"I absolutely need to see or do this" in Dwtn Dayton (Troy: rentals, hotels)

[snoopygirlmi]

My husband is planning to take my son to the Air Force Museum for a day at the end of the August.

I've already been to the museum and I think the idea of a father/son outing is great.

We are planning on staying in downtown because (presumably) I won't need a car to get around (he'd take it and park at the museum) and public transit will be available, if needed.

As a result, I'd like to know what are the things that I absolutely should try to do/see, given that I only have a day to spend in the area.

Any good museums? Outdoor events/parks? Restaurants? Spas? Something off-the-beaten track/a hidden gem that someone from outside Dayton must see? What would be the quintessential "I can only do this in Dayton" experience?

Thanks for your input!

[Natural510]

The Wright-Dunbar area is interesting; it's a historical district just west of downtown across the Miami River where you can visit the Wright Brothers' original bicycle shop and Paul Dunbar's boyhood home in the same general neighborhood off W.3rd St. Otherwise there's the Oregon District on E.5th which has nice bars & restaurants, and the area around Brown Street which features the U of Dayton and Woodland Cemetery (Wright Bros, Dunbar, Erma Bombeck, et al). The Dayton Art Institute is also above average for a city its size.

[wrightflyer]

Depending on what day of the week you are staying through, there is the 2nd Street Market at the corner of Webster and 2nd.

It is a bit of a walk, but certainly doable. And as you said, you can always jump on an RTA bus if needed.

[SWOH]

Adding to the other suggestions...

The Oregon District has a lot of interesting sights and shops. It's only a couple blocks from the Crowne Plaza, and not much further from the Dayton Grand. Interesting sites there include the Neon independent theatre, a very large record shop, an awesome used book store (at least I think, but I'm a book nerd). Also has some adult shop, which get raves from some and rants from others. I kinda think it adds to the funky culture of the neighborhood, but maybe that's just me.

Once you are done there, take a walk up Patterson (the "canal walk" they just built). every block has a signpost detailing some history of the area, life along the canal, etc. even if you aren't much for history, it's a nice, well landscaped walk to Riverscape, which I would consider to be a must-see. especially since you specifically mentioned outdoor recreation. It's beautifully landscaped, provides great views of the city, has an "inventors walk" which tells about the many things invented here (I guarantee some will surprise you!) also Riverscape offers bike rentals, and there are a lot of great bike paths which you can go on. You might be able to bike all the way to the Air Force museum, but I'm not sure...

Before you get there though, Mendelsons is worth a stop if you have some time to kill. You might not want anything from there, but is a very unique (and very large) shop that sells just about everything, it seems. Except clothes and books haha. If you like baseball, the Dayton Dragons (our minor-league team) is always a good time. Just be prepared to sit on the lawn because all the games are sold out!

If you are downtown at lunch time, check out courthouse square. Food trucks will park there, and it's a festival atmosphere. Definitely worth it.

As far as museums go, the Dayton Institute of Art, the Peace Museum, and the Packard museum are within relatively easy walking distance of the downtown hotels. Carrion Park, the Boonshoft childrens museum, and Wright/Dunbar are all along the bike trails and would make good destinations if you rent a bike at Riverscape. If you have kids, I would consider both the art institute and the Boonshoft must-sees. Carrion Park has some cool Wright Bros stuff if you want to cheč that out and it's the launchpoint to Hawthorne Hill, the Wright Bros' mansion.


There's also a lot more specific sites scattered throughout the valley you might want to see depending on your interests. Like Waco airplanes by Troy, hippie culture in Yellow Springs, Native American stuff at Sunwatch, Foy'a and Scene 75 are great for kids, mountain biking and kayaking east of town, etc. I guarantee you won't be bored haha.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy your time in Dayton!

[SWOH]

Re-reading, I should probably emphasize that Foys is a quinessential "you can only see this in Dayton" experience.....

[CarpathianPeasant]

Best make that Carillon Park

Park page: Dayton History

Main page: http://www.daytonhistory.org/

although at times I suppose they do carri-on some.

[SWOH]

^My bad, CP. Most of my city-data posts I do from my Iphone, so either autocorrect changed it to that or I just missed a few letters when I was pecking away at that impossibly small keyboard.


Anyways, thanks for posting links! OP, here are links to the other activities I mentioned earlier:

Downtown Dayton Partnership
Also a handy tool for finding everything in downtown: Downtown Dayton Partnership

Dayton Art Institute |
Home :: RiverScape MetroPark
Mendelson Electronics Company Inc. / Mendelsons Liquidation Outlet
https://www.facebook.com/DaytonFoodTrucks
Dayton International Peace Museum

Foys Halloween Store (it's actually not as creepy as the website makes it look....)

MoMBA :: Huffman MetroPark
Scene 75
The Neon in Dayton, Ohio
The Official Site of The Dayton Dragons | daytondragons.com Homepage


Also forgot to mention the arts scene. Dayton has many performance venues, far more than a town this size has on average. So if that's your thing, Futurefest is coming to town soon, and there's always something at the 2-3 main theaters downtown. We also have some smaller companies scattered throughout town, so they might be worth checking out.

Unfortunately, though, I don't know that much about the arts. Those that I know don't like to go to plays/musicals/operas/orchestras/etc., so I don't go either haha.

[snoopygirlmi]

What the name of the awesome used book store (I'm a book nerd too!)......

[snoopygirlmi]

I agree, the last time we were in Dayton, I took my kid to the children's museum and it was really cool. This trip - he'll be hanging out w/dad at the airplane museum.

[SWOH]

Originally Posted by snoopygirlmi

What the name of the awesome used book store (I'm a book nerd too!)......

I drove by it on my way in to Sinclair today... it is called Bonnett's!