Nostalgia, architecture and American pop culture blend when visitors find themselves in Grant County, Ind. Marion, the county seat, is the birthplace of cartoonist Jim Davis, and a city driving tour takes visitors past three large statures of Garfields. A dozen orange statues throughout the county depict the tabby in various cultural endeavors showcasing the area’s heritage, such as a Garfield in jeans, T-shirt and red jacket as an homage to the actor James Dean, another famous Marion native.
On the southwest corner of East Fourth and South McClure streets, a granite monument dedicated to the Oscar-nominated actor marks his birthplace. The memorial provides a place for fans to connect with the spirit of the “Rebel Without a Cause” actor at the site where he was born. (Dean grew up in nearby Fairmont, where his childhood home has been transformed into a museum.)
Marion’s Train Station Pancake House sits directly across the street from the Hollywood star’s shrine in a historic restored depot. Here you can have flapjacks, biscuits and gravy, burgers and other Midwest fare.
The city is also home to Indiana Wesleyan University, one of the nation’s largest Christian colleges. On the campus, coffee lovers can head to McConn Coffee, where students gain hospitality experience in marketing, business development and accounting while making lattes and frothy cappuccinos. Downtown is the charming Abbey Coffee Co., which brews up specialty java in a cozy cafe separate from academics.
Visitors should also check out the Quilters Hall of Fame, located in the restored home of Marie Webster, an entrepreneur and author who created a quilting movement at the turn of the 20th century. The two-story museum provides visitors a fascinating opportunity to view carefully curated quilt art from around the country and glimpse Midwestern life in the 19th century.
For lunch, the historic 1912 Hostess House offers a menu with classic sandwiches, burgers and salads in a three-story mansion built by the famed Black architect Samuel L. Plato. It is considered one of the finest structures of the Neoclassical style with dramatic Greco-Roman pillars, an elaborate front door and a grand scale.
On the opposite end of the architectural spectrum, Woodside, erected in 1955 and located 10 minutes north, is one of seven Indiana homes by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Considered a “Usonian,” a term coined by the designer, the home features wings extending out from a 40-foot cone-like center. After exploring the area’s history, dining and architecture, travelers can even book this five-bedroom abode on various vacation rental sites and enjoy an authentic Grant County experience.
