The Ultimate Date Guide for Dayton {150+ Ideas for Every Budget}

As a relationship evolves oftentimes so do our “Date Nights.” From the high of romantic & adventurous that could compare to any episode of The Bachelor, to stuck-in-a-rut & cheap…or even worse, non existent! Don’t worry…you have company no matter where on that evolution scale you may reside.

What makes the Miami Valley so very (am I going to say it? I am.) #DaytonAwesome is our history. Our location. Our industries. Our people. Our talent. More than just a list of Dayton restaurants and movie theaters, our comprehensive guide offers 200+ ideas for every budget. Think you’ve run out of Dayton date night ideas? Think again!

As you enjoy a night out…be sure to capture the moment #DMBdatenight

Adventure Seekers

• Give rock climbing a try at Urban Craig or Rock Quest
• Test your problem solving skills to see if you can break-out or break-in at Breakout Dayton or the Mad Science Escape Puzzle Room
• Get SCUBA certified at Southern Ohio Diving Academy or Aquatic Realm
• Channel your inner Katniss and take a class at AO Archery
• Hop on your bikes and find your new favorite paved paths or mountain biking spots
• Visit the range for some target practice (Miami Valley Shoot Grounds, Sim Trainer or Vandalia Range & Armory)
• Jumpstart your adrenaline – go skydiving at Sky Dive Ohio, Start Skydiving.com
• Train to do a 5k, 10k, half-marathon by joining a training group at Up & Running or Ohio River Runners – click to see all kinds of races in Dayton and beyond
• Play modern treasure hunters and go geocatching with the Five Rivers Metro Parks 
• Head to Buckeye Bubble Sports for some fun – in a bubble
• See if you can make it out alive! Visit one of the Dayton areas many Haunted Houses or see if you can escape being trapped in a room with a Zombie!

Aviation Experts

• Attend the Vectren Dayton Air Show
• Visit the Dayton National Museum of the Air Force
• Check out the Aviation Trail Visitors Center & Museum to see where the Dayton areas aviation history begins
• Stop by Grimes Field where they are still dedicated to flying test aircraft
• Walk through historic Woodland Cemetery & Arboretum where you can visit the graves of the Wright Brothers

Animals 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 a underwater adventure at the Newport Aquarium
• Get up-close & feed the animals at Idle Hour Ranch in Troy
• For a wild adventure head north to the African Safari Wildlife Park in Port Clinton

Art Aficionados

• Mark your calendar for these annual events: Art on the Commons at the Fraze  or Yellow Spring Street Fair
• Put on some comfy shoes and support local artist 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, Pinot’s Pallet or Wine & Canvas
• Check out the Bar-stools & Brushstrokes events for art events that change location & theme weekl
• Grab a coffee and head to the Dayton Art Institute where the traveling exhibits change nearly every other month
• 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 best local book stores, such as Books & Co, 2nd & Charles, Blue Jacket Books,  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
• Attend a production of Shakespeare in South Park
• Join (or start) a 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  The Book Patch or Blurb) for your children and grandchildren to enjoy

Comedy Connoisseurs

• Hit up one of Dayton’s Comedy Clubs – Funny Bone or 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
• Have an 80s goofball movie marathon at home

Club Hoppers

Enjoy drinks and live music at Dayton’s favorite clubs & Venues:

• Rose Music Center
• Fraze Pavilion
• Blind Bob’s 
• Oddbody’s Music Room
• Trolley Stop
• South Park Tavern

Do-It-Yourselfers

• Part 3D printing lab, part electronic maker space, and part café – you & your date can create (and drinking) 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?)
• Spruce up your landscaping
• Take an upholstery class and give your old furniture a fresh look
• Attend a free DIY workshop at Home Depot

Double Daters

• Host your own mini golf classic at The Trails, Adventure Golf, Black Light Mini Golf, Hazzards or the Englewood Fun Center
• Enjoy dinner, drinks, and trivia with one of these Dayton restaurants offering Trivia with a Twist
• Put on your sleuthing cap and attend a Mayhem & Mystery production at Spaghetti Warehouse
• Have a Battle of the Sexes Bowling Tourney at one of the Poelking Lanes, Beaver-vu Bowl, Capri Lanes 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:

• Dorothy Lane Market Food Events (Including the amazing Food & Wine Show)
• Sauerkraut Festival
• Americana Festival
• Ale Fest 
• Jungle Jim’s Festivals
• Sugar Maple Festival
• Big Brews & Blues
• A World Affair
• Strawberry Festival
• Ohio Challenge Hot Air Balloon Festival
• Red, White & Boonshoft
• Kickin Chicken Wing Fest

Foodies

• Sign up for a cooking class at the Little City Cooking School, Culinary Center at Dorothy Lane Market or Cooksware
• Sign up for fun and join the Big Ragu & Crew on a restaurant takeover
• Wake up early and visit the 2nd Street Market for fresh, local food
• Enjoy all the best flavors Dayton’s food trucks offer track them here (your date will love Zombie Dogz)
• If the weather is nice, find one of Dayton’s Best Patios
• Attend Oktoberfest at the Dayton Art Institute 

Homebodies

• Pitch a tent and have your own backyard camp-out
• Put the kids to bed and cook fancy dinner just for the two of you
• Have a picnic by the fireplace
• Play video games
• Plan an 80s/90s movie marathon
• Outside-In Dinner & A Movie :: Grab your favorite takeout and a rental from Redbox

Hopeless Romantics

• Get a couples massage at Harmony Farms
• Take a private ballroom dancing class together at Always Ballroom or Arthur Murray
• Enjoy a free at the Greene (November & December only)
• Catch fireflies & go stargazing
• 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 a kids at Scene 75
• 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 Ester Price

Lifelong Learners

• Take a parenting class
• Attend a free DIY workshop at Home Depot
• Take a photography class so you both know how to use your DSLR at Dodd Camera
• Sign up for tennis lessons at KTC, South Regency or Five Seasons
• Take a self defense class

Movie Fanatics

• Grab a drink & see an indie film at The Neon downtown or The Little Art Theater in Yellow Springs (Check out Little Art’s events including Dinner & a Show)
• Visit the Imax Theatre at the USAF Museum
• 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.)

Music Devotees

• Visit the Dayton Opera to hear works by Puccini, Verdi, Copland, Floyd & Sung
• Tune your ears to the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra where Neal Gittleman has a jam-packed 2015-2016 season filled with classics & special events

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 (DMB’s top choices: Fulton Farms, Hidden Valley Fruit Farm & Monnin’s Fruit Farm,)
• Join the Miami Valley Astronomical Society and and join them star-gazing!
• Grab your binoculars & field guide and bird watching with the Dayton Audubon Society 
• Go fishing
• Pack your hiking gear and head to Glen Helen or Clifton Gorge
• Want to camp under the stars and enjoy nature at its finest – take a short drive to Red River Gorge
• Learn to backpack together and take an overnight trip in Gemantown Metro Park
• Meet up with the Dayton Hikers group and explore the Dayton area on their guided adventures

Oenophiles

• Take a vineyard tour and enjoy a wine tasting at Valley Vineyards in Morrow
• Mark your calendar for Fleurs Et Vin the Dayton areas largest wine tasting
• Head to a tasting at Bruning’s Wine Cellar, Rumbleseat Wine, Splash! Tasting Room, The Wine Gallery or Winans Chocolate & Coffees
• 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
• Stop in Brewtensils for supplies and make your own wine at home

Penny Pinchers

• Take a stroll along Riverscape and pack a picnic
• Rent a movie from Redbox ($1.50 for DVD; $2 for Bluray)
• Pick up coffeeat 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, Stubbs Park Amphitheater or one of the Culture Works festivals
• Build a family time capsule
• Bust out the board games
• Pitch a tent for a backyard campout or make S’mores in the fireplace

 Science Geeks

• Attend an special event at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery 
• Learn about the Dayton Regional Science Festival and how you can get involved

Sports Nuts

• Cheer at a high school or college game
• 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 Hockey Team 
• Enjoy a good walk spoiled at one of Dayton’s public golf courses
• Get a sitter and host a kid-free tailgate
• Check out one of the many Disc Golf courses in the Dayton area
• Check out the newest craze – Foot Golf – at Rolandia or KittyHawk

Sugar Addicts

Skip dinner and go out for dessert! Here are our top picks for the following:

• Cupcakes
  • Cake Hope Love
  • Ele Cake Company
  • Gigi’s Cupcakes
  • Twist Cupcakery
  •  
• Decadent Desserts
  • More Desserts Please!
  • Ashley’s Pastry Shop
  • Cheryl’s Cookies
  • Sweet P’s Ice Pops
• Ice Cream
  • Grater’s Ice Cream
  • Fronana
  • Ben & Jerry’s
  • Ritter’s Frozen Custard
  •  
• Pie
  • Mehaffies Pies
  • Pie Peddler
  • Miss Parolee’s Pies

Theater Enthusiasts

Attend a local professional production offered by one of these fantastic organizations:

• Victoria Theatere Association
• Human Race Theatre Company
• Shchuster Center for the Performing Arts – Broadway Series
• Dayton Ballet

Use the hashtag #DMBdatenight when you’re out to show us your favorite Dayton date night spots!