Marion, IA’s Recreational Offerings Provide Something for Everybody
There are endless recreational opportunities in Marion – just get out and find what interests you!
Marion residents know there are endless opportunities for all ages to get out and enjoy the outdoors and keep moving. With a vibrant city parks system, daily activities for seniors, numerous athletic programs and classes for age 3 and up, and trails for every hiker, biker and skier, there’s something for everyone here.
In This Article
There’s a Park Near You
There are 19 parks in the Marion Parks and Recreation Department including Taube Park, which hosts the Marion Farmers Market, and Thomas/Legion Park with playgrounds, an ice rink, basketball courts, an 18-hole disc golf course, a sledding hill and splash pads. Willowood Park houses the Marion Municipal Swimming Pool – a popular place on summer afternoons. City Square Park hosts a variety of events year round, such as the Marion Arts Festival, the Swamp Fox Festival and Uptown Marion Markets. Lowe Park is home to many activities for seniors, as well as ball fields, a community garden and greenhouse, and the multiuse Arts and Environment Center and Klopfenstein Amphitheater.
New to Marion’s parks system is Waldo’s Rock Park, which is expected to be completed in 2017 and will include a fishing pond, loop trail, pavilion and a trailhead that connects to the Grant Wood Trail System. Upcoming projects include the CeMar Trail and bridges that will connect downtown Cedar Rapids with Uptown Marion.
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Prairie Paths
There are seven trails for walking, hiking and biking in the city’s system, including the 2.4-mile Boyson Trail along Indian Creek, the new Hannah Park Fitness Trail with eight pieces of outdoor exercise equipment, and the 1.25-mile paved walking and bicycling Lowe Park Trail. And within Linn County’s borders, there are a whopping 20 trails, including the Cedar Rapids Bikeways that feature paved shoulders. Linn County’s 2-mile Prairie Park Trail loops around the Prairie Park Fishery, and groomed cross-country ski trails are found in locations such as Morgan Creek Park, Wickiup Hill Outdoor Learning Center and Matsell Bridge Natural Area.
The Big(ger) Leagues
Marion is just a hop, skip and jump – or about a 20-minute drive – away from Cedar Rapids professional sports teams, including the Kernels minor league baseball, Titans indoor football, Roughriders hockey and the Rampage indoor soccer team.
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Professional Golf in Your Own Backyard
Right here in Marion, the TrueNorth Greater Cedar Rapids Open golf tournament draws thousands of visitors each summer to Marion’s top-rated Hunter’s Ridge Golf Course. While the tournament attracts participants from around the world, the 18-hole course is popular with locals and features a 100-foot elevation change and nine ponds.