Despite purchasing the Lakeside Inn back in 2021, Brian Mack was finally able to open the bar in April 2024. This was after director Jeff Nichols wrapped up filming a portion of his new movie, The Bikeriders, starring Austin Butler and Tom Hardy, at Middletown's Lakeside Inn (they kept the name of the bar in the film). Mack says the majority of the people who come in are locals, but some people have ventured to the bar after seeing the film.
If you take a closer look, you can see the remnants of the movie set still on the walls at the Lakeside Inn. Mack was given a signed original movie poster as well as the original layout plans for the bars' shelving. You can see notes from the cast and set crew thanking the bar for "letting them blow it up." This is in reference to the scene in the film where the Midwestern motorcycle club sets the bar on fire. Mack explained that the only thing they actually set on fire was the bar's awning and that the film paid for the replacement.
The bar also has a frame dedicated to the infamous Clyde Barrow, of Bonnie and Clyde. He was a regular at the bar in the '30s before being arrested by Middletown Police.
Read more about the Lakeside Inn's origins here.
Keep scrolling for a tour of the Lakeside Inn.
Photos by Lydia Schembre
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