Dayton Ohio aviation history and heritage sites at the National Museum of the US Air Force

Uncover Dayton, Ohio’s Aviation History and Heritage Sites

Dayton, Ohio might not be high on many people’s travel lists of destinations. But if you are a history buff, it might be time to add this to your Ohio stops. Located roughly an hour from both Cincinnati and Columbus, Dayton Ohio aviation history has a few big attractions, from humble Wright Brothers beginnings to a massive Air Force museum.

Yes, it is true that the Wright Brothers first took flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. But all the work they did in preparation for that fateful day on December 17, 1903, happened in the Wright Brothers’ workshops in Dayton. Those workshops are now operated by the National Park Service, and along with the impressive National Museum of the US Air Force, Dayton is a landing spot for history fans. 

The only remaining original building that housed one of the Wright Brothers’ cycle shops is a part of the welcome center for visitors to Dayton, Ohio’s Aviation Heritage National Historic Park.

Visit Dayton Ohio Aviation History

Aviation fans will want to make the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park the first stop as they get to town. Located at 16 South Williams Street, this location is operated by the National Park Service and is the former site of one of the Wright Brothers workshops. Officially, this is the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center. This location starts to tell the story of Orville and Wilbur Wright, along with a section about African American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar.

Through exhibits and artifacts at this location, you learn about the life of the Wright Brothers and the struggles they went through on their way to being the first to fly. The NPS film “Wright Brothers On Great White Wings” offers a nice introduction to the day of learning about the pioneers of flight. 

Wright Brother’s Bicycle Shop

You probably think of the Wright Brothers as tinkerers and owners of a bicycle repair shop. And that is true, but these entrepreneurs did so much more. They were successful printers and, in fact, newspaper publishers well before their departure from Kitty Hawk.

Orville and Wilbur Wright were quite the businessmen. Before taking flight, they were successful printers and newspaper publishers in the Dayton area.
Orville and Wilbur Wright were quite the businessmen. Before taking flight, they were successful printers and newspaper publishers in the Dayton area.

At this site, you can tour the Wright Brothers’ Cycle Shop. Orville and Wilbur operated several bike shops, but the location at the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park is the only surviving building. The short guided tour shows some of their equipment and bicycles that they designed. This Wright Brothers workshop is where the spark of flying turned into action, as they actively started plans and designs while working here.

On display at the cycle shop run by the Wright Brothers is some of their equipment, as well as some of their original creation like this bicycle.
On display at the cycle shop run by the Wright Brothers is some of their equipment, as well as some of their original creation like this bicycle.

Wright Flyer

At the bicycle shop, you can see a bike designed and built by the Wrights. But if you want to see an actual Wright Flyer airplane, you’ll need to stop by the nearby Carillon Historical Park. On display here, you’ll find the original 1905 Wright Flyer III, the first practical airplane and the only airplane designated a National Historic Landmark. Also at this stop, you’ll find Wright Hall. This building was designed by Orville as a storage facility for the airplane. Along with the airplane, you’ll find a large collection of exhibits along with a replica of the Wrights’ fifth bike shop.

Dayton embraces their aviation history. That includes this display of public art, near the visitor’s center of a Wright Flyer.
Dayton embraces their aviation history. That includes this display of public art, near the visitor’s center of a Wright Flyer.

There are several other sites that you can incorporate into your visit to Dayton. The Huffman Prairie Interpretive Center is located near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and has a visitor’s center with additional exhibits. Also on the grounds is the Wright Memorial on Wright Brothers Hill.

Also at the Air Force base is Huffman Prairie Flying Field. At this location, the Wright Brothers continued their flying experiments on their return from Kitty Hawk. In this field, they learned the subtle touch it took to improve and perfect their controlled flight.

National Museum of the United States Air Force

But for us, the highlighted attraction at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base was the National Museum of the United States Air Force. If you love airplanes and/or history, you could spend an entire day at this giant museum. The place is giant because of the number of planes, jets, spacecraft, and more on display throughout multiple hangars. 

Established in May 1923, this facility is packed with unique and historic exhibits. With an obvious focus on the US Air Force, the collection of aircraft spans every era imaginable. You can see planes from the early years of aviation, as well as fighter planes and jets from practically every military conflict of the past 100+ years.

Every conceivable plane or jet you can imagine is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. That includes this Stealth Jet Fighter.
Every conceivable plane or jet you can imagine is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. That includes this Stealth Jet Fighter.

The entire museum is impressive. But for us, two exhibits stood out as our favorites. Be sure to check out the Space Exhibits and the Presidential Gallery. Walking through the Space Gallery, you are immersed in a tour of the Space Shuttle. The Space Shuttle Exhibit features a Crew Compartment Trainer (CCT-1) from NASA. This is a realistic representation of a space shuttle crew station that NASA used primarily for training and evaluations. You get to see up close how large the payload bay is and the amount of technology needed as you find yourself inside the cockpit area.

The museum features a space shuttle exhibit, including an opportunity to see what it’s like in the cockpit.
The museum features a space shuttle exhibit, including an opportunity to see what it’s like in the cockpit.

Space explorers and NASA fans will find so much more on display. They do a great job of telling the story of space exploration with historic pieces that helped make those dreams of exploration come to life. An Air Force museum would not be complete without an exhibit about Air Force One. The Presidential Gallery does not disappoint, getting you inside this historic collection of presidential aircraft. In this exhibit, you get the opportunity to walk through four historic Air Force One planes. 

You’ll be inside the aircraft of Presidents Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, as well as the Boeing VC-137C, also known as SAM (Special Air Mission) 26000, which was used by eight presidents — Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Clinton. For us, it was a surreal opportunity to walk through Air Force One that brought President Kennedy back from Dallas in November 1963, and see the spot where President Johnson was sworn in.

Presidential transportation is a focal point of the museum, including the Air Force One that was used by President Kennedy on his fateful visit to Dallas in 1963.
Presidential transportation is a focal point of the museum, including the Air Force One that was used by President Kennedy on his fateful visit to Dallas in 1963.

Dayton is bursting with aviation history. We touched on some of the big highlights, but the Wright Brothers’ locations and the National Museum of the United States Air Force have so much more. This is an excursion for someone on a budget. The National Museum of the United States Air Force and the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park offer free entry and free parking. When visiting the Carillon Historical Park to see the Wright Flyer airplane, there is a small fee (less than $20 per person).

If you’re looking for other options in and around the Buckeye State, check out our food and destination options.

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