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Few small cities are as closely tied to a single American president as Marion. Warren G. Harding ran the local newspaper, the Marion Star, before he was elected in 1920, and he famously campaigned from the front porch of his Mount Vernon Avenue home, where crowds arrived by special trains to hear him speak.
Marion grew as an industrial and railroad town in central Ohio, building steam shovels that helped dig the Panama Canal and later becoming known for popcorn processing. Several rail lines still cross here, and the old Union Station and its interlocking tower draw train watchers. Downtown keeps a solid core of brick commercial blocks and the 1928 Marion Palace Theatre, a restored movie palace that now hosts concerts and films.
The Harding Home and the circular marble Harding Memorial are the main reasons visitors come, joined each September by the Marion Popcorn Festival. Columbus is about an hour south, and the farm country of Delaware and Wyandot counties lies all around.
The 1891 house where Warren and Florence Harding lived and where he ran his 1920 front porch campaign. Guided tours show original furnishings, and a small press house on the grounds served reporters covering the race. A newer presidential museum on the same campus adds more on his life and term.
A restored 1902 brick depot beside a busy junction where several freight lines cross. Volunteers keep a railroad museum here, and the nearby AC Tower and a vintage Erie Lackawanna caboose round out the site. Train watchers gather on the platform to catch the steady freight traffic.
The circular white marble tomb of President Harding and First Lady Florence Harding, ringed by Doric columns and open to the sky at the center. It stands in a landscaped park on the south side of town and was dedicated in 1931. The grounds are free and quiet, and the reflecting pool photographs well.
A one-of-a-kind collection of restored antique popcorn poppers and peanut roasters, including ornate horse-drawn and steam-powered street wagons. It is housed in Heritage Hall, the Marion County Historical Society building, which also covers local history. Hours are limited, so check before you go.
A restored 1928 movie palace with an atmospheric interior that imitates an open-air Spanish courtyard under a night sky. It hosts touring concerts, local theater, classic film nights and holiday shows. Even without a ticket, the marquee on Main Street is a fine sight after dark.
A compact historic district of late 1800s and early 1900s commercial buildings along Main and Center streets, including the ornate Lydia Building. Walk it for local cafes, antique shops and the Palace Theatre, and look for the former Marion Star building connected to Harding's newspaper years.
A large free festival held downtown each September, celebrating the city's long history as a popcorn processing center. Expect a parade, headline concerts, rides, crafts and plenty of popcorn in every flavor. Book a room early, as the town fills up quickly for the festival weekend.
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