I like to think of myself as the Queen of date night. I’m big on the idea that dating my spouse is incredibly important because otherwise, it’s way too easy to just see him as another capable adult that is there to help make sure our tiny humans stay alive. But when we take the time to go out and spend some quality time together, we tend to remember that we actually really like each other too. If you aren’t currently making time for date night in your life, I highly recommend giving it a try.
When I was a teenager growing up in Dayton, I believed there was NOTHING to do here. In all fairness to 16-year-old me, this area has grown leaps and bounds since the early 2000s. Nevertheless, there is no excuse these days to say there isn’t anything to do in Dayton. If you truly believe that, you just aren’t looking hard enough.
Here are some great local ideas for date night (and nearby destinations worth the drive!):
Adventure Seekers
- Give rock climbing a try at Urban Krag or RockQuest
- Test your problem-solving skills to see if you can break-out or break-in at the Great Escape Game
- Get SCUBA certified at Southern Ohio Diving Academy or Aquatic Realm
- Hop on your bikes and find your new favorite paved paths or mountain biking spots
- Visit the range for some target practice at Sim Trainer or Vandalia Range & Armory
- Jumpstart your adrenaline skydiving at Start Skydiving.com
- Train to do a 5k, 10k, half-marathon by joining a training group at Up & Running or Ohio River Road Runners
- Dayton boasts a Chocolate and Beer 5k/10k for both Valentine’s Day and Sweetest Day each year!
- Play modern treasure hunters and go geocaching with the Five Rivers Metro Parks
Animal Lovers
- Get up close and personal at Cincinnati Zoo, Columbus Zoo or Indianapolis Zoo
- Volunteer at SICSA
- Go horseback riding at Carriage Hill Metro Park in Huber Heights
- Have an underwater adventure at the Newport Aquarium
- Interact with and feed the animals at Idle Hour Ranch in Troy
Art Aficionados
- Check out the semi-annual Yellow Spring Street Fair
- Put on some comfy shoes and support local artists at a First Friday – explore art, food & fun
- Walk into Decoy Art Studio where you can paint your own pottery, glass or canvas (no appointment needed)
- Grab a drink and make it a night creating your own masterpieces at Raise Your Brush or Painting With a Twist
- Check out Bar-stools & Brushstrokes events for art events that change location & theme weekly
- Grab a coffee and head to the Dayton Art Institute where the traveling exhibits change nearly every other month.
- Watch for special themed events like Bourbon and Bubbles and Oktoberfest
- Take a long walk through Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum in Hamilton, OH
Bookworms
- Enjoy the smell of REAL books (remember those?) while browsing Dayton’s local bookstores Books & Co, 2nd & Charles, Bonnet’s Books or Dark Star Books & Comics
- If your library card hasn’t seen the light of day in a decade or two, put it to good use at the Dayton Public Library
- Join (or start) a couples book club
- Attend a reading and book signing by a visiting author
- Write your own autobiographical love story together and have it bound as a book at a local publisher such as Braughler Books
- Or use an online site such as Blurb) for your children and grandchildren to enjoy
Comedy Connoisseurs
- Hit up one of Dayton’s Comedy Clubs – Wiley’s Comedy Club
- Enjoy stand-up in the comfort of your own living room via Netflix
- Laugh till it hurts with the Black Box Improv Theatre
Club Hoppers
Enjoy drinks and live music at Dayton’s favorite clubs & Venues:
Do-It-Yourselfers
- Part 3D printing lab, part electronic maker space, and part café – you & your date can create (and enjoy drinks!) at Proto Build Bar
- Get a sitter, some cold drinks, and tackle a DIY home project you’ve been putting off (maybe paint your master bedroom or stain the deck?)
- Take an upholstery class and give your old furniture a fresh look
- Attend a free DIY workshop at Lowe’s
- Plan, shop, and prepare your own date night meal from Dorothy Lane Market
Double Daters
- Host your own mini-golf classic at The Trails, Adventure Golf, Black Light Mini Golf, or the Englewood Fun Center
- Enjoy dinner, drinks, and trivia with one of these Dayton restaurants offering Trivia with a Twist
- Have a Battle of the Sexes Bowling Tourney at one of the Poelking Lanes, Beaver-vu Bowl, or Thunderbowl
- Leave your pride at home and hit up Karaoke (you can find it every day of the week!)
Festival Fans
Mark your calendars and plan to attend one of Dayton’s fantastic annual festivals:
Foodies
- Sign up for a cooking class at Dorothy Lane Market or Little City Cooking School
- Sign up for fun and join Big Ragu & Crew on a restaurant takeover
- Wake up early and visit 2nd Street Market for fresh, local food
- If the weather is nice, find one of Dayton’s Best Patios
- Start a mission to find the best local pizza at Deweys, Old Scratch, Marions, or Cassanos
- Make a Dayton restaurant “passport” and keep track with a stamp or sticker every time you try a new place.
- The DMC team are self-proclaimed foodies and we love:
History Buffs
- Visit the Dayton National Museum of the Air Force
- Take a stroll through Carillon Historical Park and learn the history of Dayton then grab a bite at Carillon Brewing Co.
- Check out the Aviation Trail Visitors Center & Museum to see where the Dayton areas aviation history begins
- Stop by Grimes Field where they still fly test aircraft
- Walk through historic Woodland Cemetery & Arboretum where you can visit the graves of the Wright Brothers
Hopeless Romantics
- Take a mini-vacation without leaving town at the Mills Park Hotel and enjoy a weekend exploring Yellow Springs
- Take a private ballroom dancing class together at Arthur Murray
- Rent a limo for a night and tour the city
- Re-create your first date (and take photos this time!)
- Draft a joint “Bucket List” to tackle as a couple
Kids at Heart
- Play games and act like kids at Scene 75
- Enjoy an adult beverage and a board game at D20
- Attend a game night
- Shoot your date in a game of Laser Tag
- Get high at Sky Zone and bounce your way to fun
- Bundle up & go ice skating at Riverscape
- Ruin your dinner with candy and chocolate from one of our fabulous local chocolate shops like Winans, Bellbrook Chocolates, or Esther Price
Movie Fanatics
- Grab a drink & see an indie film at The Neon downtown or The Little Art Theater in Yellow Springs
- Don’t miss the “Dinner and a Show” events
- Enjoy dinner and a movie all at the same time at the Cinepolis Dayton
- Enjoy a double or triple feature at the Dixie Twin Drive-In
- Have a movie marathon at home (80s comedies, childhood faves, films based on your favorite books, etc.)
Nature Lovers
- Explore one of the 18 Five River Metro Parks locations throughout the area
- Stroll through the gardens at Wegerzyn Gardens Metro Park
- Go apple, berry, or veggie picking at a local orchard or farm (DMC’s top choices: Tuken’s Farm, Fulton Farms, Hidden Valley Fruit Farm & Monnin’s Fruit Farm,)
- Join the Miami Valley Astronomical Society and go star-gazing
- Grab your binoculars & field guide and bird watching with the Aullwood Audubon
- Pack a picnic and go fishing
- Load up your hiking gear and head to Glen Helen or Clifton Gorge
- Camp under the stars and take a short drive to Red River Gorge
- Learn to backpack together and plan an overnight trip in Germantown Metro Park
- Meet up with the Dayton Hikers group and explore the Dayton area on their guided adventures
Wine and Beer Lovers
- Take a vineyard tour and enjoy a wine tasting and grill-your-own steak at Valley Vineyards in Morrow
- Head to a tasting at Cooper’s Hawk or Deaf Monty’s Wine
- Host a wine tasting night with friends – have everyone bring their favorite!
- Head to The Wine Cellar at the Winds Cafe to find a bottle that highlights independent winemakers and artisan spirits
- Attend a wine dinner at a restaurant, such as Salar
- Hop on the Pedal Wagon to experience several of the great local breweries in downtown Dayton
- Plan your own pub crawl downtown (use this to help –> Dayton Are guide to Local Breweries)
Penny Pinchers
- Take a stroll along Riverscape and pack a picnic
- Pick up coffee at Boston Stoker and go for a walk or relax for a great conversation in one of their comfy chairs
- Head out to a free (or almost free) concert at Courthouse Square, Fraze, or Stubbs Park Amphitheater
- Bust out the board games
- Pitch a tent for a backyard campout or make s’mores in the fireplace
- Walk around outside at Austin Landing and enjoy free music on the first Friday of the month, all summer long (and maybe splurge on a cupcake from Ele Cake Company)
Sports Nuts
- Head to a Dayton Dragon’s game to see the areas best AAA team
- Take in a soccer game with the Dayton Dutch Lions
- Cheer on the UD Flyers or Wright State Raiders at a variety of sporting events
- Grab some clubs and try out a couples golf league at Yankee Trace
- Check out Foot Golf at Rolandia
- Enjoy gourmet snacks and cocktails while you hit golf balls at Top Golf
- Head to Cincinnati for a Reds game or a Bengals game
Sugar Addicts
Skip dinner and go out for dessert! Here are our top picks for the following:
- Cupcakes
- Decadent Desserts
- Ice Cream
- Pie
Theatre Enthusiasts
Attend a local professional production offered by one of these fantastic organizations:
- Human Race Theatre Company
- Schuster Center for the Performing Arts – Broadway Series
- Dayton Ballet
