Where the Weird Things Are

You don’t usually see a blogger calling the very place she’s charged to promote ‘weird.’ However, as a Marion County native, I wanted to recap some of the stranger things around here.

Eating:

• If that sugar rush was not enough, prepare for a day of weirdness with a Nitro Cold Brew on tap at Joe n’ Throw. (Made from infusing the very caffeinated Stone Tower Joe cold brew coffee with nitrogen gas.)

• Hop in the car and get to The Poky Dot, the epitome of weird. Well, not so much weird, but incredibly large. Sundaes, milkshakes, burgers, nine-pound banana splits – all of it is weirdly gigantic and equally delicious. Speaking of weird and gigantic, take for example the He-Man Breakfast. Picture it: A garbage can lid filled with four eggs, four bacon strips, two sausage links, two sausage patties, four pancakes, two biscuits and gravy, one slice of ham, two slices of toast and one side of home fries. Can you handle it?

• All aboard! Pufferbelly’s isn’t just a weird name but one reminiscent of a simpler time. Train treats and locomotive meals compose the menu. Eat a Trainwreck (s’mores sundae) but not before you’ve had a Belt Line BLT and Grand Central Chowder Soup.

Shopping:

• Walk right up the street to Health Naturally, where the supplements speak to you. Weird, right? Aside from spirulina and algae supplements, you can get a (healthy) soda and snack right then and there, something (healthy) sweet, beautifying or medicinal. Dry brushing? Diffusing? Detoxifying? They know what these words mean and can help further your quest for the unorthodox.

• Get in your car and drive out to Rivesville. Assumption Records is filled with the musical stylings of … everyone. All the bands and scat singers from all eras of music can be found here.

Doing:

• Head back to The Joe, not to re-caffeinated but to throw some clay and somehow end up creating a functional piece of pottery for your everyday life.

• Like many Marion combos, disc golf is a weird mix of frisbee and golf. Two ‘golf’ courses here allow you to practice your skills. Throw a frisbee-like object into an above-ground hole (looks like an odd cage) in the fewest attempts and you win!

• Come to Marion to float in some salt and forget about everything else! Sounds weird, huh? Spa Oasis provides the oh-so-necessary epsom salt pods, large egg-looking bathtubs with a lid filled with epsom salt, water and pure relaxation.

• Care to indulge in some traditional European tastes? Mountain Dragon Mazery produces mead, the age-old drink made with honey. At MDM, the honey used in the wines is made by the owners’ bees in their own apiary. It’s honey, but it’s not a sweet drink.  

• Need your yoga fix? Classes at Main Street Yoga range from Date Night Yoga (something weird) to Full Moon Reiki (something else weird).

• How many barns have you been to? Or better yet, how many round barns have you been to? The Hamilton Round Barn is a technological relic (oxymoronic, isn’t it?) of the modernization of dairy farms. Discover history, fun, farm facts and West Virginia artifacts!

• If you’re looking for more places to go to or other weird things around here, stop by the Visitors Center. At almost any point in time of the day (from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) we’re here and ready to assist in your quest for the unconventional!

So that’s just a snapshot of all the wonderful, weird places Marion County is home to. If you’re weird, want to become weird or want to participate in weirdness, Marion County is where to do it. Enjoy the weird life!

What do you think is the weirdest thing to do in Marion County?