a little different field of interest if you keep thinking about what to do in Marion, Illinois. If you’re a fan of motorcycles, or by chance, you’re in Marion on your own off-road bike, you must go to the Little Egypt Off-Road Motorcycle Club. There are 360 hectares (900 acres) of all types of terrain, giving plenty of opportunities for an amazing bike/ATV adventure! And if you don’t have your own machine and still want to go have some fun, you should check out their upcoming events.

Little Egypt Off-road Motorcycle Club

Address: 20439 Ranch Ln, 62959 Marion, IL

Website: Motorcycle Club

9. Ray Fosse Park

If you’re visiting Marion with your kids, little cousins or younger siblings, the little ones will for sure enjoy a one-day visit to the Ray Fosse Park. You’ll find a playground, tennis courts, baseball fields, batting cages, Goofy Golf and a very nice Aquatic Centre. Thanks to the picnic shelters and tables, the adults will have a place to enjoy some food or a refreshing drink while the kiddos are having fun.

Ray Fosse Park

Address: 500 E Deyoung St, 62959 Marion, IL

Website: Ray Fosse Park

10. Emery Bros Skating Rink

Emery Brothers Skating Rink is a nice place to go spend some time if you or any of your travel companions are into roller skating. Or if you just wanna have a fun night with your friends. They offer public skating sessions, but you can also rent the entire rink out for a private event. They’re open seasonally from August to May. The admission and rental price vary from 4.50 to 5 USD.

Emery Brothers Skating Rink

Address: 1700 N Court St, 62959 Marion, IL

Website: Skating Rink

11. The HUB Recreation Center

Are you staying in Marion and the weather sucks and you don’t feel like sitting in the hotel the whole day? Or maybe you just want a nice fitness day during your stay? If so, then go to the HUB Recreation Center.

In that 6,000-square-meter (64,000-square-foot) building, you can enjoy some time in the water, either just playing in the pool or doing some serious laps. You can also play some basketball or volleyball or just go and sweat a little bit at the gym. Whatever your desire is, you’ll find it there.

The HUB Recreation Center

Address: 917 W. Main Street, 62959 Marion, IL

Website: The Recreation Center

12. Kokopelli Golf Club

But if that kind of sweaty activity isn’t a thing for you, don’t worry! I have something different to finish off our list: Kokopelli Gold Club. That high quality, affordably priced facility had its place on the list of best places where you can play by Golf Week Magazine. There’s also a restaurant where you can enjoy a nice lunch after a good game.

Kokopelli Golf Club

Address: 1527 Champions Dr, 62959 Marion, IL

Website: Golf Club

Good fun in Illinois

It doesn’t matter what kind of sports fan you are (if you are) or if you prefer nice nature walks or prefer spending a night roller skating. It also doesn’t matter if you’re an adult or a child, Marion has something interesting for everybody.