The leisure and cultural amenities lie close to the town centre, as do the Seilerseegebiet with tennis courts, ice rink, swimming pool, minigolf course, indoor riding hall and a variety of places to eat. The town is home to Westphalia's biggest "Schützenfest" [town festival with shooting competitions] and its well-known International Music Parade. Iserlohn has over 200 kilometres of hiking trails which connect such attractive places for excursions as the Kesbern hills, the Sümmern plains, Hennen, Kalthof, Lössel and Dröschede.

Sport is a favourite in Iserlohn: there are over 182 athletics and sports clubs with many different sports activities, from badminton to ice hockey, handball, gliding, taekwondo and riding.

With around 100 000 inhabitants, Iserlohn is the most populous and largest town in the Märkischer Kreis [District]. It is connected by road to the nearby Ruhr area via the excellent BAB 46 and 45. The airports of Dortmund, Düsseldorf and Cologne link Iserlohn to the entire world.