Spend the day exploring the Wright-Dunbar neighborhood, where powered flight began and innovation still lives in the streets. Park at Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park and follow a short, walkable route through key sites tied to the Wright brothers’ lives and legacy. Discover where they lived, worked, and invented, then return to the visitor center to finish your visit or enjoy a bite to eat nearby.
Note: Most stops are along city sidewalks and streets. Accessibility varies, so please check details before visiting.
Banner Photo: @capitol_c_charlie
Spend the day exploring the Wright-Dunbar neighborhood, where powered flight began and innovation still lives in the streets. Park at Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park and follow a short, walkable route through key sites tied to the Wright brothers’ lives and legacy. Discover where they lived, worked, and invented, then return to the visitor center to finish your visit or enjoy a bite to eat nearby.
Note: Most stops are along city sidewalks and streets. Accessibility varies, so please check details before visiting.
Banner Photo: @capitol_c_charlie
Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park & Aviation Trail Parachute Museum
16 South Williams Street
Dayton, OH 45402
🕒 1 to 1.5 hours. Three exceptional men from Dayton, Wilbur Wright, Orville Wright, and Paul Laurence Dunbar, found their creative outlets here through accomplishments, failures, and ultimately success. Together, they offered the world something far greater: hope and the ability to turn dreams into reality. Begin your visit at the park’s visitor center, where interactive exhibits celebrate their remarkable legacies. Explore the restored Wright Cycle Company building to see where the brothers crafted bicycles and began imagining powered flight. Don't forget to stop by Aviation Trail Parachute Museum, also located within the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center.
Open In Google MapsWright Family Home Site
7 Hawthorn St.
Dayton, OH 45402
🕒 10 to 15 minutes. A reconstructed front porch now serves as a tribute to the Victorian home where the Wright family lived before it was moved to Greenfield Village in the 1930s by Henry Ford. Across the street at the corner of Hawthorn and Fourth Streets stands a replica home honoring the original. Please note the replica house is a private residence and not open to the public.
Open In Google MapsOrville Wright's Laboratory Site
15 N. Broadway St.
Dayton, OH 45402
🕒 10 to 15 minutes. Orville Wright spent his last years here, continuing to tinker and invent. In his lab, he perfected important advancements like the split-wing flap and the automatic stabilizer. Though the original Wright Aeronautical Laboratory was demolished in 1976 by Standard Oil of Ohio, a recreated façade stands on the site today. Interpretive panels provide detailed stories about Orville’s work and legacy in this personal lab. | Photo: Aviation Trail, Inc.
Open In Google MapsFifth Cycle Shop Lot
1125-1127 W. Third St.
Dayton, OH 45402
🕒 10 minutes. The original Fifth Cycle Shop stood at this site until the 1930s, when Henry Ford moved it to Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan. This is the very place where the Wright brothers invented the airplane. While exploring, enjoy the shops and dining options along West Third Street and learn more from the interpretive panels on site. For an authentic experience, visit the replica Fifth Cycle Shop located at Carillon Historical Park, about three miles south of the Wright-Dunbar neighborhood.
Open In Google MapsWright Flyer III Sculpture
702 W Third St.
Dayton, OH 45402
🕒 10 minutes. Installed in 2023 by Montgomery County, the Larry Godwin bronze and steel sculpture of the 1905 Wright Flyer III stands as a striking gateway element within the Wright-Dunbar neighborhood. It sets the tone for your exploration of the birthplace of powered flight. While the original 1905 Wright Flyer III is preserved nearby at Carillon Historical Park, this impressive sculpture brings the legacy of the world’s first practical airplane directly to the neighborhood streets. | Photo: @capitol_c_charlie
Open In Google MapsWillis Bing Davis Art Studio & EbonNia Gallery
1135 W Third St
Dayton, OH 45402
🕒 30 to 45 minutes. Explore the vibrant studio of renowned artist Willis “Bing” Davis, who creates powerful mixed media, ceramics, and textiles using found objects to celebrate African and African American culture. This gallery showcases Dayton’s creative energy and deep cultural roots. | Photo: Willis Bing Davis Art Studio & EbonNia Gallery
Open In Google MapsWest Social Tap & Table
1100 W Third St.
Dayton, OH 45402
🕒 30 minutes to 45 minutes. Grab a bite or brew at West Social Tap & Table, Dayton’s first food hall offering dine-in, takeout, and delivery. This dynamic space features multiple local small restaurants and a bar, serving diverse, flavorful, and authentic cuisines. It’s a perfect spot to refuel while exploring the Wright-Dunbar neighborhood.
Open In Google MapsI Heart Ice Cream
9 N Williams St
Dayton, OH 45402
🕒 20 minutes. End your Wright-Dunbar adventure with a sweet treat at I Heart Ice Cream, a family-owned local favorite. Watch as your rolled ice cream is made fresh to order with a variety of creamy, customizable flavors. It’s the perfect way to cool down and savor the memories of your day exploring this historic neighborhood. | Photo: I Heart Ice Cream
Open In Google MapsAdd on: Paul Laurence Dunbar House
219 N Paul Laurence Dunbar St
Dayton, OH 45402
🕒 45 minutes to 1 hour. If you have time, take a short drive to the Paul Laurence Dunbar House. Though Dunbar didn’t live in Wright-Dunbar itself, the neighborhood honors his legacy as one of Dayton’s most influential poets and a key figure in African American history. The beautifully preserved home offers a glimpse into his life and work, rounding out your cultural experience.
Open In Google Maps