Marion’s Piazza
$$Nine locations around southwest Ohio
A Dayton tradition since 1965, known for its thin-crust pizza and casual dining rooms.
Fri–Sat 11am–11pm · Sun–Thu 11am–10pmSite ↗ for Marion’s Piazza
OCT 16 – 22 Dayton · The Gem City
Dayton weekend plans for little kids, found and checked for you.
SunWatch opens its 800-year-old village for free on Saturday’s Archaeology Day, with Discovery Tours at 10:30 and 1:30. That afternoon, Wegerzyn Gardens throws a free fall festival with a magician, animal ambassadors and apple juice and cookies, and Patience the sloth celebrates Sloth Day at the Boonshoft.
This week: 22 outings at 15 places, each one linked to the page we checked it on. How we check
Top 5 picks
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Saturday, sorted
A Saturday that actually works.
Here’s how we’d do Saturday, Oct 17. Two things from this week’s list, plus one of our regulars from Around town. Tap a stop for the details.
MORNINGArchaeology Day: Free Admission at SunWatch10am–4pm · SunWatch Indian Village/Archaeological Park · Free- LUNCHAround townMarion’s PiazzaOpen 11am–11pm · Nine locations around southwest Ohio · $$ (opens their site)
- NAPHome by 1:30 for nap. Car seat, stroller, whatever works.
AFTER NAPFall Family Adventure at Wegerzyn Gardens3–7pm · Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark · Free
Times come from each event’s page or the place’s own site. Plans change, so check before you head out. Print this plan
Every outing this week
Find your thing
Around town13 spots · checked Oct 16
The Dayton places we go back to, again and again.
Not this week’s events, just the reliable stuff. Where to eat with a toddler, where to burn off energy when it rains, where to splash, what’s worth the admission, and where to spend a night without going far.
Eat
Kid-friendly restaurants
Places where a dropped fork is no big deal and nobody minds a little noise.
Young’s Jersey Dairy
$Yellow Springs · about 25 minutes
A working dairy farm with homemade ice cream, a restaurant with weekend breakfast, a carousel, mini golf and a kiddie corral.
Dairy Store Sat 9am–10pm (breakfast 9am–noon) · carousel Fri–Sun 10am–8pmSite ↗ for Young’s Jersey Dairy
Culp’s Café at Carillon Park
$Carillon Historical Park
A daytime café inside Carillon Park. You don’t need park admission to eat here.
Tue–Sun 10am–3pmSite ↗ for Culp’s Café at Carillon Park
Carillon Brewing Co.
$$Carillon Historical Park
A brewery restaurant set in the 1850s, inside Carillon Park. No park admission needed to dine.
Wed–Sat 11am–9pm · Sun 11am–7pmSite ↗ for Carillon Brewing Co.
Featured partnerThis spot is open.Run a place in Dayton that belongs in this section? One featured spot here is set aside for a local partner, and it’s always labeled.About featured spots →
Play
Indoor play and rainy days
For rainy mornings, cold afternoons and anyone who needs to run in circles for an hour.
$13per child (3–12)
Boonshoft Museum of Discovery
North Dayton
A science and nature museum with a small zoo, a planetarium and SunWatch Indian Village next door.
Tickets
- Adults 13–59 $16
- Ages 2 and under free
$5 per person with SNAP EBT or WIC, up to 4
Free
Dayton Metro Library, Main Library
Downtown, 215 E. Third St.
Dayton Metro Library’s main branch on Third Street. Its free story times and kids’ programs are on the library calendar.
Featured partnerThis spot is open.Run a place in Dayton that belongs in this section? One featured spot here is set aside for a local partner, and it’s always labeled.About featured spots →
Splash & ride
Parks and outdoor play
Pools, fountains, zoos and theme parks: the big all-day outings.
North Dayton, 1301 E. Siebenthaler Ave.Free
Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark
Formal gardens, a Children’s Discovery Garden and a swamp forest boardwalk along the Stillwater River. Free parking.
Daily 8am–10pm through Oct 31 · Children’s Discovery Garden 10am–10pmSite ↗ for Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark
Miami TownshipFree
Cox Arboretum MetroPark
Climb the 81 steps of the Tree Tower, 65 feet above the conifers, then walk the gardens and trails.
About 25 minutes$
Aullwood Audubon Center & Farm
Northwest of Dayton
A nature center with a working farm, trails and a sanctuary.
Tickets
- Kids 4–12 $9
- Adults 13–64 $13
- Ages 3 and under free
Wed–Sat 10am–5pm · Sun 11am–5pm · closed Mon–TueSite ↗ for Aullwood Audubon Center & Farm
Featured partnerThis spot is open.Run a place in Dayton that belongs in this section? One featured spot here is set aside for a local partner, and it’s always labeled.About featured spots →
Explore
Museums, zoos and big outings
Museums, animals and farm days that hold a little one’s attention.
National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
FreeWright-Patterson AFB
Huge hangars of aircraft and spacecraft. Admission and parking are free.
Carillon Historical Park
$South of downtown
65 acres of Dayton history, with the 1905 Wright Flyer III, a train ride and historic buildings to walk through.
Tickets
- Kids 3–17 $10
- Adults 18–59 $14
- Ages 2 and under free
Mon–Sat 9:30am–5pm · Sun noon–5pmSite ↗ for Carillon Historical Park
Featured partnerThis spot is open.Run a place in Dayton that belongs in this section? One featured spot here is set aside for a local partner, and it’s always labeled.About featured spots →
Stay
Staycations and overnight trips
A night away without a long drive. New bed, same bedtime.
Wright-Patterson AFB$$
Hope Hotel & Richard C. Holbrooke Conference Center
The only privately owned hotel on Air Force property, a short drive from the Air Force museum.
≈25 minutes · Yellow Springs$
John Bryan State Park
A wooded campground by the Little Miami River gorge, a short drive from Young’s Jersey Dairy.
Featured partnerThis spot is open.Run a place in Dayton that belongs in this section? One featured spot here is set aside for a local partner, and it’s always labeled.About featured spots →
These don’t change week to week. Last checked . Hours and prices change, so check the place’s own site before you go. Know a spot we missed? Tell us at hello@littlesweekly.com.
On the horizon
Coming up
OCT 23 – 29Halloween weekendMore trick-or-treating, a few costume parades and some gentle spooky stuff. The list goes out next Friday.Get it in your inbox →
OCT 31Trick-or-treat night guideNeighborhood hours and the streets that are easy with a stroller. Early ones too, for kids who are asleep by 7.Get notified →
NOVEMBERFirst holiday lightsThe first holiday lights in town, and which ones you can see before bedtime.See it first →
Good questions
Outings for little ones in Dayton: the FAQ
What can I do with a little one in Dayton this weekend?
This week we found 22 outings that work for kids ages 0–6. Our top three: Archaeology Day: Free Admission at SunWatch, Fall Family Adventure at Wegerzyn Gardens, International Sloth Day with Patience the Sloth. See the full list.
Are there free things to do with little ones in Dayton this week?
Yes, 21 of this week’s 22 picks are free, including library storytimes and Fall Family Adventure at Wegerzyn Gardens. Tap “Free” in Find your thing.
What are good indoor activities for kids in Dayton when it rains?
20 picks this week are indoors, mostly library programs and shows. Tap “Rainy-day OK” in Find your thing.
Where can I find storytimes and toddler activities in Dayton?
This week we list 18 library storytimes and baby or toddler programs. Each one links to the library or venue page with the time and place. See them in the list.
How do you pick what goes on the list?
We look at venue and library calendars and local family pages every week. Each listing links to the page we checked it on, and where the organizer or venue has its own page, we confirm the details there. We lean toward things that fit around naps and don’t need a long walk.
How do I get this list every week?
Sign up for the Friday email at the bottom of the page. It’s one short email, and you can unsubscribe any time.
For local businesses
Running something for little kids in Dayton?
If it’s good for the under-6 crowd, we’d like to hear about it. Free events go on the list for free, always. If you want a guaranteed spot at the top or in the Friday email, there’s a sponsored option too, and it’s clearly labeled. We’re just getting started, so the first 10 local partners in each city get 50% off your first booking.
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