Middletown, CT Road Trips

Middletown lies on the Connecticut River about 15 miles south of Hartford. The town has a long history. At the time of the American Revolution, John Adams counted it as the most beautiful city in New England, but today almost nothing survives from that era. Present-day Middletown is a moderately-sized college and business town, with a few interesting remnants of 19th-century churches, graveyards, and mills. It is considered to be the southernmost city in the Knowledge Corridor region, which features an inordinate number of prestigious universities and 120,000 university students. Middletown features a large variety of restaurants (3 Mexican places, 3 Indian places, 2 Thai places, a Tibetan place and uncountable Italian places.) There is one major college - Wesleyan University - located up the hill from downtown but aside from the restaurants and bars on Main Street, there aren't many things for college students to do right in Middletown. Where are the bookstores? The import clothing stores? Well, there may be one or two but they're hiding. To find the heart of Middletown you've got to do a little snooping around. There are excellent resources here for those with an artistic bent. A few years ago Middletown was rated one of the 100 best art towns in America. The Buttonwood Tree is an intimate performance art space on the North End of Main St. Oddfellows Playhouse provides a start in the world of theater for kids of all ages. Then there's Kid City - sort of an exploratorium - a great place to take your kids on a rainy afternoon.

1 Kidcity Children's Museum, 119 Washington St, ☏ +1 860-347-0495, [email protected]. Everyday 9AM-4PM by reservation. $14/person. 2 Wadsworth Mansion, 421 Wadsworth St, ☏ +1 860-347-1064, [email protected]. M-Th 9AM-4PM. 3 Oddfellows Playhouse, 128 Washington St, ☏ +1 860-347-6143, [email protected]. 4 The Buttonwood Tree, 605 Main St, ☏ +1 860-347-4957, [email protected]. Harbor Park. Indian Hill Cemetery, 383 Washington St, ☏ +1 860 346-0452. General Mansfield House, 151 Main St, ☏ +1 860 346-0746.

Metro Movies 12, 49 College St, ☏ +1 860 344-0077. Adult $9.75, child/senior $7.00, bargain matinee $7.00 (all shows before 6PM), student $8.25 (with valid id), Tuesday bargain night $7.00 (some restrictions may apply). The entrance to Wadsworth Falls State Park is in Middletown, though most of the park, including the falls themselves, is in Middlefield. 1 Empower Leadership Sports & Adventure Center. - in

Amici Italian Grill Restaurant, 280 Main St, ☏ +1 860 346-0075. M-Th 11AM-10PM, F-Sa 11AM-11PM, Su 11AM-10PM. Casual chic, classic Italian food, romantic or business atmosphere. Accepts reservations for any size party. $10-20. Brew Bakers, 169 Main St, ☏ +1 860 852-0034. Counter-service offering breakfast, lunch and baked goods. Owned and operated by an award-winning Austrian chef. Coyote Blue Tex Mex Cafe, 1960 Saybrook Rd, ☏ +1 860 345-2403. Casual Mexican fare, great Margaritas served in 16-oz mugs. No reservations. Klekolo World Coffee, 181 Court St (across from the police station), ☏ +1 860 343-9444. M–Th 6:30AM–10PM, F Sa 6:30AM–midnight, Su 7AM–7PM. Very cool independent coffee shop and espresso bar. Lots of odd college kids mixed with locals provides an interesting atmosphere. International coffees and based drinks. Teas - black, green or herbal. (updated Mar 2020) La Boca Mexican Restaurant, 337 Main St, ☏ +1 860 347-4777. Su–Th 11:30AM–9PM, F Sa 11:30AM–10PM (restaurant); Su–Th 11:30AM–1AM, F Sa 11:30AM–2AM (cantina). Casual restaurant and bar serving Mexican foods and drinks in the Cantina. Happy hour: M–F 3-6PM. $10-18. (updated Jun 2017) Stella D’oro (formerly Tuscany Grill Restaurant), 109 College St, ☏ +1 860-788-7089. Stella D’oro offers fine dining and a chic atmosphere, serving Italian food. Typhoon Restaurant, 360 Main St, ☏ +1 860 344-9667. Open M-Sa, 11AM-3PM lunch and 5PM-10PM dinner, closed Su. Thai and assorted Asian foods. BYOB. $9-15.

Eli Cannon's Taproom, 695 Main Street, ☏ +1 860 347-3547. Many beers on tap, good pub food, great atmosphere. Harbor Park, 80 Harbor Drive, ☏ +1 860 347-9999. The place to be on a Summer night - on the deck at Harbor Park Restaurant, grooving to live music and watching the river traffic.

Inn at Middletown, 70 Main Street. A 100-room inn converted from the historic National Guard Armory. Wesley Inn & Suites, 988 Washington St, ☏ +1 860 346-9251.

From Hartford - 91 S to 9 S first or second light on the highway take a right. From the Shoreline - Take 9 N - left at the lights. From the west (or New Haven) - Take Rt 66 E From the east - Get to Portland and go over the Portland Bridge The Route 590 Middletown/Meriden Connection Service provides service between Meriden and Middletown. Meriden has an Amtrak stop. Dattco offers service between New Haven and Hartford stopping in Middletown.

By bus (via Middletown Area Transit), by car or possibly on foot. Main Street is lined with parking spaces and meters, a free two-hour parking lot on Washington Street behind Main Street Market and there is a medium-sized parking lot at Metro Movies 12. Traffic does get busy during the work day and around dinner time.

Middletown is generally not a dangerous city, but the North end of the city can be a bit dangerous, especially at night. Also, Middletown is home to Connecticut Valley Hospital, which is the largest mental hospital in New England. Some of the patients are allowed to roam the city, but most of them are generally harmless and there have been few attacks by patients. Although the Police Department is stationed on Main Street near and around popular restaurants, walk with others at night and be aware of local gang members and sexual offenders.