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Middletown, Connecticut: A River Port Turned College City

Middletown, Connecticut

Pictures from Middletown

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Main Street, Middletown Wesleyan University, College Row Downtown Middletown on the Connecticut River

Middletown was incorporated as a town in 1650 under its original name, Mattabeseck, and took its present name in 1653; its central settlement was chartered as a separate city in 1784, with city and town consolidating in the early twentieth century. Long before that consolidation, Middletown was a busy Connecticut River sailing port and trading center through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, its harbor giving way to industry such as the L.D. Brown and Son Silk Mill and the Canfield Rubber Company, which patented the dress shield in 1885. Wesleyan University, founded in 1831, has anchored the city's Main Street ever since. Civil War general Joseph K.F. Mansfield, a Middletown native mortally wounded leading the Twelfth Corps at Antietam in 1862, is buried in Indian Hill Cemetery; his home on Main Street now serves as the Middlesex Historical Society's headquarters.

  1. A viewing-only waterfall, swimming, and 4.5 miles of trails.

  2. Interactive imaginative-play exhibits for ages 1-7, by reservation.

  3. Youth theater and circus training, home of the annual Children's Circus.

  4. Wesleyan's public arts complex, with galleries, concert halls, and a theater.

  5. Tuscan-inspired dining on Washington Street since 2005.

  6. Mondo

    food

    New York-style brick-oven pizza on Main Street.

  7. In-house-roasted coffee on Main Street.

  8. The Inn at Middletown's on-site restaurant.

  9. A 100-room hotel in an 1800s-era Main Street building.

A river port becomes a college city

Middletown was incorporated as a town in 1650 under its original Native American name, Mattabeseck, and took its present name in 1653; its central settlement was chartered as a separate city in 1784, with city and town consolidating in the early twentieth century. Through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Middletown was one of Connecticut's busiest Connecticut River sailing ports and trading centers before turning to industry, including the L.D. Brown and Son Silk Mill and the Canfield Rubber Company, which patented the dress shield in 1885. Wesleyan University, founded in 1831, enrolls about 3,000 full-time undergraduates on its Main Street-adjacent campus. Civil War general Joseph K.F. Mansfield, a Middletown native mortally wounded leading the Twelfth Corps at the Battle of Antietam in September 1862, is buried in the city's Indian Hill Cemetery; his home, one of the few surviving nineteenth-century houses on Main Street, now serves as the Middlesex Historical Society's headquarters.

Getting there

Middletown is a driving destination. Route 9, reached from I-91 South at Exit 22, is the main corridor into the city; Route 66 crosses downtown as Washington Street, and I-95 and I-84 feed in from the shoreline and the west. There is no passenger rail station in Middletown — the nearest CTrail Hartford Line stations, also served by Amtrak on the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield corridor, are Meriden and Berlin.

Wesleyan, a waterfall, and a stone armory

Wesleyan University's brownstone campus anchors the west end of downtown; its Center for the Arts hosts a full public season across the Zilkha Gallery, Crowell Concert Hall, Belzberg World Music Hall, and the CFA Theater. On Washington Street, Kidcity Children's Museum runs hands-on exhibits for ages 1-7, and Oddfellows Playhouse stages youth theater and circus training, including the Children's Circus of Middletown, now in its 38th year. Wadsworth Falls State Park, a short drive south toward Middlefield, has 4.5 miles of trails, a viewing-only waterfall, and swimming in the Coginchaug River. For dinner, Luce Restaurant and Mondo anchor Washington and Main streets, with Perkatory Coffee Roasters for coffee; the Inn at Middletown, in an 1800s Main Street building, is downtown's hotel, with its own Tavern at the Armory restaurant on site.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get to Middletown?
Drivers use Route 9 (via I-91 South at Exit 22), Route 66/Washington Street through downtown, or I-95 and I-84 from the shoreline and west. Middletown has no passenger rail station; the nearest CTrail Hartford Line and Amtrak stops are Meriden and Berlin.
What is Wesleyan University's connection to Middletown?
Wesleyan, founded in 1831, has about 3,000 full-time undergraduates on its brownstone campus near downtown. Its Center for the Arts — the Zilkha Gallery, Crowell Concert Hall, Belzberg World Music Hall, and CFA Theater — runs a public season of performances and exhibitions.
What is there to do with kids in Middletown?
Kidcity Children's Museum on Washington Street runs interactive imaginative-play exhibits for ages 1-7 by reservation. Oddfellows Playhouse, also on Washington Street, offers youth theater and circus training, including the annual Children's Circus of Middletown.
Where can I stay in Middletown?
The Inn at Middletown, a 100-room hotel in an 1800s-era Main Street building, is downtown's verified option, with the on-site Tavern at the Armory restaurant.
What is Wadsworth Falls State Park?
A state park since 1942 on the Middletown/Middlefield line, with 4.5 miles of hiking and biking trails, a viewing-only waterfall (Big Falls), swimming and picnic areas, and fishing in the Coginchaug River. Open 8 a.m. to sunset.

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