Midland: Art, Culture and Waterfront Trail

Explore Midland according to your interests as you plan your trip: time by the water, a visit to the Huronia Museum, public art or disc golf at Little Lake Park. Each offers a different focus. The more than eight-kilometre Waterfront Trail provides access to several destinations; the museum, art and park each offer a different experience.

Waterfront Trail and Getting Your Bearings

The Midland Rotary Waterfront Trail is a scenic route more than eight kilometres long. It offers easy access to downtown, the harbour, parks and attractions. Its length gives you a concrete measure for planning your day if the trail itself is to be a focus of your stay. At the same time, the various destinations along the trail offer several starting points for exploring Midland.

Along the trail, interpretive panels provide information about Midland’s maritime and industrial history. This adds another dimension to getting your bearings among downtown, the harbour, parks and attractions: the panels cover two themes from Midland’s history. There is also an e-bike charging station along the trail; it is a practical planning point if an e-bike is part of your travel plans.

Huronia Museum: Village Replica and Collection

The Huronia Museum features a replica of a pre-contact Huron/Ouendat village. The display includes an observation tower, a wigwam and a full-sized longhouse. The Huron/Ouendat Village is visited mostly at your own pace; information panels explain aspects of village life. They give your self-guided visit a thematic framework and guide you through the aspects of village life on display.

The museum’s exhibition gallery also houses tens of thousands of historical artefacts. These include photographs, Indigenous archaeology and art by members of the Group of Seven. The museum therefore focuses on different cultural themes: the village as a spatial display and an extensive collection of historical and artistic objects. If you want to plan your visit around a particular focus, you can choose between these two ways of exploring.

Art Around Town and Concerts

Art is also a prominent feature of Midland beyond the museum. The town is home to one of Ontario’s largest outdoor art galleries, with more than 30 murals and sculptures spread throughout the town. Unlike the artefacts housed in the museum, this art is distributed across Midland. This lets you choose between a visit to a collection and art in the streetscape.

At concerts, Rotary Hall at the Midland Cultural Centre offers 274 seats in the main hall and balcony. If you plan your trip around a cultural theme, the concert venue adds another form of cultural offering alongside the village replica, the museum collection and public art.

Little Lake Park and Disc Golf

Little Lake Park is Midland’s largest community park and has an 18-hole disc golf course. This helps you consider two factors when planning: the park’s size indicates its place within Midland, while the number of holes gives disc golf enthusiasts a concrete point of reference. The park and course offer two distinct points to help you decide whether this is a good fit for your stay.

Discover more destinations: Waubaushene, Orillia, Innisfil, Brechin, Oro, Wymbolwood Beach, Borden, Port Mcnicoll

For the wider travel overview: Simcoe County.