Things to do in Dayton | Restaurants, Theatre, Music and More
Join Key Sports, Runners Plus, and Dayton Track Club for July’s edition of the Dayton Pub Run Lite.
The second Pub Run each month is stripped down: no door prizes, reps, etc. Just the essentials and an opportunity to visit smaller or more out-of-the-way breweries.
These walks meet in front of the Nature Center at 1000 Aullwood Road! Join Sam Romeo and Aullwood’s Long-term Butterfly Monitoring team to identify, count and monitor butterfly and skipper populations. Butterfly enthusiasts of all skill levels are invited to participate! Bring binoculars if you have them. These walks meet on the sidewalk in front of Aullwood Nature Center at 1000 Aullwood Road. You must preregister for walks by calling 937-890-7360 or clicking on the red PREREGISTER NOW button here to register online. The walk starts promptly at the scheduled start time and ends promptly at the scheduled end time. The number of participants for this walk is limited. This is a Community Science project and there is no cost to attend.
When you think about having fun along Great Miami Riverway, you might remember bicycling with friends on the bike trail, or eating a delicious strawberry donut at the Troy Strawberry festival. But there are a lot of people who only think about one thing: fishing.
Fishing is one of the most popular sports in the world, and the Great Miami River is one of the best rivers in Ohio to try and catch some fish – or at least have some fun trying.
According to data collected by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), the Great Miami River:
d its tributaries, you can fish for everything from bass, saugeye, crappie, northern pike, and catfish to rock bass. Especially abundant are smallmouth bass, but you might get lucky On the Great Miami River, from 2014-2019, the largest noteworthy catches were:
“I’m passionate about fishing and fly fishing. ODNR’s data helps us understand what kinds of fish live in the river, and the best time of year to catch them,” says Barry Puskas, chief of technical and engineering services for the Miami Conservancy District. Barry’s day job helps our region’s flood protection system operate effectively, but his passion is also fishing.
Barry is an advocate for catch-and-release to encourage the conservation of fish species. “I believe the Great Miami is one of the best waterways to hunt for trophy-sized smallmouth bass in the region, and conservation helps those big fish get bigger”.
To find a great fishing spot on the Great Miami River, use our interactive map and trip planner. There are locations where you can fish from the riverbank, kayak, or motorboat. There is access for every age and ability.
So find your way to a fishing spot near you… on the Great Miami Riverway!
The Miami Valley now has a new option for spending a night beneath the stars: trailside camping.
These sites join MetroParks’ 23 existing camping options, which include front country campsites, accessible by motor vehicles, and backcountry campsites, accessible on foot. The trailside campsites support travelers without a motor vehicle who are passing through the region and need a place to stop before continuing their journey.
“Trailside camping fills a niche to support hikers, cyclists and paddlers who are traveling through Montgomery County on the paved trail network, water trails, and long-distance hiking and bicycle touring routes,” said Brent Anslinger, MetroParks’ outdoor recreation program manager. “These travelers may be out for a few days or on a multi-month adventure that covers thousands of miles. Trailside camping is one more critical amenity that welcomes adventure seekers to the area.”
The new trailside campsites are located along seven long-distance touring routes that run through Montgomery County:
The sites also support Dayton’s designation as a Trail Town of two long-distance trails, the Buckeye Trail and North Country National Scenic Trail, and build the region’s growing reputation as The Outdoor Adventure Capital of the Midwest. Trailside camping also supports MetroParks’ 10-year comprehensive master plan and park master plans.
“Dayton is The Outdoor Adventure Capital of the Midwest in part because of all the regional and national trails and routes that pass through the area, including Ohio’s only National Scenic Trail and only National Water Trail, among others,” Anslinger said. “It’s exciting to invite people traveling these routes — as well as anyone seeking multi-day experiences on Miami Valley Trails, the nation’s largest paved trail network with more than 350 miles to explore — to experience Montgomery County and the Great Miami Riverway in a new way.”
Trailside campsites are open year-round. Each can accommodate two small tents and up to six people, with a two-night maximum at the same site. Camping is by permit only but can be booked in advance or on the spot by visiting metroparks.org/reservations.
These primitive trailside camping sites are located in shaded areas with a restroom nearby in three MetroParks:
The cost to reserve a trailside campsite is $5 per night during peak season, from April 1 through Oct. 31, and $3 per night from Nov. 1 through March 31.
To develop its trailside camping options, Five Rivers MetroParks worked with local, regional and national partners that share the strategic goal of enhancing outdoor recreation opportunities that allow people to connect with nature. Partners include Bike Miami Valley, the Great Miami Riverway, Buckeye Trail Association, North Country Trail Association, National Park Service, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and Adventure Cycling Association. Sources from these organizations can be provided upon request.
Take your adventure on two wheels. Want to rent a mountain bike for the day? Renting a bike is easy—here are several places to rent bikes – from single-speed cruisers to tandem bikes to tag-along trailers for little kids
K&G Bike CenterLocated across the street from the Little Miami Scenic Trail for easy access.
XENIA
Mon, Tue, Thu – Sat: 10:00am – 6:00pm
A hub-based bike sharing system in Dayton, Ohio. Users can purchase one time passes or memberships through the Link Dayton app to access bikes at 27 different locations in the Dayton area. Bikes in this system must be returned and locked to a bike rack (or other fixed object) in the designated hubs outlined in the app. The system offers a fleet of green bicycles dubbed Green Link and a fleet of electric bicycles (e-bikes), dubbed eLink.
PayGo – $1 to unlock – eLink: 15¢ per minute Green Link: 10¢ per minute
Day Pass eLink: $15 for 4 hours of ride time GreenLink: $8 for 4 hours of ride time
90 Day Membership – $26 eLink: 10¢ per minute. Green Link: for 80 minutes of ride time per day, 5¢ per minute over included time
Click here for a map of where to pick up a Link bike.
237 East Monument Ave.
Dayton, OH 45402
(937) 278-2607
RiverScape MetroPark is positioned at the center of more than 300 miles of paved, off-street trails in the Dayton region — the nation’s largest paved trail network. You can rent bikes to explore this incredible bikeway network from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, at our RiverScape Rentals concession window. A variety of bicycles are available, as well as a host of bike attachments for your child.
Hybrid, Road bikes and youth bikes Rate – $8/hr, $12/2 hrs, $20/3 hrs
Tandem bikes – Rate: $15/hr, $20/2 hrs, $25/3 hrs
Reservations required for the Monday – Friday rentals (9am – 5pm); walk-ups accepted on Saturdays and Sundays (9am – 2pm).
A public work stand is available for use all summer long. Pump up your tires or fix a flat; adjust a derailleur or brakes; and tweak other parts of your bicycle for free with our public work stand.
Mountain bikes are available for rent on select Saturdays and Sundays at the MetroParks Mountain Biking Area (MoMBA) 4485 Union Rd., Dayton, OH 45424
You can try out the nine miles of single track without committing to buying gear. Bring the little ones out — youth bikes are available. The Hilltop Flow Trail and Tot Track are perfect for getting the kids to try something new. Advance registration is required and fees must be paid at the time of registration. 937-275-PARK (7275) Registration will cut-off at 5pm the evening before each rental opportunity if the minimum number of participants has not been met.
Spice up your dating lineup with a bike ride around town or explore the trails for the day. We’re bound to have a bike that will fit you and your significant other comfortably.
Road/Cruiser/Hybrid Bikes – $10 first hour, $4 additional hour
Tandem or Recumbent Rental – $15 first hour, $5 additional hour
Helmets, baby carriers, trailers, and locks are available for rent also. Hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly rentals are available. A valid driver’s license and credit card deposit are required for each bicycle rental.
Call (937) 384-0337 for availability or reservations.
We’re only 300 feet from the bike trail!
Tips for your bike rentalOnce you’ve got your bike rented, you may want to access info on where to bike- here’s a great resoure:
Cycling the Great Miami Riverway, there are 99 miles of river, paved trails, and connected communities in southwest Ohio. Check here for trail maps. It will give you info on parking, restrooms and access points.
Love to paddle, row, fish or bird watch? You’ve come to the right place. MCD publishes river maps of the Great Miami River, Stillwater River and Mad River water trails to help you plan your next – or first – kayaking or canoeing experience. The water trail maps show you public access points, river miles, safety information and more. Download them or contact your local park district for a printed copy.
You can also download more detailed maps of the Great Miami River in 10-mile sections. These river access and bike trail 10-mile segment maps will give you a variety of trip ideas.
Within the Great Miami River Watershed Water Trail, you can enjoy
Six rivers and streams – the Great Miami River, Stillwater River and Mad River, along with Twin Creek, Greenville Creek and Buck Creek – make up one of only 21 national water trail systems (designated by the U.S. Department of the Interior) and the only one in Ohio. The three rivers are state-designated water trails, too. And the Stillwater River and Greenville Creek are state-designated Scenic Rivers.
RiverScape MetroPark is positioned at the center of more than 300 miles of paved, off-street bikeways in the Dayton region – the nation’s largest bike trail network. You can rent bikes to explore this incredible bikeway network on Saturdays and Sundays, Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. A variety of bicycles are available, as well as a host of child attachments.
Bike rentals will be available through Sept. 5. Reservations will be required for rentals during the week from 9 am to 5 pm, and walk-ups will be accepted on the weekends from 9 am to 2 pm. Reservations can be made by calling 937-275-7275. The Bike Hub is also open and memberships are available online.
Men’s, women’s and tandem bikes are available as well as youth bikes and weehoo attachements for children to ride behind an adult bike. Rentals are available for 1-, 2-, or 3-hour time blocks and rates start at $8 per hour. Helmets, water bottle cages and trail maps are included with rentals.
Rental Rules
Move your workout outdoors, come down to RiverScape and enjoy Yoga with Tori Reynolds. Please bring your own water bottle and towel or mat.
The Great Miami Riverway is more than just a river. This regional destination in southwest Ohio includes paved trails and connected communities where you can surf the river, cycle the bike trail, and find your way through charming downtowns. And they have just launched their free Summer Challenge. With dozens of activities perfect for the adventurer, the art lover, the aviation enthusiast, the foodie, the beer connoisseur, the paddler, and everyone else in between.
We challenge you to explore the Great Miami Riverway this summer, June 1 – August 31.The more you places you visit, the more chances you have to win prizes!
Eat and Drink
Play Outside
Shop Local
Be Entertained
Explore
HOW TO PLAY
Download the Riverway App from the Apple App Store or Google Play, and create an account.
Choose an activity from the Summer Challenge and once completed, check that item off your list.
For extra chances to win, post a picture of your activities on social media with #riverwaychallenge.
PRIZES
Weekly prizes will be drawn from the participants who have completed activities that week. Weekly winners will be announced every Monday beginning June 7. Each weeks prize package worth $50-$100 in merchandise, certificates, and event tickets will be awarded. All winners will be notified by email.
To be eligible for the grand prizes, you must complete at least two activities in each category between June 1 and August 31. The grand prize winners will be chosen September 3, 2021.
Grand prizes include: A one-night stay in a floating tent on the Great Miami River at Float Troy and a meal at Smith’s Boathouse.
Register for The 2021 GREAT Smallmouth Bass Fishing Challenge on the Great Miami River. Hosted by the Great Miami Riverway and the National Association of Professional River Anglers (NAPRA), this is a family-friendly, virtual fishing tournament from June 15th – July 15th..
This is a catch and release tournament only. Anglers can fish anywhere on the Great Miami River from Sidney to Hamilton, Ohio. Fishing is a great way to social distance and still get outside. There is no better river for smallmouth bass fishing than the Great Miami River. Win prizes for your record catch! During the tournament, anglers will use the iAngler Tournament app to photograph their catch and record basic information while on the water. All Ohio fishing regulations apply. Unlimited number of fish entries.
Registration Fee: $25.00 (Early Bird registration through June 1st ONLY $15.00)
Tournament Rules and Regulations:
Scoring and Awards:
Awards include:
Have you ever wondered what rowing was all about? Now’s your chance to experience for yourself!
DISCOVER ROWING ▪ FREE
Saturday, June 5, 2021
Ages 18 years and up
Learn about boats, oars, basic body mechanics, how to get in a boat safely, and get on the water in a sweep or sculling boat.
Pre-registration is required.
Show times will be assigned via e-mail after you are pre-registered.
EMAIL: [email protected]
Join Dan Foley, director of the Great Miami Riverway for a conversation with Alex Sherbinow, Marketing Manager with Johnson Outdoors and Old Town Canoe Co., one of America’s largest manufacturers of canoes & kayaks. He will discuss the company’s interesting history, and the current unprecedented trends in watercraft sales.
Old Town Canoe Co., a Johnson Outdoors brand, has produced canoes, kayaks, fishing kayaks, life jackets, and paddles since 1898 . Their legacy began with they built canvas-covered wooden canoes. The company began making kayaks in 1995. In 2000 the company was making more kayaks than canoes.
The Life Enrichment Center is having a used bike sale. Bikes will range from $5-$20 as marked. This is a cash only sale. Come see what they have to offer! Refreshments available for purchase.
To recognize Mental Health Awareness Month and make it easier for the community to de-stress outdoors, Five Rivers MetroParks has established four Mindfulness Walks. Visitors will find signage along these short, easy walks inviting them to stop and engage in a variety of simple breathing and meditation activities. The mindfulness activities — developed with input from Dayton Children’s and Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services — can be done not only in the designated MetroParks but in any outdoor space.
“Spending time outdoors is a great way to stay active and improve your physical health, but time in nature improves mental wellbeing, too,” said Amy Dingle, MetroParks’ director of outdoor connections. “Connecting to your five senses, practicing mindful breathing and listing the things that bring you gratitude are tools that help build resiliency and wellbeing. The new Mindfulness Walks are a self-guided opportunity to help people learn how to use these tools and spend time in nature to reduce stress.”
Research shows that just 20 minutes a day immersed in nature significantly lowers stress hormone levels. Indeed, the mental health benefits of spending time in nature have been well documented and include:
“Mindfulness means putting all of your attention on one thing. It means taking the time to really notice what you are doing in that moment. You are focused in a very relaxed way,” said John Duby, a physician with Dayton Children’s and professor and chair of Wright State University’s Boonshoft School of Medicine department of pediatrics. “Spending time in nature gives us a great chance to be mindful of all our senses, to focus on our surroundings, and respond to what we see, hear, touch and smell. Practicing mindfulness can help us learn to pay better attention in all of our daily lives. For me, Dogwood Pond at Hills & Dales MetroPark is a great place to relax.”
The new Mindfulness Walks are:
Five Rivers MetroParks visitors should always follow the CDC’s recommendations, particularly for social distancing and wearing face coverings, while spending time outdoors. Current recommendations call for wearing a face covering outdoors if and when social distancing cannot be maintained. For the most current information on MetroParks’ COVID-19 response, visitwww.metroparks.org/covid and follow Five Rivers MetroParks on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
After a dry summer in 2020 due to the pandemic, Kettering’s 3-acre outdoor aquatic facility has announced it will open this summer. The 2021 Adventure Reef Water Park season starts with the park’s Memorial Day weekend kickoff which runs May 29-31. The regular season hours at the park start June 4. Hours will be limited to just noon to 5 pm daily, thought hours may expand later in the season, depending on ability to hire staff.
The water park features the highest and fastest slides in Montgomery County. Additionally, a splash pad, large water playground and plenty of deck seating and chairs greet water park guests.
Admission for Kettering residents is $5 for adults , $4 for 3-17 years olds and $1 for toddlers 2 and younger. Non-residents pay $10 for adults, $8 for youth. Season passes for residents range are $55 for youth, $65 for adults and a family pass runs $195. Non-resident passes run $85 for youth, $100 for adults and $295 for a family pass. Purchase by June 6th for a 10% discount.
Pass holders enjoy special benefits at Adventure Reef including early entry, exclusive use of the park on Sundays. Pass holders also receive food and drink specials at the concession stand. The water park is located at 2900 Glengarry Dr, in Kettering.
The 2021 Superhero Donut Run 5k/10k/Fun Run benefiting the Dayton Chapter of A Special Wish Foundation, Inc will be LIVE and IN PERSON on Saturday, May 15th! Come out in your Superhero costume and run to help grant the Special Wishes of Dayton area children who are battling life-threatening illnesses.
