MUSEUMS:
2600 DeWeese Parkway, Dayton
The museum has an indoor zoo, hands-on science experiments and activities, pretend play exhibitions, a tree house perfect for budding nature enthusiasts, a play area for toddlers, an interactive music wall, space theater and much more.
Cost: $10 for children (3-16), $13 for adults, $11 for seniors and children under 3 are free. Members are also free.
456 Belmonte Park North, Dayton
The Dayton Art Institute is a destination for all ages, such as free events for children and a great art collection for adults. Children’s activities include The Lange Family Experiencenter with learning activities for ages 3 and up and Museum Kidd’s Club that involves gallery hunts and a birthday treat. The museum also has paid events and activities including classes, art camps, Super Saturday Family Days on the second and fourth Saturday of every month between 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and Tiny Thursdays every Thursday morning from 11 a.m. to noon.
Cost: Super Saturday Family Days are $10 for a family of four for members, $15 for a family of four for non-members and $2 for each additional child. Tiny Thursdays are $6 for a child with a member caregiver and $8 for a child with a non-member caregiver. Classes and camp cost varies.
1100 Spaatz St., Dayton
The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force offers tons of indoor fun, from displays of planes, to flight simulators to a 3D movie theater. The museum has free month family days on the third Saturday of every month from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. They also have scavenger hunts, seek and finds, tours, film screenings, flight simulators, and much more.
Cost: Free to $12
RECREATIONAL CENTERS:
1111 Stonequarry Road, Dayton
Cost: Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for seniors and youth.
2900 Glengarry Drive, Kettering
Cost: Drop-in prices for the indoor pool are $3.75 for resident youth, $7.50 for non-resident youth, $4.25 for resident adults and $8.50 for non-resident adults. Drop-in prices for the gymnasium are $1 for resident youth, $2 for non-resident youth, $3 for resident adults and $6 for non-resident adults.
895 Miamisburg Centerville Road, Dayton
Cost: Admission is $2.50 for resident youth/seniors, $5 for non-resident youth/seniors, $5 for resident adults and $10 for non-resident adults.
Dayton Recreation Centers
2021 W. Third St., Dayton
2366 Glenarm Ave, Dayton
1600 Princeton Drive, Dayton
Cost: Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for seniors and youth.
ENTERTAINMENT CENTERS:
6196 Poe Ave., Dayton
An entertainment destination, including an arcade, inflatable bouncers, indoor mini-golf, mini-bowling, go-karts, and much more.
Cost: No admission. Just load an amount of money on a Scene75 card to play arcade games. Attraction prices range from $2 to $8.50.
976 Senate Drive, Washington Township (Dayton)
One of the first of its kind in the area, this indoor trampoline park is the perfect place to jump off some steam.
Cost: Admission is $12 for a 30 minute jump, $16 for a 60 minute jump and $20 for a 90 minute jump.
1218 E. Stroop Road, Kettering
Run Around Fun Town has four themed interactive play rooms, two inflatables, a playground, and much more. Open play is offered for children Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: Ages 3-8 are $10 and ages 2 and under are $5. Adults are always free.
533 Miamisburg-Centerville Road, Centerville
Laser Web offers laser tag missions and a laser maze. They also have weekday specials, including BOGO Mondays, Token Tuesdays (Get $5 in game tokens for every $10 purchased) and Laser Web Thursdays where you can play laser tag all day for only $15.
Cost: Prices for laser tag are $8 for one mission, $14 for two missions, and $18 for three missions. Prices for the laser maze are $3 for one game or $7 for three games.
Cross Pointe Shopping Center, 201 E. Alex Bell Road, Centerville
Cost: One regular game of laser tag is $8.50.
569 S. Main St., Englewood
The Fun Center has attractions including indoor batting cages, an arcade, and inflatable bouncing.
Cost: Tokens for the arcade are $.25 each, indoor batting cages are 12 pitches per dollar and inflatables are $5 for 30 minutes and $7 for 60 minutes.
Centerville Square Shopping Center, 894 S. Main St., Washington Township (Dayton)
Another first of its kind, The Chaos Room is a gaming theater and arcade. It features 12 screens at 15 feet each.
Cost: Arcade prices start at $.25 per game and admission to the gaming theater is $5 per session.
6185 Brandt Pike, Huber Heights
Attached to the Huber Heights Vacs N’ Videos, Retro Mania Arcade has the classic arcade games that few can find or remember.
Cost: Tokens are $.25 each.
125 Clay St., Dayton
The building was once an abandoned church, but now features one of the best rock-climbing facilities around.
Cost: Day passes are $14 for adults and $12 for children 10 and under, but a belay certification is required for $15 plus any equipment rental that you don't have.
ART STUDIOS:
1561 Grange Hall Road, Beavercreek
Offers paint-your-own pottery, canvas painting, art and ceramics classes.
Cost: Pottery painting ranges from $5 for small beads and tiny figurines up to $48. Glass painting ranges from $8 to $30. Wrapped-canvas painting ranges from $16 to $30.
3126 Wilmington Pike, Kettering
This studio offers drop-in art history workshops, art classes and drop-in art classes. Art history workshops are Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. The studio offers a children’s experimentation class every Thursday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Also on Thursdays are paint workshops from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Cost: The Art History classes are free, children's experimentation classes and paint workshops are $12.
6204 Brandt Pike, Dayton
Offers candle making and paint-your-own pottery. Pick up one of their coffee, teas or hot chocolates and get creative.
Cost: There is a $7 studio fee for paint-your-own pottery and prices on the pieces to paint range from $.99 to $30.
ADULT PAINT AND SIPS
2826 Miamisburg-Centerville Road, Dayton
Paint Nite
169 N. Main St., Centerville
Wine & Canvas
Barstools & Brushstrokes
LIBRARIES:
Most of your local libraries have events and story times for youths and adults with ages as young as 6 months old. Most require advanced registration, but depending on the size of the branch location and the capacity, the library staff will try their best to fit you in. Events are free and supplies are usually provided.
Barnes & Noble
2720 Towne Drive, #200, Beavercreek (Fairfield Mall)
2619 Miamisburg Centerville Road, Miamisburg (Dayton Mall)
The Fairfield Mall location has free children’s story times on Wednesday, Thursday, or Saturday at 11 a.m., but dates vary by week. The Dayton Mall location has free children’s story time every Saturday at 11 a.m.
The Greene, 4453 Walnut St., Beavercreek
Every Saturday at 2 p.m. the Books & Company at the Greene has a free children’s story time and they have various readings and signings from various adult and young adult authors depending on the date.
2nd & Charles
350 E. Stroop Road, Dayton
This 2nd & Charles location has a weekly free Friday Tabletop Game Night from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. plus it’s a great place to let your geek flag fly and read a book or comic and look at all the old gaming consoles.
ROLLER SKATING:
5001 Nebraska Ave., Huber Heights
1601 E. David Road, Kettering
5309 Haddix Road, Fairborn
333 S. Brown School Road, Vandalia
INDOOR ICE-SKATING:
2900 Glengarry Drive, Kettering
Opens Aug. 31 through April.
Cost: Youth prices are $3.50 for residents and $7 for non-residents and adult prices are $4 for residents and $8 for non-residents. Skate rentals are $2.
10561 Success Lane, Centerville
Open year-round
This facility offers open skate Monday-Saturday public skate and open gym for hockey, basketball and volleyball in the Ice Haus and the Court House.
Cost: Open skate is $6 for youth and $7 for adults with a $2 skate rental. Open gyms are $5 per session.
More information on events: South Metro Sports Website and South Metro Sports Facebook
255 Adams St., Troy
Open year-round
Hobart Arena offers open skate, drop-in hockey and indoor fitness walking.
Cost: Open skate is $5 for youth, $6 for adults and $4 for seniors. Skate rentals are $2.50.
BOWLING:
1238 N. Fairfield Road, Beavercreek
2727 S. Dixie Drive, Dayton
1403 Wilmington Ave., Dayton
3200 Woodman Drive, Kettering
Congress Lanes
221 Troy St., Dayton
8871 Kingsridge Drive, Centerville
6170 Brandt Pike, Huber Heights
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