13 Must-Do Summer Activities in Dayton

Aviation Heritage
You can no more imagine Dayton without aviation than you could Columbus without Ohio State, Sandusky without Cedar Point or Cincinnati without the Ohio River. Thanks to Orville and Wilbur Wright, the ingenious bicycle builders who used their mechanical know-how to invent the airplane, the city made Ohio the birthplace of aviation in the early 1900s.  

Today, Dayton boasts two world-class attractions — the annual CenterPoint Energy Dayton Air Show and the National Museum of the United States Air Force — that reflect its aviation heritage. Scheduled for June 21 and 22, the 2025 air show features the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and the Akron-based Goodyear Blimp, while the massive National Museum of the United States Air Force dazzles visitors with exhibits ranging from the legendary Memphis Belle to a rare B-2 stealth bomber to history-making presidential planes.  

Dayton is also the hub of the Aviation Trail, a self-guided driving tour that features 55 destinations chronicling the ongoing saga of manned flight. It begins at the Aviation Trail Visitor Center and Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center. At the Visitor Center, be sure to ask about the Wilbear Wright program, which rewards anyone who visits eight of the 17 staffed Aviation Trail stops with an aviator-themed teddy bear complete with goggles and a scarf.   

“Wilbear was originally intended for kids,” says Aviation Trail president Steve Brown, “but now it’s so popular that just as many adults want one too.”  

For an exceptionally up-close and personal experience, take a guided tour of Hawthorn Hill. The beautiful mansion was Orville Wright’s home from 1914 until his death in 1948. As Brown notes, his study has been kept almost exactly as it was when he lived there.

For those seeking more aviation history beyond the walls of Hawthorn Hill, head to Carillon Historical Park, where the Wright brothers’ legacy continues. In the 1940s, Orville oversaw the restoration of the world’s first practical airplane, the 1905 Wright Flyer III. The revolutionary aircraft, which has also been named Ohio’s official state airplane, can be seen at Carillon Historical Park, where it’s displayed inside the Wright Brothers National Museum. 

Museums & Music
Carillon Historical Park’s verdant, open-air museum campus tells the stories of Dayton innovations — including the cash register, automobile self-starter and, of course, airplane — that impacted the world. It’s filled with authentic artifacts, such as the sewing machine that the Wright brothers used to sew fabric onto wings, and its family-friendly attractions include a train ride, a Dayton-themed carousel and a brewery that serves house-made barbecue along with tasty side dishes like mac and cheese.

“We also have a lovely outdoor beer garden,” says Alex Heckman, vice president of museum operations for Dayton History. “It’s a relaxing place to eat lunch or dinner under a canopy of sycamore trees.”  

Near downtown Dayton, America’s Packard Museum showcases about 50 luxury automobiles in a restored art deco-style Packard dealership. Seeing the car-maker’s iconic Pelican and Goddess of Speed hood ornaments alone is worth the trip, but you’ll also get a peek at classics like a 1928 Speedster that Charles Lindbergh drove and singer Perry Como’s 1953 Caribbean convertible.  

Perched on a hill overlooking the Great Miami River, the Dayton Art Institute has been a local landmark for more than a century. Its elegant, Renaissance-inspired architecture is unmistakable, and its collections cover 5,000 years of art history.  

You’ll encounter masterpieces of a different kind at Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm, where 20-foot-tall trolls fashioned from reclaimed wood by artist Thomas Dambo preside. Aullwood’s nature center features a bird-watching room, and its 96-acre working farm is home to horses, chickens, quail, sheep and goats.  

There’s nothing better on a summer evening than listening to live music under the stars, and you can do just that at three unique Dayton-area venues. Levitt Pavilion Dayton offers a community gathering place where families bring lawn chairs and coolers to enjoy free concerts by the likes of A.J. Croce and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

Rose Music Center at The Heights is a fully covered outdoor amphitheater. Headliners for the 2025 season include Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Black Crowes. Fraze Pavilion in Kettering also provides a park-like setting for food festivals and is prepared to welcome a star-studded lineup for 2025, including performances from Counting Crows, CeCe Winans and The Beach Boys.  

Outdoor Recreation
One of Dayton’s greatest assets is having multiple rivers flanked by a regional park system, where opportunities for outdoor recreation range from urban parks to more natural habitats.

“We like to call Dayton The Outdoor Adventure Capital of the Midwest,” says Brent Anslinger, outdoor recreation program manager for Five Rivers MetroParks. “Our parks are destinations for boating, fishing, kayaking, mountain biking, birding, hiking, backpacking, camping and connecting with nature.”  

The park system’s backbone is the Great Miami River, and hugging its banks in the heart of Dayton is RiverScape MetroPark, an urban oasis that’s experiencing a wave of popularity with river surfers and kayakers. Manmade barriers in the Great Miami River generate rapids, and Surf Dayton founder Shannon Thomas can supply everything you need — including lessons and boards — for surfing and stand-up paddleboarding.

RiverScape is also a prime stop on another of the Dayton area’s outdoor claims to fame — the nation’s largest network of paved, multi-use recreational trails.

“We have over 330 miles of connected trails [and 370 miles in total] to go to 40 communities in 11 different counties,” says Leslie King of the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission.  

Collectively called the Miami Valley Trails, the routes appeal to avid and casual cyclists alike, frequently follow rivers and lead to a wide variety of amenities and attractions. One of King’s recommended rides is along the Great Miami River Trail. Starting at RiverScape, you can bike south on the trail to the shops and restaurants in historic Miamisburg or head north to Troy to view a covered bridge.

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WHEN YOU GO
For more information about these and other destinations in Dayton, visit destinationdayton.org.

America’s Packard Museum
americaspackardmuseum.org

Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm 
aullwood.audubon.org

Aviation Trail
aviationtrailinc.org

Carillon Historical Park
daytonhistory.org

CenterPoint Energy Dayton Air Show  
daytonairshow.com

Dayton Art Institute
daytonartinstitute.org

National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
nationalmuseum.af.mil

Five Rivers MetroParks
metroparks.org

Fraze Pavilion
fraze.com

Levitt Pavilion Dayton
levittdayton.org

Miami Valley Trails
miamivalleytrails.org

Rose Music Center at The Heights
rosemusiccenter.com

Surf Dayton
surfdayton.com