The Chaos Room bills itself as the nation’s first gaming theater. Combining the social elements of online gaming with movie-theater amenities, this “clean, parent-friendly facility” lets visitors play video games on theater-size high-definition video screens equipped with Bose audio. Players have the option of competing with friends and family, online gamers or other Chaos Room visitors. The Chaos Room offers an all-day pass for $25, or $15 on Mondays. Visitors are welcome to bring their own Wii, Xbox, Kinect and PlayStation 3 games. The site also features concession-style food service and a traditional arcade. The Chaos Room is open from 3 p.m. to 9:30 p.m Monday through Thursday, from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, from noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and from noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.
Bill Yeck Park comprises 194 acres along Sugar Creek. It includes several historic buildings and offers opportunities for birdwatching and creekside fossil hunting. Perhaps the park’s most interesting feature is its Tricentennial Time Trail, which demonstrates the natural succession from meadow to forest. Every year, an additional section of the trail is left unmowed; you can see how plant species and density change as you walk from the newest to the oldest sections. The trail was founded in 1996 and will be completed in 2096 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the founding of Centerville and Washington Township. Bill Yeck Park is open every day from dawn to dusk.
Located about 25 minutes north of Centerville at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center marks the site where Wilbur and Orville Wright built and tested the Wright Flyer III, which was the world’s first practical airplane. It’s also the site of the world’s first flying school, which the brothers opened shortly after their historic 1903 flight at Kitty Hawk. The interpretive center presents exhibits on the Wrights’ life and work. It’s open every day except major holidays. The hours are 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. in summer and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. the rest of the year.
The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery is a children’s science museum with an emphasis on hands-on learning. Located just 28 minutes north of Centerville in Dayton, the museum includes a planetarium, a 68-inch interactive Earth replica, a mummy, a large zoo and a tree house. It also has a two-story climbing center that lets children ascend above the museum’s roof and slide back down to ground level. The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Wright "B" Flyer Inc. builds, flies and displays replicas of the Wright Model “B” airplane, which the Wright Co. manufactured at its Dayton factory in 1910. The company’s hangar-museum is in Miamisburg, about 30 minutes southwest of downtown Centerville. In addition to displaying these early airplanes, it offers a free Wright “B” flight simulator. Adventurous visitors will receive an actual flight on the Model “B” with a membership donation of $100. The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Admission is free.
