View of the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center from Williams St.
NPS / T. Engberg
Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center
16 South Williams Street
The Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center and Aviation Trail Parachute Museum is a great place to start your visit to the park or the region. Join in on a ranger-led tour of the Wright Cycle Company Fourth Shop, where Orville and Wilbur Wright built and sold their line of Van Cleve and St. Claire bicycles. Watch a 30-minute film on the Wright brothers to learn how they invented practical flight in the bike shop and on the beaches of North Carolina. Take in an 18-minute film on the life and career of Paul Laurence Dunbar to learn more about the famous poet.
Explore through two floors of exhibits to learn about what life was like in Dayton, Ohio in the 1890s. Stand in the Wright & Wright Job Printers’ shop, recreated in the same office space it occupied from 1890 - 1895. Wilbur and Orville started their careers as printers and operated their second print shop outside the home in this location. The brothers edited and published newspapers for their West Side patrons in this shop and by 1892 they were also running a growing bicycle business. It was here that they printed Dayton’s first newspaper dedicated to the African American community, The Dayton Tattler, edited by Paul Laurence Dunbar.
Learn about the work Orville and Wilburn did in gliding before developing their powered flyer and see a replica of the Wrights’ 1902 Glider. Discover the Aviation Trail Parachute Museum, located within the second floor of the visitor center, to learn more about the modern parachute and the work that Aviation Trail Inc does to promote area aviation resources. Check out our museum store and explore the Wright-Dunbar neighborhood on a self-guided walking tour.
To contact the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center, please call 937-225-7705. You can also send an email to the park or check us out on social media for park history, event information, and trip planning ideas.
Visitors exiting the Huffman Prairie Interpretive Center on the Wright-Patterson AFB.
NPS / Tom Engberg
Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center
2380 Memorial Road, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Stroll the grounds of the Wright Memorial and stand on the crossroads of Ohio history. Explore the Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center before going to the Flying Field at Gate 16 A.
Take in a 30-minute film on the Wright brothers to learn how they invented practical flight, and how they continued working on their machine after their historic flights in 1903. Exhibits focus on the Wright brothers' development of the world's first practical airplane in 1904 and 1905, the development of their company’s flying school starting in 1910, and the accomplishments of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base since those early days of flight. Journey down to the humble Ohio cow pasture where Orville and Wilbur refined their experimental flying machine and conquered the air.
The visitor center exhibits also tell the story of innovation and achievement spurred on by military aviation in the Miami Valley. From McCook Field to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, military aviation has continued the legacy set by Orville and Wilbur Wright as they meticulously worked to conduct experimental flights and learn from each failed attempt. Discover the Sky of Honor and learn about some of the aviation technologies developed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. To contact the park please call 937-225-7705. You can also send an email to the park, or check us out on social media.
Maps and Directions are available to both of the above sites.
The Paul Laurence Dunbar House
NPS Photo
Paul Laurence Dunbar House Visitor Center
312 Edison Street
Start your visit to the Paul Laurence Dunbar House at the visitor center. Take in an 18-minute film on the life and career of Paul Laurence Dunbar to learn more about the famous poet. Discover milestones in Dunbar's life through some of the items that he collected on his travels. Explore the grounds of his final home and take a free tour of the Paul Laurence Dunbar House. This site often features rotating exhibits, includes a Junior Ranger program, and offers a free library of books at the reception desk.
To contact the park please call 937-225-7705. You can also send an email to the park, or check us out on social media.
