Marion is the county seat of McDowell County in the North Carolina mountains, sitting between Lake Lure and Asheville on the edge of the Pisgah National Forest.
Main Street is the center of town life, with bookstores, antiques shops, and the McDowell County Arts Council for local crafts and community theater. Carolina Chocolatiers is a good lunch spot, and Bruce's Fabulous Foods is home to 101 varieties of cheesecake — the key lime is the one to try. The 1922 McDowell County Courthouse anchors the downtown.
In Pleasant Gardens, halfway between Old Fort and Marion, Little Sienna is a well-regarded Italian restaurant with a daily buffet. Brown-bagging is allowed, so bring your own wine. The Carson House, a 1793 log house on the old wagon road, is the local history museum.
The mountains around Marion are the real attraction: Lake James State Park for swimming and paddling, Linville Caverns for the only show cave in the state, and the drive up to Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi.