Junior Ranger Day
Park Event · Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park · Aug 30, 2026 · 9:00 AM–4:00 PM
Calling All Junior Rangers! Did you know that Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park has several Junior Ranger programs to choose from? Help protect your parks and special places by becoming a Junior Ranger today! Individuals aged 1 to 99 are invited to explore the histories of Orville and Wilbur Wright, as well as Paul Laurence Dunbar, and earn a unique badge in recognition of their engagement.
Programs include:
Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center
- Complete activities while you EXPLORE the Wright brothers’ early lives, careers, and early experiments in flight.
- Learn about Paul Laurence Dunbar and write your own poem.
- Explore the Wright Cycle Company, print shop or Aviation Trail Parachute Museum, and design your own invention.
Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center
- LEARN how an Ohio cow pasture went from test field for the Wright Flyer to a research and development center for the US Air Force, now recognized as Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
- Explore the Wright Memorial, see the movie, and discover exhibits detailing the legacy of invention in Dayton, as you earn your very own Junior Ranger pilot wings.
Do not forget that you can also complete the North Country National Scenic Trail booklet and learn about maps, hiking essentials, and Leave No Trace principles!
Paul Laurence Dunbar House Historic Site
- Junior Rangers PROTECT history, by learning about.
- Discover Dunbar's historic home and learn about the preservation work going on to protect it for the future.
- Complete activities on Dunbar’s life, travels, and poetry, then try writing a poem or song of your own design.
- Play history games, try out writing with a typewriter and take home a book from Dunbar's Free library.
A love of learning and literacy awaits you on your visit! All our sites are open today, so stop by and start your Junior Ranger adventure.
Source: National Park Service (public domain).
