The Birthplace of Aviation
Destination Dayton has compiled a video library of the amazing aviation sites in the Dayton region. These videos will give you plenty of ideas as you plan a future trip to Dayton.
Hawthorn Hill
The Dayton CVB takes you inside Hawthorn Hill! With its white pillars and twin porches, Hawthorn Hill has long been synonymous with Orville Wright and the Wright family. Upon completion in 1914, Hawthorn Hill became the residence of Orville, Katharine, and their elderly father, Bishop Milton Wright.
Huffman Prairie
When the Wright brothers returned to Dayton, after their historic first flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903, they looked for a suitable flying field closer to home. Dayton banker, Torrence Huffman allowed the brothers to use his pasture, which was located eight miles northeast of Dayton, rent-free.
National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
A must-see in Dayton, the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force is the world’s largest and oldest military aviation museum and Ohio’s most visited FREE tourist attraction with approximately 1 million annual visitors. This world-renowned museum features more than 360 aerospace vehicles and missiles and thousands of artifacts amid 19 acres of indoor exhibit space.
National Aviation Hall of Fame
Honor world-famous pilots and space travelers while delving into more than a century of flight history at the National Aviation Hall of Fame, which is attached to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. Admission is free.
Paul Laurence Dunbar House
Explore Paul Laurence Dunbar's home, which still includes many original furnishings: original typewriter and a Wright Bicycle. Dunbar was the first African-American poet to gain international recognition.
Woodland Cemetery & Arboretum
One of the nation's five oldest "garden cemeteries," Woodland is the resting place of the Wright Brothers, Paul Laurence Dunbar, inventor Charles F. Kettering, author/humorist Erma Bombeck and media mogul James Cox, among others. The arboretum boasts more than 3,000 trees and 165 species of plants, and architectural sites.
Wright B Flyer
Wright B Flyer, Inc. strives to promote, through exhibition of Wright “B” Flyer lookalikes, public awareness of the Dayton, Ohio region, where the Wright Brothers lived, invented the airplane, and gave birth to modern aviation. Wilbur and Orville Wright built America’s first airplane factory in Dayton in 1910. The Model B was its first product.
Wright Brothers Collection
The Wright Brothers Collection housed in Special Collections and Archives in the Wright State University Libraries is one of the most complete collections of Wright material in the world. It includes the Wrights' own technical and personal library, family papers including letters, diaries, financial records, genealogical files, and other documents detailing the lives and work of Wilbur and Orville Wright and the Wright Family. It also includes awards, certificates, medals, albums, recordings, and technical drawings.
Wright Brothers National Museum
The John W. Berry, Sr. Wright Brothers National Museum has more Wright artifacts on display than any other place in the world, including the 1905 Wright Flyer III: the only airplane designated a National Historic Landmark, the first practical flying machine, and what the Wright brothers considered their most important aircraft. Referred to as “the first pilot’s last project,” preserving the 1905 Wright Flyer III for Carillon Historical Park was Orville Wright’s last major project before he died on January 30, 1948.
Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center
The Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center, located in the same building where the Wright Brothers operated their printing business, showcases exhibits that explore the lives of the Brothers and Orville's high school classmate, poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. Learn about the life and legacies of these three men through a film and fascinating hands-on displays. Free.