Take a Day Trip to Dayton

By Heather Rader

Posted On: Nov 21, 2025

Located in Southwest Ohio, conveniently for travelers at the Crossroads of America (the intersection of Interstates 70 and 75), Dayton’s history, arts and culinary scene, public parks, and easy-to-navigate downtown makes it an ideal destination for a day trip.

Whether you’re visiting Dayton for the first time or returning, the city offers a variety of exciting attractions waiting to be discovered.

Oregon District in Dayton

Here’s How We Spent the Day Exploring Dayton

When visiting a new destination, I like to start at a local coffee shop to fuel the day’s adventures. Press Coffee Bar has been serving the Dayton community since 2011. This popular local coffee shop is located at the edge of the Oregon District and serves their own selection of roasted single-origin coffees (Wood Burl Coffee) and pastries from local bakeries.

Since we were nearby, we walked through the Oregon District, Dayton’s oldest neighborhood, to admire the historic architecture (dating between the early 1800’s to early 1900’s) and a few public art displays.

Dayton’s Oregon District was first platted in 1829 and spans twelve city blocks. Now, it’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is known for trendy shops and a thriving restaurant and bar scene. 

Whether you’re driving through or exploring by foot, you’ll notice public art throughout the city. From murals, sculptures, utility boxes, sewer grates to unique bicycle racks, everywhere you look there’s art on display.

Twilight Mural in Dayton

Take this self-guided public art walk to see more than 70 pieces of colorful art throughout Downtown Dayton.

Along the banks of the Great Miami River is RiverScape Metropark. This park is a community hub year-round with landscaped gardens, walking and cycling paths along the river, interactive fountains, The Pavillion outdoor venue, RiverScape Café, the Five Rivers Fountain of Lights and so much more.

River Run Mural at RiverScape MetroPark

Relax on swing while overlooking the Great Miami River and the nearly 1,000-foot-long River Run Mural. 

Dayton is the birthplace of aviation. Orville and Wilbur Wright, Dayton natives, dedicated their life to becoming the first to fly. People from all over the world travel to Dayton to experience the aviation sites and historical significance that’s preserved here. You could spend an entire day just exploring aviation sites!

1905 Wright Flyer III statue in Dayton

For our day trip, we visited the Wright Brothers life-sized statues at Deeds Point, the 1905 Wright Flyer III Sculpture in the Wright Dunbar Historic District and the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park.

The Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park is comprised of several historic sites and museums throughout Dayton and Montogomery County.

Wright Cycle Company in Dayton

We visited the Wright Cycle Company Complex which includes:

The Interpretative Center has two floors of exhibits about the Wright Brothers’ career and inventions.

It also highlights the life of famous novelist and poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, a high school classmate of the Wright Brothers and editor of Dayton’s first newspaper dedicated to the African American Community, The Dayton Tattler.

More aviation attractions in Dayton include: The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, Carillon Historical Park to see the original 1905 Wright Flyer III, Huffman Prairie Flying Field and the National Aviation Hall of Fame.

Lunch at Dorothy Lane Market in Oakwood

For lunch, we drove just south of Dayton to Dorothy Lane Market in Oakwood. Originally opened in 1948 as a fruit stand, Dorothy Lane Market has now grown into a Dayton institution with the original store in Oakwood and three more locations in Southwest Ohio.

This market has gourmet groceries, a coffee shop, fresh bakery, a salad bar, sandwich station, a grill and sushi station. We ordered deli sandwiches and soup, a chocolate chip cookie from the bakery and sat upstairs in the dining hall.

The Silos in Dayton

Another great lunch (or dinner) option is the Silos, a food hall, bar and beer garden. This local gathering space is also home to historic grain silos that were built in 1924. 

After lunch, we drove to Cox Arboretum MetroPark, a 174-acre facility that features gardens, gravel and paved hiking and walking trails and a Visitor Center.

Tree Tower at Cox Arboretum in Dayton

Be sure to walk across the Monet Bridge, climb the 65-foot tall Tree Tower, explore the specialty gardens and find your way through the children’s maze.

The final stop of our Dayton day trip was at the Dayton Art Institute. Founded in 1919, the Dayton Art Institute’s collection spans 5,000 years of history with more than 27,000 objects.

The beautiful historic Italian Renaissance-style building was completed in 1930 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Dayton Art Institute

This was my first visit to the Dayton Art Institute, and I was so impressed with the collection – from the art itself to how each gallery was curated, highly recommend all art enthusiasts visit!

Additional destinations in Dayton that I would recommend are the Aullwood Audubon Nature Center to see the giant Dambo Trolls, attend a Dayton Dragons baseball game, visit Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, and explore the Second Street Market.

Deeds Point MetroPark in Dayton

For more things to do in Dayton, check out #OhioTheHeartofitAll at Ohio.org.