
2 minute read
Outdoor Recreation
from Middletown Community Guide 2022
by The Chamber Of Commerce Serving Middletown, Monroe, & Trenton
Plenty of Options
Middletown residents can enjoy the Great Outdoors thanks to many outdoor activities
BY GINNY MCCABE
With a vibrant community that is home to popular recreation options, events and attractions, Middletown has plenty to offer outdoor adventurers.
“Middletown really has a laundry list of outdoor adventures for the thrill-seekers and the casual outdoor explorers,” says Mary Huttlinger, executive director of the Middletown Visitors Bureau.
People from all over the country come to Middletown for the Adventures Through Art Walking Mural Tour. The tour can be enjoyed by guests of all ages and physical abilities.
“This outdoor, self-guided mural tour, which is a 1-mile flat loop, encompasses views and background on 16 different, outdoor murals.” Huttlinger says.
The Adventures Through Art Walking Mural Tour takes guests through the heart of historic Middletown. Guests can follow along on a smart device in Google Maps, as each mural stop provides visitors with the history of each piece of public art.
“It’s not just simply walking around and looking at murals. There’s a lot of historical context that is included, but then you also get to enjoy the downtown area.”
The New Discoveries GeoTour was formally launched in 2021.
“There are 25 hidden GeoCaches around the Greater Middletown area that people can seek out and find. Then, they turn in a passport for a unique, custom-made glass coin that’s a keepsake for completion, made by our local glass artist at Haute Fusion Glass Studio,” Huttlinger says.
Residents and visitors across the region are also excited about the newly opened bike trail on the Great Miami Riverway that connects Middletown to Franklin.
“Biking along the Great Miami Riverway with a 99-mile stretch of paved bike trail, which connects us to endless amounts of miles and other bike trails, really opens up that stretch of the riverway for all types of opportunity, and day excursions, but also for races,” Huttlinger says.
The Great Miami Riverway has multiple access points throughout Middletown. Running from Sidney to Hamilton, the Great Miami Riverway connects riverfront communities

Middletown is home to many different types of trails.
that engage in recreational and cultural opportunities. This interconnected system offers 99 miles of river, paved trails and communities in Southwest Ohio.
“The City of Middletown and the City of Franklin worked hard to fill that gap in on the Great Miami River Recreation Trail, and the importance of that is once they did that, the City of Middletown is now connected to the nation’s largest paved trail network,” says Dan Foley, director of the Great Miami Riverway.
Because that trail gap has been filled in, you can bike from the City of Piqua to Middletown, he says.
Those looking for sporting activities may also enjoy Middletown’s status as the Pickleball Capital of Ohio.
“Pickleball is definitely part of the outdoor adventure. As you know, pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America right now across all age demographics,” Huttlinger says. “We host two Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP) Tournaments every year.”
Once a week, community members can receive a free pickleball lesson from the Middletown Pickleball Association. They can also hangout with expert players and be taught by professionals who are avid pickleball players, she says.
“In Middletown, we offer a lot of non-traditional outdoor activities. Many of them are on people’s bucket lists. A lot of them are for thrill seekers, but all of them are family-friendly, low-cost experiences,” Huttlinger says. n
