-
Dayton is known as the Gem City and it's no wonder. In addition to being the birthplace of aviation (the Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, lived here and perfected their design for the first practical aircraft), it is also home to one of the few multi-site National Parks in the U.S.- the Dayton Aviation Heritage Park. There are several things to do and see in the region; the city itself and the suburbs that surround.
-
Climate
Dayton has a humid continental climate, which means, like the rest of Ohio, sees four very distinct seasons.
Winter : Being situated in the Midwest, winters are cold. Snowfall isn't particulary excessive; but it can at times fall at a rate that will cause havoc with traffic.
Spring : Often cool, with cold and mild days sprinkled throughout the period. Storms during this period may produce tornadoes.
Summer : Characteristically hot and humid. While the thermometer may read one number in the summer, it will often feel hotter due to humidity.
Autumn : Autumn in Dayton and Southwest Ohio is usually cool, but an extension of summer-like days into this season is possible. Storms seem to increase during this season too, which, due to the fluctuation of temperatures can produce extremely dangerous storms with the potential of producing tornadoes late into the year.
-
-
By plane
James M. Cox Dayton International Airport (DAY, KDAY) is in the northern part of the metropolitan area.
Nonstop service is available from [wiki=8b1c40ce6629723de95905617aaf5743]Atlanta[/wiki], [wiki=a85f0bc17a101dcb273fc2a841dc0646]Baltimore[/wiki], [wiki=7647b2d875a94093cbc99f6f2cbfda77]Charlotte[/wiki], [wiki=9cfa1e69f507d007a516eb3e9f5074e2]Chicago[/wiki], [wiki=11b915670b63c790160e26af2dac39b7]Cleveland[/wiki], [wiki=09ea9b5e69df9e1385463fde29bc41cf]Dallas[/wiki], [wiki=67100af8b08e073c3ba7f4de2707584b]Denver[/wiki], [wiki=1206c1cb107044f291a52d53fc9ec748]Detroit[/wiki], [wiki=a25b2dff7d13c650e6c7e6bfb3bba5a3]Houston[/wiki], [wiki=effc4bc76d86b41cbeed8e03884dcf87]Milwaukee[/wiki], [wiki=c39584729495496984371f0ec2f38974]Minneapolis[/wiki], [wiki=b60d9f984807720d5cd6a5ebfeda4192]Newark[/wiki], [wiki=d97e023dce2bb237a0d44f46d8ee9438]New York[/wiki], [wiki=d4d2ea493b6a2460e9b9f00712e0a234]Orlando[/wiki], [wiki=3064b320cef260c8f077f7c12a080f33]Philadelphia[/wiki], and [wiki=9a8995d0e0d1775d0891f404e43911d7]Washington, D.C.[/wiki] (IAD and DCA).
Dayton is the nation's number one 90-minute air market, meaning the city can be reached in 90 minutes or less by 55 percent of the population. A surprising and very nice feature is free wifi, which can be accessed under the name of "public" in the airport. There is no public bus service going to the airport at this time. This makes the Dayton International Airport the second-busiest airport in the continental United States without a public transportation option. Cabs from the downtown area to the airport cost at least $30.
-
By car
Interstates 70 and 75, major cross-country routes, meet just north of Dayton near the airport, making Dayton easily accessible by car from almost anywhere in the region.
**I-75 runs from north to south through downtown Dayton. Dayton is less than one hour from Cincinnati and about two and a half hours from [wiki=f9d0607504f80c2092fca842046427fe]Toledo[/wiki] on this road.
**I-70 runs east to west across the northern part of the Dayton area. To the west, [wiki=8b9c1179fe8a1c342a1950be99ac9c90]Indianapolis[/wiki] is about two hours away; to the east, [wiki=e9c7810a2f9caab925b56a15c143888f]Columbus[/wiki] is about one hour away.
* I-675 is an eastern interstate by-pass for Dayton that connects with I-70 at the north end and I-75 at the south end.
* U.S. 35 is another important expressway, providing access primarily from places to the east and southeast. The road has been improved to a limited-access freeway as far east as [wiki=360bbc610cfd304c0b066dfb0734a0c7]Chillicothe[/wiki], making [wiki=c44e2422c1d59759fc1baae13aa14649]Charleston[/wiki], West Virginia only 4 hours away to the south and east.
-
Travel in the region is easy by car and you can move from the urban city to the rural county in minutes. The Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority [http://www.greaterdaytonrta.org/] has a number of convenient bus routes (including electric trolley bus service) within Montgomery County if that's your pleasure, but in general, travel by automobile offers the best flexibility.
-
Ohio's Miami Valley area offers an outstanding system of trails and bikeways for residents and visitors. Over 300 miles of trails stretch across ten counties surrounding the Dayton and Springfield region. The Little Miami Scenic Trail is the most popular, but only the beginning of the fun. Go to http://www.miamivalleytrails.org/ for a map and more details.
-
Aviation
Wright Patt is a significant part of the local economy with some 23,000 employees and a reason behind most tourism, boasting the National Museum of the U. S. Air Force and the Huffman Prairie Flying Field where the Wright Brothers perfected their flying skills in 1904-05.
* The world's largest military aviation museum with over 300 aircraft on display from the earliest days of aviation to modern prototypes. It is well maintained and interesting even for non aviation buffs. Highlights include the B-2 (stealth) bomber and Mercury space capsule.
* Huffman Prairie is part of the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park which also includes the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center, the Wright Cycle Company building, the Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center, the Paul Laurence Dunbar State Memorial and Carillon Historical Park, which houses the original 1905 Wright Flyer III.
-
Museums & Galleries
The Wright Cycle Company complex consists of two adjoining buildings: the Hoover Block, also known as the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center and Aviation Trail Visitor Center and Museum, along with the Wright Cycle Company building. The Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center is the main visitor center for the park, and occupies the restored Hoover Block building. In 1892, the Wrights opened a bicycle repair shop in addition to their printing business. From 1895 until 1897, both businesses were located at 22 S Williams St, “known as the Wright Cycle Company,” the fourth of five locations for their bicycle business.
*
*A children's museum of science with numerous exhibits.
* Carillon Park is an outside historical museum containing original historic homes that have been moved there. It is sort of like Greenfield Village in Michigan, but smaller. It contains artifacts from NCR, the Wright Brothers, and more.
*
*Hoover Historical Center, 1875 E Maple St NW, inside Hoover Park. "Sweeping Changes" display, boyhood home of Hoover Company founder, William H. "Boss" Hoover. History of cleaning devices, vacuum cleaner technology, antique cleaning devices and manual cleaners from the late 1800s.
*An interpretive Indian village and archeological park.
-
-
Performing arts
Tickets sales are managed by Ticket Center Stage.
* Tickets sales are managed by Ticket Center Stage.
* The Ballet performs at two locations so be sure to call and find out where the performance will be held. Tickets sales are managed by Ticket Center Stage.
*
*ETC performs in various locations in Downtown Dayton, including: The Mathile Theatre in the Schuster Center, The rooftop of the Firefly Building (123 Webster St), The Litehouse Town Home (123 Patterson). Encore Theater Company's mission is to perform new or rarely performed works of musical theater.
-
Festivals
*
-
Sports and Recreation
Dayton is also home to the Minor League Baseball Dayton Dragons, a Cincinnati Red's farm team that plays in a beautiful stadium downtown and abuts the new Riverfront development. Catch the laser light show during the summer months!
* The new Riverscape is beautifully landscaped and hosts cultural events weekly during the summer. During the winter, there is an outdoor ice rink set up with skate rental available.
* The Bikeway runs through downtown Dayton, following the river and offers a nice recreational activity for the family.
-
*
*
*
*
* Southwestern College is a computer & health care training college.
* National College is a health care training college.
* Located on Wright-Pattseron Air Force Base, this is the Air Force's main technical school for graduate degrees, offering both Masters and Ph.D. courses in fields ranging from Logistics and Program Management to Aeronautical Engineering and Physics.
-
*
*The Greene is an up-scale dining and shopping facility. The outdoor lifestyle center has stores and restaurants ranging from Sephora and Coldwater Creek, to The Cheesecake Factory and Bd's Mongolian Grill.
* The Oregon District [http://www.oregondistrict.org] in downtown Dayton features bars, clubs, restaurants, and specailty shops.
* A giant industrial salvage shop.
-
* Excellent and most authentic Thai restaurant in the Fairborn - Xenia - Beavercreek area. Traditional Pad Thai, curry dishes and lot of Thai specialties. Sushi is also available.
* This unique and delicious style of pizza, intensely popular with the locals, has been a part of Dayton traditions for over 40 years, and is a must try for anyone visiting the area. The Dayton tradition for pizza is to cut it into a multitude of small square pieces.
* A popular restaurant on Brown Street immediately to the West of the UD campus featuring pizza and baked subs. Mixed crowd during the day, becomes a college bar after 9. Also frequented by more affluent suburban families and professionals. Newly renovated interior features sleek, "modern" design while still being fairly warm in atmosphere.
*An excellent steakhouse located just off of the campus of the University of Dayton, this is one of the areas most renowned restaurants. The restaurant is famously only accepts cash and does not take reservations. Check their website out for more details.
* A trendy Thai restaurant on the West end of the Oregon District featuring traditional Thai specialties and sushi. Free parking.
*Urban hole-in-the-wall with the area's best, most authentic Mexican food. Be sure to get the guacamole.
*Tasty, inexpensive Vietnamese food with a huge menu, especially in terms of vegetarian options with a variety of meat alternatives.
*Gourmet, locally sourced food with a Mediterranean flair, located in a tiny diner downtown.
*Coco's sets the high standard for Dayton area restaurants. It's a great place for a business lunch, drinks at the friendly (but small) bar, or for a nice dinner with a date or friends.
*We only serve organic dairy products, our eggs are always local and free range, our veggies are fresh, local, and organic, and our meat is always free range. Our ingredients come from foods that are healthy for consumers, does not harm the environment, respects animals, provides local farmers fair wages, and supports our local community.
-
A UD bar with a ton of TVs, pool table, patio, and the best chicken tenders in the area. There is also another location in Centerville.
* Fifteen minutes north of downtown, this specialty microbrew bar offers unique hard to find beers from Stone, Bell's, etc. which can be found nowhere else in the region.
* Hole-in-the-wall bar that hosts bands and concerts. The place does not accept credit cards nor does it have an ATM so be prepared.
* Features live jazz on weekends and cocktails.
* Serves traditional Irish food with some flair and claims to be the #1 seller of Irish whiskey in Ohio.
* A classic college bar popular with University of Dayton. Specialty is the Fishbowl, a large concoction of assorted liquors in many flavors for sharing. Collectible pint glass refill specials on Thursday nights feature catchy slogans.
* A UD bar with a more mature atmosphere frequented by students, alumni, and locals. Well known for their St. Patrick's Day party.
*Family owned & operated bar & grill near the campus of UD. The place has amazing food, generous portions (cheap wings on Wednesday), a great patio complete with a water feature, TVs, as well as a bunch of board games decorating the ceiling in the bar area. The nearby hospital workers and adventurous UD students can be found here at 5:30 on Saturdays and Sundays opening the bar with the earliest hours. Kitchen closed on Sundays.
*A friendly neighborhood bar & pizza place (serving Pizza Factory pizzas & calzones). The staff of SPT have been expanding their service over the past year to include a large bar featuring 18 taps, many craft beers & micro-brews, a great outdoor patio space, and live music. A popular location for Historic South Park neighbors to gather on the weekends.
*Solid place to grab a drink and get a nice lunch. Excellent Over-Stuff Sandwiches, Burgers and Hot Dogs. Popular with locals. Also a great idea if you are headed to a University of Dayton basketball game, they have a shuttle bus that will take you from the bar to the game.
* Also on the far eastern end of the Oregon District. A relaxed bar featuring live local music most days of the week, with a comfortable patio outdoors and a party house available for rental.
*This classic but casual downtown after-dinner nightspot features 60+ bourbon whiskeys (think Kentucky), complimented by a variety of American and Canadian whiskeys. The expert bar staff will educate even the most timid palate and enlighten connoisseurs. Draft and bottle beers round out the choices to make you feel at home with the 1862 back bar.
-
-
Budget
Heated indoor pool and continental breakfast included.
* Outdoor pool and a free continental breakfast.
*Free continental breakfast.
-
Mid-range
Hampton Inn Dayton/Fairborn, 2550 Paramount Place, +1 937 429-5505, [http://hamptoninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/ohio/hampton-inn-dayton-fairborn-DAYFNHX/index.html].
* Best Western Executive Hotel, 2401 Needmore Rd, +1 937 278-5711, Toll-free: +1 888-492-7141, Fax: +1 937 278-6048, [http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=36125].
* Fairfield Inn Dayton North, 6960 Miller Ln, +1 937 898-1120, Fax: +1 937 898-0727, [url=http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/DAYFI].]* Hawthorn Suites Dayton South, 155 Prestige Place, +1 937 434-7881,
* Hawthorn Suites Dayton North, 7070 Poe Ave, +1 937 898-7764, Fax: +1 937 890-5891, [http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/DAYNN[/url].
* SpringHill Suites Dayton South/Miamisburg, 7305 Springboro Pike, +1 937 432-9277, Fax: +1 937 432-9366, [http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/DAYSH].
-
Splurge
Crowne Plaza Hotel, 33 E Fifth St, +1 937 224-0800, [http://www.cpdayton.com].
* Dayton Marriott, 1414 S Patterson Blvd, +1 937 223-1000, Toll-free: +1 800-450-8625, Fax: +1 937 223-7853, [http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/DAYOH].
* Drury Inn, 6616 Miller Ln, Butler Township, +1 937 454-5200, [http://www.druryhotels.com/properties/daytonnorth.cfm].
* The Golden Lamb Inn, 27 S Broadway, +1 513 932-5065, [http://www.goldenlamb.com/index.php] Ohio's oldest operating hotel.
-
Caesar Creek State Park, northeast corner of [wiki=7322bd748b301a9d88bd69fc1c64adf9]Warren County[/wiki], I-71 exit 45, Route 73 west, southeast of Dayton. 285 campsites, electrical hook-ups. The campground offers showers, flush toilets, pet camping, horseman's camp with 30 sites, two camper cabins, one cedar cabin, 2,830-acre lake, unlimited horsepower, boating, water skiing, five launch ramps, forty-three miles of hiking trails, thirty-one miles of bridle trail, horsemen's camp, five-mile mountain bike trail, 3.5 -mile novice trail, hunting, fishing, picnic areas, tables, grills, drinking water, nine picnic shelters, day lodge, a meeting room, kitchen, outdoor tables, grills, 1,300-foot beach, concession area, changing booths, nature center, naturalist programs year round, pioneer village with 15 historic buildings depicting life in early 1800s. Playground equipment, basketball court, games and sports equipment.
* Cute shops abound within walking distance in historic [wiki=2c15b8ff4c466c867c9f37830021effc]Centerville[/wiki] [url=http://www.heartofcenterville.com],]a nearby suburb of Dayton. It also has the largest collection of historic stone houses in the US.
* Visit nearby college town [[Oxford (Ohio)|Oxford[/url]], home of Public Ivy Miami University, about 45 minutes southwest.
* The nearby community of [wiki=a5ffd75bfc79287c00171e774ed856c0]Yellow Springs[/wiki] is highly recommended, offering a unique and eclectic downtown shopping experience and great outdoor recreation.
* Both [wiki=cc8d66016f145d18ca43f658cf893ec8]Cincinnati[/wiki] and [wiki=e9c7810a2f9caab925b56a15c143888f]Columbus[/wiki] are roughly an hour from Dayton.
* Approximately 45 minutes south on State Route 45 is Lexington Ohio which is a rich historic town and also home to the Fort Ancient Archaeological dig, one of the largest Native American historical sites in the United States.
[[WikiPedia:Dayton,_Ohio]]
[wiki=ff578348475384c6d182056fa0b6af4b]Dmoz:North_America/United_States/Ohio/Localities/D/Dayton[/wiki]
[wiki=c123573b8042402252e0b19283265d8c]World66:northamerica/unitedstates/ohio/dayton[/wiki][wiki=e2671e1e87f80dea5ded96ab27853325]de:Dayton[/wiki]
English
Spanish
Portuguese
Arabic
Chinese
