Wilmington is a city in Southwest Ohio. For those interested in "small town America" Wilmington is an excellent stop with a compact central city center, small college, and ornate buildings.

Understand

Wilmington is a small city in Clinton County, Ohio, with a population of 12,3400 (2019). The city is one of the only noteworthy stops between the endless fields of corn that populate rural Ohio.

It is home to Wilmington College, which was founded in 1870 by the Society of Friends (the Quakers). The city and the surrounding area include more than one dozen Quaker meeting houses.

History

The town of Clinton was founded in 1810 as seat of the newly formed Clinton County; the name was changed to Wilmington in 1811. The village was incorporated in 1828.

In the early 1950s the city became home to U.S. Department of Defense facilities, most notably the Clinton County Air Force Base. Following its closure in 1971, the economy of the city hovered in recession for more than a decade. Airborne Express purchased the facility in 1979 to build a hub for its national delivery network to accommodate an estimated 6,000 employees and its fleet of aircraft. In 2008, the Wilmington hub was closed, resulting in 16,000 layoffs.

Wilmington is also home to CMH Regional Health System, a regional health provider. From its base of operations at Clinton Memorial Hospital, the non-profit corporation has established health clinics in almost a dozen satellite locations in Southwestern Ohio.

In addition to air freight services and medical services, the city of Wilmington also competes in the truck freight industry, serving as corporate home to R+L Carriers, a trucking and shipping company.

Get in

By car

I-71 is just north of Wilmington. Wilmington is within one hour driving distance from Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus.

By plane

• 1 Wilmington Air Park. A general aviation airport. (updated Dec 2018)

See

College Hall

Murphy Theatre

• First Free Black School, Harveysburg, ☏ +1 513 897-6195. Take a tour of the First Free Black School in Ohio. The school served children of color — American Indians and African-Americans — from 1831 until the early years of this century. The schoolhouse features pictures and various artifacts from the period like textbooks and slate blackboards. 
• 1 Wilmington College, 251 Ludovic Street, ☏ +1 937-382-6661. A historic college.  
• 2 Murphy Theatre (in the downtown business district). The historic Murphy Theatre can be seen in the film Lost In Yonkers, part of which was filmed in the city in the early 1990s. It is also the setting of Michael Moore's 2016 documentary film, Michael Moore in TrumpLand. The Murphy Theater stages productions throughout the year from various acts and ensembles, and stages musicals and plays from neighboring school districts in the county. (updated Dec 2018)
• 3 Pscar F. Boyd Cultural Arts Center. (updated Dec 2018)
• 4 Clinton County Historical Society Museum (Rombach Place, Clinton County History Center). (updated Dec 2018)

Do

Events

Jousting at the Ohio Renaissance Festival

• 1 Ohio Renaissance Festival, Harveysburg, ☏ +1 513 897-7000. Step back in time to the 16th-century England. In the 30-acre permanent English village re-creation, you can mingle with Queen Elizabeth I and royalty, watch the joust, and enjoy authentic food, drink, and crafts from the period.  
• Fightin' Quakers. The sports teams of Wilmington College. (updated Dec 2018)
• Banana Split Festival. The annual festival in June commemorates the town's alleged creation of the famous treat in Wilmington in 1907 with games and rides, crafts and collectibles, live music, a classic car cruise-in and car show, unique food booths, a banana split-eating contest, and a "make your own" banana split booth. Paused during the COVID-19 pandemic. (updated Mar 2022)
• Wilmington College is a member of the Ohio Athletic Conference and participant in NCAA Division III sports. In 2004, the Wilmington College women's basketball team won the NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship, the most prestigious national title won by a Wilmington sport team. The Wilmington College Quakers take on the Otterbein Cardinals at Williams Stadium

Parks

• 2 Cowan Lake State Park, 1750 Osborn Rd, ☏ +1 937-382-1096. (updated Dec 2021)

Eat

• Bob Evans, Eastside Drive & Rombach Avenue, ☏ +1 937-382-6768. Su 7AM-10PM, M-Sa 6AM-10PM. 
• Sams Meats & Deli, 1209 W Locust St #2057, ☏ +1 937 382-6386. M-F 8AM-6:30PM, Sa 8AM-4PM. Deli sandwiches and some other items, especially if you like meat. (updated Feb 2022)

Sleep

• The General Denver Hotel, 81 W. Main St, ☏ +1 937-383-4141. A redbrick Tudor-revival style building that has a fine dining restaurant inside as well. 
• Holiday Inn, 123 Gano Road, ☏ +1 937-283-3200. 
• Holiday Inn Express, 155 Holiday Dr, ☏ +1 937-382-5858. 

Campgrounds

• Beechwood Acres Camping, 855 Yankee Road (6 miles south west from Wilmington, close to the SR350), ☏ +1 937-289-2202. Beautiful campground situated in a woody surrounding at the border of the Cowan Lake State Park. The friendliness and helpfulness off all the staff is outstanding. The pool is heated, and offers nice additional possibilities to play: (beach)balls and a volleyball net over the pool. Highly recommended! The Cowan Lake takes a 5 minute walk. 

Connect

Wilmington Library

• 2 Wilmington Library, 268 N South St, ☏ +1 937-382-2417, info@wilmington.lib.oh.us. M-Th 10AM-8PM, F 10AM-5PM, Sa 10AM-4PM. (updated Dec 2021)

Go next

Routes through Wilmington

Cleveland ← Columbus ←	N  S	→ Lebanon → Cincinnati
Springfield ← Xenia ←	N  S	→ Jct W E → Maysville → Lexington