Top 10 Things to do in Marion, United States

Three families owned the Brucemore estate between 1884 and 1981-the Sinclairs, the Douglases, and the Halls. They were business and community leaders during a century of evolution in the Midwest. Caroline Sinclair, widow of pioneer industrialist T.M. Sinclair and mother of six, hired architects Josselyn and Taylor to build the mansion for $55,000 in 1884. In 1906, George Bruce Douglas, of the Quaker Oats and Douglas & Company fortunes, acquired the home with his wife, Irene, transforming the property into a country estate they named Brucemore. In 1937, their daughter, Margaret, inherited Brucemore with her husband, Howard Hall, founder of Iowa Manufacturing and Iowa Steel and Ironworks. The Halls added flair to the estate with famous guests, including Presidents Herbert Hoover and Harry Truman and their exotic pet lion, Leo. Today, Brucemore's 26-acre, park-like estate invites exploration of the site's history, gardens, grounds, and 21-room mansion through a variety of opportunities. The Queen Anne architecture, 1925 Grant Wood Porch, 1929 Skinner pipe organ, and 1930s Grizzly Bar and Tahitian Room reflect the vibrant history of remarkable people. The changes they made to their estate, the impact they had on their community, and the stories they left behind shape our understanding of modern Cedar Rapids, eastern Iowa, and the American Midwest.

Expanded 50,000 sq. ft. building opened in July 2012 with a world-class exhibit "Alphonse Mucha: Inspirations of Art Nouveau" featuring 230 pieces direct from Prague and London. Two other galleries feature rotating exhibitions on the culture, art and history of Czechs and Slovaks. And don't miss the two-room 1880's Czech immigrant house that was home to five generations. See the new museum store filled with European treasures and gifts. Stroll down Czech Village and also visit the exhibition, "Rising Above: the Store of a People and the Flood" located a 87 Sixteenth Ave. SW

Uptown Marion is a collection of more than sixty boutiques, restaurants, and galleries offering personalized services, goods and experiences that are MADE FOR YOU. Whether shopping or dining, let us take care of it all. From your morning latte to evening lager, Uptown Marion offers a full itinerary of for strolling, savoring, and spending hours with friends. It’s all MADE FOR YOU in Uptown Marion.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and a wonderful example of Victorian Italianate architecture, the Granger House Museum is the only restored middle-class family home in Linn County. Occupied by a single family for nearly 100 years, the house contains many of its original furnishings and is arranged to reflect the lifestyle of a successful, late 19th-century middle-class family. Behind the home is an 1879 brick carriage house, the only one of its kind in the Midwest, which contains a variety of artifacts revealing the owner’s involvement with Morgan horses, dairying, and farming.​The museum is open seasonally, but tours for individuals or groups may be scheduled by appointment throughout the year.

With more than 2,000 years of art on display in the heart of Downtown Cedar Rapids, the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art has something to offer everyone!

2016 - Celebrating TEN years in Uptown Marion. We create fine chocolate AND we sell fine chocolate all in one location in beautiful historic Uptown Marion. All our "chocolate insides" are cooked on sight and then hand rolled or cut and then covered in fine milk or dark chocolate. Worth the Drive…. Worth THE walk…. to THE chocolate SHOP.