Beautiful Marion, KY

 

The rolling hills of Crittenden County are home to Kentucky's largest Amish Community with a population of over five hundred. Cabinetry, furniture, baked goods and bulk foods as well as seasonal items such as plants, vegetables, pumpkins and gourds can be purchased from individual Amish families.

While visiting the Amish Community take your car on a boat ride across the Ohio River on the Cave in Rock Ferry. A free ferry runs continuous from the Kentucky side of the Ohio River to the southern Illinois town of Cave in Rock. Hours of operation are from 7:00 am to 10:00 pm.

Marion is a bustling town with quaint shops that sell many beautiful handmade items, antique malls, delightful restaurants and coffee shops. The friendly people are always willing to visit and extend the Southern hospitality for which they are famous.

Marion is home to the Clement Mineral Collection (check out the Mineral Show here), a "World Class" Collection of Kentucky and Illinois Flourite. The crystal specimens range in weight from a fraction of an ounce to hundreds of pounds. Each was a rare accidental find among regular ore bodies, and was brought from deep underground and preserved. The museum host several mineral digs through out the year and the Annual Gem & Mineral Show the first weekend of June each year.

A variety of  lodging is offered through out the area, you may chose from a delightful Bed & Breakfast, a quaint cottage, campground or a lodge big enough to accommodate large groups. Be assured you will find an accommodation to fit your needs.

The area is home to the second largest whitetail deer population in Kentucky. Hunters enjoy the safety of   hunting on private lands leased for hunting opportunities. Wild Turkeys are also in abundance, but challenge even the best hunter during the spring hunting season.

The community is host to several events through out the year which attract world wide visitors. The most notable is the Backroads Tour and Festival held each April in conjunction with the American Quilters Society National Quilt Show held in Paducah the third week of April each year. Visitors take the self guided tour of the Amish Community, visit craft vendors at Marion Commons and view quilts display by local quilters and collectors. The Highway 60 Yard sale brings yard sellers to hunt for bargains along the 200 mile yard sale held the first weekend of October each year. Christmas in Marion is a pre season craft show held annually at Historic Fohs Hall the third Saturday in October. Early Christmas shoppers find hand craft ranging from baskets, jewelry, decorating items and candles at Christmas in Marion.

Make Your First Stop in Marion The Welcome Center located at 213 South Main St., Marion KY 42064.

Contact the Tourism Office by phone at 270-965-5015 or by e-mail. 

Fohs Hall

Recognizing that the arts are much more than crafts, a ballet, or a symphony, the Fohs Hall Community Arts Foundation (CAF) intends that its projects include many types of art-related activities for all kinds of people. Indeed, CAF is an arts education program designed cooperatively between the school system and the community to promote an appreciation of and an involvement with the arts, including special emphasis on meeting the cultural needs of a cross-section of the community.

The arts can allow all people to express themselves by developing special talents, to become more aware of themselves and their feelings, to become more sure of themselves, as well as becoming aware of their potential, to more effectively and positively communicate with others, and to develop better attitudes toward the quality of life that the community offers.

Fohs Hall Community Arts Foundation, which is located in historic Fohs Hall in Marion, Kentucky has a stated purpose to encourage an appreciation of the arts and to motivate an active involvement with the arts by the people of Marion and Crittenden County. This is accomplished by offering these individuals convincing and wide ranging experiences with the arts, varying from dance and drama to crafts and photography. Relative to this, CAF promotes the ongoing development of a strong arts curriculum within the schools and a structured means for coordinating and utilizing community resources, as well as its most important resource – the people – in developing a lasting arts program.

Make Your First Stop in Marion The Welcome Center located at 213 South Main St., Marion KY 42064.

Contact the Tourism Office by phone at 270-965-5015 or by e-mail. 

Amish Tour & Backroads Festival

When	Friday, April 25 – Saturday, April 26, 2014
Where	213 South Main St. Marion, KY
	Self guided tour of the Amish Community, Quilt Shows, Arts & Crafts, Museum Tours, Antique Shops & Fine Dining For information contact 270-965-5015

Make Your First Stop in Marion The Welcome Center located at 213 South Main St., Marion KY 42064. Contact the Tourism Office by phone at 270-965-5015 or by e-mail.

ATTRACTIONS In Marion KY

There's ALWAYS something to do in Marion
Fohs Hall 201 N. Walker St. 270-965-3529	Fohs Hall was built by Julius Fohs, an internationally-know geologist, and given to the city of Marion and the Board of Education in 1926. The two-story building with four Ionic columns flanking the main entrance contains a large auditorium and meeting rooms. The building's limestone foundation is an earthquake-resistant style of masonry often seen in Peru. The building was selected as a Kentucky Landmark in June of 1981, and it was accepted on the National Register of Historic Places in May of 1982. View Website
Wheeler Log Cabin Hwy 91 N	Wheeler Cabin Built in 1835, this two-story log cabin is one of Crittenden County's oldest homes. Barbara Wheeler's Log Cabin Shop features primitive antiques, herb gardens, fruit trees and a glimpse into days gone by. She's happy to answer your questions about Kentucky frontier life. It all awaits you on Hwy 91 N., just six miles north of town. Open Wednesdays 10-4, Mid April through Late October.
Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum 205 N Walker St. 270-965-4263	Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum houses an outstanding collection of minerals, gemstones, carvings, period journals, photographs, mining tools and other items. The collection has been visited by various authorities on minerals and is believed to be one of the finest in existence. The Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum, Inc. was formed in June 1990 to make the attraction something that would generate outside interest in the mineral and mining heritage of West Kentucky.    View Website
Crittenden County Historical Museum 124 E Bellview St. 270-965-9257	The Crittenden County Historical Museum is housed in the oldest church in Marion, built in 1881, which includes the original pulpit, balcony and stained glass windows. Among the hundreds of local items on display are a large military collection dating back to the Civil War; a 200 year old loom; spinning wheels; a large collection of farm related items; the old telephone switchboard; vintage Marion photos, clothing and accessories dating back to the early 1900's; papers and memorabilia from Marion's two United Sates senators, as well as toys showing the everyday life of the county. View Website
Trail of Tears	Our Native American heritage includes mound sites and thousands of years of habitation. The Ohio River was part of a Native trade route stretching from western New York down to the Caribbean.The northern route of the Trail of Tears comes through the county. While the historical route passes just south and west of Marion, the Auto Route designated by the National Parks System comes through the center of town, marked by distinctive road signs.
Cave in Rock Ferry Hwy 91N	Cave-In-Rock Ferry, one of two ferries still running on the Ohio River, is open seven days a week, and it's free!
Amish Community	While the Amish Community is a recent addition to the Marion area (1977), they're a visibile and distinctive part of county life.
The Outlaw Trail	The Outlaw Trail was once the treacherous road from Marion to Ford's Ferry. Named for county ferry operator, innkeeper, and justice of the peace "Big Jim" Ford, who moonlighted as a bandit chief, Ford's Ferry Road is a now quiet, scenic backroad, where your most dangerous encounter will be with an Amish produce stand. Jesse and Frank James (left) and the Cole Younger Gang were regular visitors to the area.
The Courthouse Gazebo	The Courthouse Gazebo, site of free summer concerts
Marion Country Club  651 Blackburn Street 270-965-1604	9 hole golf course open to the public
Riverview Park 411 State Route 387	Riverview Park at Dam 50 features Seven full service RV hookups, primitive camping, three picnic pavilions, boat ramp, and playground equipment.

Crittenden County Historical Museum

The Crittenden County Historical Museum opens  tomorrow April 2nd.  Hours are Wed.-Sat. 10:00 until 3:00.
The Crittenden County Historical Museum is housed in the oldest church in Marion, built in 1881.  Located at 124 East Bellville Street. The interior of the Church includes the original wood floors, pulpit, balcony and stain glass windows. Among the hundreds of local items on display is a large collection of military uniforms and service-related articles, dating back to the Civil War; a 200 year old loom; spinning wheels; a large collection of farm related items; the bell from the county's first court house; church bells with funeral toller; old telephone switchboard; a large collection of old Marion photos; vintage clothing and accessories dating back to the early 1900's; papers and memorabilia from Marion's two United Sates senators; memorabilia, pictures and histories of many of the one room school houses. Special tours in the off-season can be arranged. email us! A few of Kentucky's Hidden Treasures... Civil War artifacts Communion sets from Marion's oldest churches Military items from the Civil War to Desert Storm. Spinning wheels, looms, household items ...and some old friends!   Make Your First Stop in Marion the Welcome Center located at 213 South Main St., Marion KY 42064. Contact the Tourism Office by phone at 270-965-5015 or by e-mail.