Dayton is known as the "Gem City" and it's no wonder. In addition to being the true birthplace of aviation (the Wright brothers, Orville and Wilber, lived here and perfected their design for the first practical aircraft) it is also home to one of the nation's few multi-site National Parks - the Dayton Aviation Heritage Park. There's plenty to do and see in the region - the city itself or the many unique suburbs that surround.

Get in

By air - James M. Cox Dayton International Airport (DAY) is located in the northern part of the metropolitan area.

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 Toledo on this road.
 • I-70 runs east to west across the northern part of the Dayton area. To the west, Indianapolis is about two hours away; to the east, Columbus is about one hour away.
 • 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 Chillicothe.

By bus - Greyhound offers service to Dayton, making its stops downtown.

Attractions

 • The nearby Wright Patterson Air Force Base 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 Air Force and the Huffman Prairie Flying Field where the Wright Brothers perfected their flying skills in 1904-05.
 • 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.
 • Dayton is also home to the Dayton Dragons, a 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!
 • Catch a show at the Schuster Performing Arts Center that features Broadway performances like the Phantom of the Opera and now playing - The Producers.
 • Also amazing are the number of community festivals, including the Troy Strawberry Festival, Oktoberfest in Downtown Dayton and the Waynesville Sauerkraut Festival.

Activities

Dayton has many things going for it: no traffic jams, a plethora of arts activities (Dayton Opera, Dayton Symphony, many theater playhouses, etc.) You just need to know where to look.
 • The Dayton Art Institute is a world-class museum. They bring in traveling exhibits 2-3 times a year.
 • 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.
 • Carillon Park is an outside historical museum containing original historic homes that have been moved there. Sort of like Greenfield Village in Michigan, but smaller. Still, very nice. It contains artifacts from NCR, the Wright Brothers, and more.