If you’re planning a trip to Ohio, popular spots like Cleveland and Columbus — the latter with its underrated neighborhoods full of small-town charm – would likely be at the top of your list. But before booking those trips, you might want to look at a destination that is full of picturesque parks (Shafor Park), historic locations (Wright Brothers’ mansion called Hawthorn Hill), and has plenty of walkable streets and eateries.
Situated within the Midwest Mecca of art city of Dayton and about 60 miles from Cincinnati is Oakwood. This city is not only one of the best places to live in Ohio, but also in the country. In their 2025 ranking of the best places to live in the United States, Niche.com placed Oakwood as the 143rd on their list out of 18,000 locations. With a population of just over 9,500 as of 2020, Oakwood is a small, but walkable destination as there is frequent public sidewalk maintenance. Oakwood’s shops, employers, colleges, and healthcare facilities are all easy commutes and located near one another. If you’re wanting to travel to Oakwood, your best bet is to fly to Dayton International Airport, which is about 15 miles from the city.
Historic sites and parks in Oakwood
According to Tripadvisor, the Hawthorn Hill mansion is ranked as the number one “thing to do” in Oakwood. The Wright brothers, inventors of the first successful airplane, bought the Colonial Revival home. But before it was completed, older brother Wilbur Wright died in 1912 and Orville, his sister, and his father would go on to occupy the house. The property was named after the many Hawthorn trees at the location. After Orville’s death in 1948, it was turned over to the Wright Family Foundation and is now open for visitors to tour the property and learn about the lives of the Wright brothers.
In addition to the Colonial Revival, visitors can view a variety of architectural styles in Oakwood, including Italian Renaissance (seen in many of the homes), English Tudor Revival (in many of their schools and mansions), and Spanish Eclectic. To see Romanesque architecture, visit the Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum where, not only is the architecture magnificent (the Woodland Mausoleum is home to 12 stained glass windows inspired by woodland themes in literature), but the Arboretum is a charming green space with over 200 acres of land and 3,000 trees…