A couple of weeks after my arrival to the United states of America last summer, me and a couple of my new American friends made a great plan on how to spend an autumn Sunday. We decided to visit an amusement park, called Kings Island, which is situated just a little more than half an hour away, and everybody claims that it is awesome. So why not check it out?
We bought tickets about a month or so in advance, and we decided to buy the ones that you can use any day, in case something comes up. Something indeed came up (very stormy weather, so the best rides were closed), but luckily, we were allowed to visit the park some other day with these tickets. Having no other plans for that day, one of my friends suggested a visit to the Carillon Historical Park. The park is situated about five minutes walking away from where we live, and no one of us has never been there before, so we decided to give it a try.
Best time to visit Carillon historical park
Since the park is fairly big, the crowds will be distributed through the whole park, and you will not have to wait at any of the attractions that you would like to check out. The only problem you might have if you visit the park on a busy day, will be finding a parking spot.
There is no street parking available nearby, so the best thing you can do is just drive around the parking lot a couple of times. Somebody will leave sooner or later. If you visit the park on a rainy day, bring an umbrella, because it is true that you can enter most of the buildings there, but the path from one building to another is not covered, and you will get soaking wet if it rains. I am speaking from a personal experience.
Getting there
Since I am trying to act like an American and not like a tourist, we drove to the park, even if me and my friends all live only a short walking distance away. It was a two – minute long drive, but hey, I am trying to adapt to the new culture! And I am just a little bit lazy. The park is fairly easy to find – it is a home of a tall tower, which I will mention again very soon, so you basically just need to drive (or walk) towards that tower to get to the park.
Like I said, you can see this tower from almost anywhere around Dayton.
I have seen that ‘tower’ several times before. In fact, you can see it from many points in and around the city of Dayton, and I somehow just assumed that it is dedicated to Wright brothers, since many buildings and other public places in Dayton are named after them.
But this tower is not. And the name of the park tells you that it is in fact a carillon – different sized bells that can produce a melody. I have never heard of that word before, and I assumed that ‘carillon’ is the name of someone who helped with construction of the historical park or something like that. Now I have another word in my English dictionary!
Like I already mentioned, the park has a parking lot, which is shared with a brewery, and I heard that the brewery is very good, but their service is supposedly pretty slow. I might even check it out one day. You can only enter the park through the main building, and there is a reason for that – you have to pay for the admission.
The entrance into the Carillon historical park.
This sign briefly explains facts about the Carillon historical park.
After paying the admission, you get a sticker that you put on your T – shirt or whatever else you are wearing, and a park map, and you are good to go exploring and learning more about the history of Dayton.
I kept the sticker as a souvenir.
Only after taking a look at the map, I realized how big this place actually is. You have to walk through the gift shop to reach the first exhibit, and this is also the only place where the restrooms are. There are no restrooms throughout the park, so it is a good idea to use them before you start your journey through the park, unless you want to walk all the way back at some point.
Inside the park
The museum displays the history of Dayton, some of the important businesses from the past, and important people that lived there. The first exhibit is the biggest, and it is situated in the same building where you paid the admission fee.
The best part of this exhibit is definitely a room with old typewriters- they once represented an important park of business in Dayton, and the exhibit also shows how they evolved - from the most simple ones, to a giant, golden - plated typewriter.
My favourite item in this part of the museum is a tiny book (hopefully you will not miss it) about female etiquette in the 1900s. And you can read the funniest parts of it, because they are displayed! As much as that book is funny it is also sad, because it comes from a time when women were still not considered equal to men, they were more like an accessory of a successful husband.
At the end of indoor exhibits, there is a big carousel, and even if you are an adult, you can ride it. If you pay one dollar, of course, because nothing is free nowadays. This is not your typical carousel, because you will not be riding a horse, but a can, old newspaper, or a half - eaten sandwich! The music that plays when the carousel is running, is utterly horrible, but it just adds to the historical ambient. There is a big sign next to that carousel that tells you that you can buy an annual pass for this carousel. No thanks.
After riding (or just looking at) that carousel, it is time to go outside. There is a circular trailthat leads you through the park, and on the way through, you can enter several buildings, each one of them displaying a different part of the history of Dayton. And if you are new to Dayton, there is no better place to go to, if you would like to learn more about its history.
This is how a part of the trail through Carillon historical park looks like.
There is also a railway that makes a big loop through a part of the Carillon park, but it is targeted towards kids, and it is not meant to replace walking, since it does not pass any points of interest in the park.
When we were there, the staff was preparing a wedding reception in one of the exhibits. I think this is an awesome place for such an event. However, the reception started when the park closed for public, and we did not get to see anything, besides the decoration and some food.
My favorite parts about the Carillon historical park were the following:
Right after the gift shop, you will notice a figure that looks like a person who escaped from Madame Tussaud’s wax museum. Once you step closer, the woman figure will start talking. And it is incredibly creepy, because it actually looks like a real person, with moving lips and face muscles and everything. The woman will tell you a (pretty long) story behind the idea of the Carillon historical park. We listened to it for a few minutes, and we decided we would rather spend more time in the park, instead of listening to the descriptions about it.
The exhibit about the great Dayton flood. The great Dayton flood happened in 1913 and almost four hundred people died. The exhibit is very sad, but I like it because it is very interactive, and at some point you will actually find yourself in an attic, and hear the loud sound of water rushing past the house. This part was bone - chilling, but it definitely shows how powerful and destructive water can be.
You can see how high the water level was.
In some of the houses, you will find actual people, dressed in clothes that were worn during the time that exhibit is showing, and they will be showing you different skills(again related to that particular exhibit you are visiting), and answering your questions. For example, you will be able to see a lady who is knitting, or a man who will show you how they used to print newspapers quite a few years ago.
And I must say all of them are very knowledgeable, and they seem more than happy to answer all your questions. Since I was fairly new in town when we visited the park, I, of course, had a lot of questions about everything related to Dayton, and I am really glad I went there, because I found out so many new things I probably would not have found out otherwise.
If you have kids with you (or you feel like one), there is a great forest playground at the far end of the park with big slides, and a lot of mud, so prepare to get dirty! Next to the playground, there is a building, where you can see the first Wright brothers plane! I sincerely admire their courage, because that thing does not look safe and capable of flying! In that same building, you can also learn more about Wright brothers and their life.
Would you fly this thing? Yeah, me neither.
Another cool exhibit in Carillon historical park is a school, and they actually have demonstrations about how the lessons looked like. That only happens a few times a day though, and we unfortunatelly missed it.
A few words for the end…
Carillon historical park is a nice place to visit if you are looking for an idea what to do on weekends. And it also involves some physical activity, since you have to walk around (well, unless you decide to take the railway). and if you are a fan of history, I would say that this place is a must - see for you.
