Jeff Ditmire

United States of America - 21-Apr-10 -

Dayton, Ohio, is the birthplace of aviation, and it is only fitting to tour some of the places that inspired such innovation from Orville and Wilbur Wright. The Wright Cycle Shop is an excellently restored walk back in time in a historic part of west Dayton, near downtown. The Wright Brothers began as bicycle shop owners and then mastered powered flight. You can see a replica of the Wright B Flyer III at Wright Hall. Hawthorne Hill is majestic mansion that teh Wright Brothers built, where they lived with their sister, Catherine. A trip to Dayton is not complete without visiting the US Air Force Museum -- but be prepared to walk, as it is massive. One of the most beautiful and inspiring buildings in Dayton is The Dayton Art Institute. Not only architecturally stunning, inside it houses some rare collections of early American Furnishings and classic French Impressionists, too. The view from aptly named Dayton View gives you a full perspective of the Great Miami River and Downtown Dayton. Even after surviving the departure of its last remaining Fortune 500 company, NCR Corporation in 2009, Dayton has an air of sophistication, innovation and culture that is attributed to the early discoveries of people like the Wright Brothers, Charles Kettering and other industrial era capitalists.