The annual Walkway of Lights gives Marion a seasonal reason to visit. Also on offer are trails and parks, a museum featuring local and county history, and Splash House. When planning your trip, it’s worth deciding first what you want to focus on: the lights are a winter attraction, while the Riverwalk, Greenway, museum and water park each offer a different experience.
Walkway of Lights: Lights Along a Long Route
The Walkway of Lights features more than two and a half million lights along a route of over two miles. It starts at Ballard Field, passes through downtown and along River Drive, and ends in a winter wonderland surrounding the Gardens of Matter Park. Its length and route make the display more than a single viewing spot: it extends through several areas of the city. Since this is a recurring annual seasonal attraction, check the dates for the relevant season if the lights are the reason for your trip.
Riverwalk and Cardinal Greenway
The Mississinewa Riverwalk is a paved 2.25-mile footpath. It starts at Washington Street Bridge and 1st Street and continues to the fishing pond in Matter Park. This offers a different kind of route from the seasonal light display: here, the paved surface and clearly identified start and end points matter. The two route lengths are of a similar scale, but describe different experiences and should not be confused when planning.
Along the Riverwalk, visitors pass several public parks. These include playgrounds and a splash area, as well as shelters with seating and open grills. Historic monuments and benches with memorial plaques add further points of interest. The route thus connects the footpath with various park areas and memorial sites; these facilities and features provide additional stops along the way, without any one activity defining the entire route.
The Cardinal Greenway runs directly alongside Hogin Park and is suitable for cycling, hiking and skating. This provides another option for outdoor activity, with different activities listed than for the Mississinewa Riverwalk. When planning your time outdoors, you can distinguish between a paved footpath with designated endpoints and a route for cycling, hiking or skating.
Local History and Water Park
The Marion Public Library Museum preserves the history of Marion and Grant County through exhibits and artifacts. A Crosley automobile manufactured in Marion is also on display. The vehicle links a specific exhibit to local history, while the other exhibits and artifacts focus on Marion and the county. For travelers interested in history, the museum is a destination in its own right, alongside the trails and seasonal lights.
Splash House adds a water park to the list of options. Its listed attractions include a lazy river, two racing slides, the “Big Flush” slide, a large wave pool and a children’s area with a splash mat and a large water bucket. The variety of pools and slides makes the water park a very different activity from a footpath or museum visit. Since operating details can change, check them before visiting.
Plan Your Stay Around Your Priorities
When looking for a hotel in Marion, it helps to decide first what brings you to the area. If the lights are your main focus, plan around the season. For outdoor trails, you can choose between the Riverwalk and Cardinal Greenway based on their respective routes and activities; for local history or a water park, the museum and Splash House are separate destinations. This lets you choose what to focus on without combining the different offerings into a single itinerary.
Discover more destinations: Gas City.
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