For other places with the same name, see Dayton (disambiguation).

Flyover is a sculpture that retraces the path of the Wright Brothers' first powered airplane flight--located in downtown Dayton.

Dayton is a city of about 141,000 (2016) in the Miami - Scioto basins in Ohio. It is the center of the Dayton-Springfield-Sidney, Ohio metro area with a population of 1,075,000 (2016).

Understand

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 city and its suburbs.

Climate

Dayton has a humid continental climate, which means, like the rest of Ohio, that it sees four very distinct seasons.

Dayton
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D       2.6     34 19       2.3     38 22       3.3     49 31       4     61 40       4.2     71 51       4.2     80 60       3.8     84 64       3.5     82 62       2.7     76 55       2.7     64 44       3.3     50 34       2     39 24 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation+Snow totals in inches
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D       66     1 −7       58     3 −6       84     9 −1       102     16 4       107     22 11       107     27 16       97     29 18       89     28 17       69     24 13       69     18 7       84     10 1       51     4 −4 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation+Snow totals in mm

Winter

being situated in the Midwest, winters are cold. Snowfall isn't particularly 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.

Get in

By plane

• 1 James M. Cox Dayton International Airport (updated May 2018)

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.
• 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 Chillicothe, making Charleston, West Virginia 4 hours away to the south and east.

By bus

Greyhound operates a few long-distance buses to Dayton. The bus station is unfortunately located far out in the suburbs with limited local bus connections.

• 2 Dayton Trotwood bus station, 5136 Salem Avenue, ☏ +1 937-837-6251. Ticket office and station open 5AM-11PM daily. (updated Nov 2021)

Get around

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 operates bus routes (including electric trolley bus service) within Montgomery County. Getting on the bus is no longer as easy as putting $2 in the slot; before boarding, you must either install their app on your phone or go to a transit center to buy a reusable card.

See

National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

• 1 Miami Valley Trails (Bicycle and Shared Use Paths), 111 E Monument Ave. Ohio's Miami Valley area offers an outstanding system of trails and bikeways for residents and visitors. Over 300 mi (480 km) 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. (updated Jul 2019)

Aviation

• 2 Wright Patterson Air Force Base (updated Jul 2019)
• 3 National Museum of the U. S. Air Force (updated Jul 2019)
• 4 Huffman Prairie Flying Field & Interpretive Center (updated Jul 2019)

Museums & galleries

Dayton City Hall

• 5 Wright Cycle Company Complex (updated Jul 2019)
• 6 Dayton Art Institute  
• 7 Boonshoft Museum of Discovery (updated Jul 2019)
• 8 Carillon Park (updated Jul 2019)
• 9 Dayton International Peace Museum (updated Jul 2019)
• 10 SunWatch (updated Jul 2019)

Historic sights

Stained glass window in St. Mary's Catholic Church, depicting the Adoration of the Shepherds.

• 11 Sacred Heart Catholic Church (updated Nov 2021)
• 12 St. Mary's Catholic Church (updated Nov 2021)

Do

Performing arts

Schuster Center

• 1 Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra  
• 2 Dayton Ballet  
• 3 Human Race Theatre Company, 126 N Main St (the Loft Theatre), ☏ +1 937-228-3630, fax: +1 937-449-5068. (updated Jul 2019)

Festivals

Dayton Air Show

• 4 Dayton Air Show  
• Greek Festival, The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, 500 Belmonte Park N (Next to the Dayton Art Institute), ☏ +1 937-224-0601, [email protected]. (updated Jul 2019)
• Dayton Celtic Festival, 111 E. Monument Avenue. Saturate your senses in the sights, sounds, and tastes of our Celtic heritage. Discover the magic that keeps people returning to Dayton’s Celtic Festival year after year. Come and experience the rich traditions that we Celtic folk hold dear to our hearts. $0 Admission. (updated Jun 2023)

Sports and recreation

Heater - the Dayton Dragons' mascot

• 5 Dayton Dragons  
• 6 Dayton Flyers  
• 7 Wright State Raiders (updated Jul 2019)
• The 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.

Learn

Chapel at University of Dayton

Sculpture at Wright State

• 1 University of Dayton (updated Mar 2019)
• 2 Wright State University (updated Mar 2019)
• 3 Sinclair Community College (updated Mar 2019)
• 4 Air Force Institute of Technology  

Buy

• 1 Dayton Mall  
• 2 Mall at Fairfield Commons  
• 3 The Greene (updated Jul 2019)
• 4 Oregon District (updated Jul 2019)
• 5 Second Street Market. (updated Mar 2019)

Eat

Marion's Supreme, good example of the unique preparation and small square cuts

• 1 The Chop House, 7727 Washington Village Drive, ☏ +1 937-291-1661. Steakhouse 
• 2 House of Thai, 3230 Seajay Dr, Beavercreek (across street from Beaver Valley Mall and Lofino), ☏ +1 937-429-2236. M-F 11AM-3PM, dinner M-Th 5PM-9PM, F 5PM-9:30PM, Sa noon-9:30PM, Su 11AM-9:30PM. 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. Lunch $8, dinner $10-15. (updated Jul 2019)
• 3 Marion's Piazza (updated Jul 2019)
• 4 Milano's, 1834 Brown St, ☏ +1 937-222-7072. 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. (updated Jul 2019)
• 5 The Pine Club (updated Jul 2019)
• 6 Thai 9, 11 Brown St, ☏ +1 937-222-3227. M-F 11:30AM-2:30PM, Su-Th 5PM-9:30PM, F Sa 5PM-10PM. A trendy Thai restaurant on the West end of the Oregon District featuring traditional Thai specialties and sushi. Free parking. 
• 7 Tacqueria Mixteca, 1609 East 3rd Street (due east of downtown), ☏ +1 937-258-2654. Urban hole-in-the-wall with authentic Mexican food and good guacamole. (updated Jul 2019)
• 8 Little Saigon, 1718 Woodman Drive (Kettering), ☏ +1 937-258-8010. Tasty, inexpensive Vietnamese food with a huge menu, especially in terms of vegetarian options with a variety of meat alternatives. 
• 9 Agnes Eats, 416 E Third St (look for the old WYMPEE sign), ☏ +1 937-368-8787. Coco bread and oxtail and other Caribbean entrees. 
• 10 Coco's Bistro, 250 Warren Street, ☏ +1 937-228-2626. M-Th 11:30AM-9PM, F 11:30-10PM, Sa 5-10PM; closed Sunday. 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. Lunch $10, dinner $20-30. (updated Jul 2019)
• 11 Butter Cafe, 1106 Brown St, ☏ +1 937-985-9917. 7AM-3PM. They serve organic and free range food. 

Drink

• 1 Canal Street Arcade and Deli, 308 E First St, ☏ +1 937-220-9333. Interesting place with drinks and reuben sandwiches and arcade games that are free to play. 
• 2 Dublin Pub, 300 Wayne Ave (Oregon District), ☏ +1 937-224-7822, [email protected]. Serves traditional Irish food with some flair and claims to be the #1 seller of Irish whiskey in Ohio. (updated Jul 2019)
• 3 The Fieldhouse, 1126 Brown St, ☏ +1 937-461-2111. 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. 
• 4 Flanagan's, 101 E Stewart, ☏ +1 937-228-5776. 11AM-2:30AM. A UD bar with a more mature atmosphere frequented by students, alumni, and locals. Well known for their St. Patrick's Day party. 
• 5 South Park Tavern (SPT), 1301 Wayne Ave, ☏ +1 937-586-9526. 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. (updated Jul 2019)
• 6 Tank's Bar & Grill, 2033 Wayne Ave, ☏ +1 937-252-45410. 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. 
• 7 The Trolley Stop, 530 E Fifth St, ☏ +1 937-461-1101. 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. (updated Jul 2019)
• 8 The Century Bar, A Bourbon House, 18 S. Jefferson St (2 blocks north of the Convention Center), ☏ +1 937-694-1086. This classic but casual downtown after-dinner nightspot features 60+ bourbon whiskeys (think Kentucky), complemented 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. 

Sleep

Budget

• 1 Comfort Inn & Suites, 9305 N Main St, ☏ +1 937-836-9400. Heated indoor pool and continental breakfast included. (updated Jul 2019)
• 2 Super 8 Miamisburg/Dayton South, 155 Monarch Ln, Miamisburg (Exit #44 off I-75), ☏ +1 937-247-4375. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. Clean, quiet, comfortable new beds and a free continental breakfast. 

Mid-range

• 3 Red Lion Inn & Suites Dayton Airport, 6960 Miller Ln, ☏ +1 937-898-1120, fax: +1 937-898-0727. Outdoor pool, breakfast buffet type of thing. 
• 4 Hawthorn Suites Dayton North, 7070 Poe Ave, ☏ +1 937-898-7764, fax: +1 937-890-5891. 
• 5 SpringHill Suites Dayton South/Miamisburg, 417 N Springboro Pike, ☏ +1 937-432-9277, fax: +1 937-432-9366. 

Splurge

• 6 Dayton Marriott, 1414 S Patterson Blvd, ☏ +1 937-223-1000, toll-free: +1 800-450-8625, fax: +1 937-223-7853. 
• 7 Drury Inn, 6616 Miller Ln (Butler Township), ☏ +1 937-454-5200. 
• 8 The Golden Lamb Inn, 27 S Broadway St, ☏ +1 513 932-5065. Ohio's oldest operating hotel. (updated Apr 2016)

Connect

Dayton Metro Library

• 5 Dayton Metro Library (updated Dec 2018)
• 6 Post Office. (updated Mar 2019)

Go next

• Caesar Creek State Park, northeast corner of Warren County, 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 acres (1,150 hectares) lake, unlimited horsepower, boating, water skiing, five launch ramps, 43 mi (69 km) of hiking trails, 31 mi (50 km) of bridle trail, horsemen's camp, 5 mi (8.0 km) mountain bike trail, 3.5 mi (5.6 km) novice trail, hunting, fishing, picnic areas, tables, grills, drinking water, nine picnic shelters, day lodge, a meeting room, kitchen, outdoor tables, grills, 1,300 ft (400 m) 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 Centerville, a nearby suburb of Dayton. It also has the largest collection of historic stone houses in the US.
• Visit nearby college town Oxford, home of Public Ivy Miami University, about 45 minutes southwest.
• The nearby community of Yellow Springs is highly recommended, offering a unique and eclectic downtown shopping experience and great outdoor recreation.
• Both Cincinnati and Columbus are roughly an hour from Dayton.
• Approximately 45 minutes south on State Route 48 is Lebanon 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.

Routes through Dayton

Indianapolis ← Richmond ←	W  E	→ Springfield → Columbus
Toledo ← Piqua ←	N  S	→ Miamisburg → Cincinnati
Muncie ← Richmond ←	W  E	→ Beavercreek → Chillicothe