Landing at Williamson County Regional Airport in Marion keeps everything close, with the Shawnee National Forest, big lakes, and Southern Illinois wine country all within easy reach. Marion is the hub of southern Illinois, a county seat with easy interstate access and a down-to-earth, friendly feel. Just beyond the edge of town, the land tips into rolling hills, sandstone bluffs, and wetlands that feel more like the Ozarks than the prairie.

Standout experiences around Marion: - Paddle, fish, and bird-watch at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge on the edge of town - Hike the sandstone bluffs and Devil's Kitchen trails at Giant City State Park near Makanda - Walk the Observation Trail across the cliffs at Garden of the Gods in the Shawnee National Forest - Sip your way along the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail - Catch a Thrillville Thrillbillies baseball game at Rent One Park - Boat or rent a cabin on Lake of Egypt or Rend Lake - Bike the Tunnel Hill State Trail through an old railroad tunnel - Eat championship barbecue at 17th Street in Murphysboro

Marion is the starting point for most trips into the region. Carbondale and the Southern Illinois University campus are 20 minutes west, and Herrin, which throws the HerrinFesta Italiana every Memorial Day weekend, is 10 minutes north. Bald Knob Cross in Alto Pass is about 50 minutes, the cypress swamps of the Cache River wetlands are about an hour south, and Paducah, Kentucky, with its quilt museum and riverfront, is about an hour. Come in October for fall color on the bluffs, or in spring when the dogwoods bloom in the hollows around Marion.