Xenia offers a comfortable selection of local restaurants for everyday dining. Nick's Restaurant on North Detroit Street is a longtime favorite known for award-winning wings, steaks, and the legendary Big Nick burger. Butterbee's American Grill draws consistent praise for its friendly service and reliable American fare. Victor's Taqueria serves Tex-Mex that locals compare favorably to restaurants in Texas and New Mexico. Troni Brothers Italian Restaurant offers classic Italian dinners and pizza that regulars describe as the best in the Dayton area.
For quick meals, China Inn and Chen's Chinese provide dependable takeout options. Acapulco offers Mexican cuisine in a casual setting. Coffee shops and bakeries in downtown Xenia provide morning meeting spots and afternoon breaks. The dining scene here is unpretentious and affordable, focused on quality comfort food rather than culinary trends.
Fifteen minutes west in Beavercreek, The Greene Town Center offers a more extensive dining and shopping experience. This open-air lifestyle center combines retail, dining, and entertainment in a walkable setting. Restaurants range from national chains to regional favorites: Fleming's Prime Steakhouse for special occasions, The Melting Pot for fondue date nights, Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant for wine-paired dining, BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse for craft beer and deep-dish pizza, and The Pub for British-inspired gastropub fare.
The Greene also houses a Cinemark theater with IMAX, providing first-run movies without traveling to Dayton. Shopping options include major retailers alongside boutiques and specialty stores. The walkable design allows you to park once and spend an evening browsing, dining, and catching a film.
The Dayton region supports a performing arts scene that exceeds expectations for a mid-sized metropolitan area. The Benjamin & Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center, built in 2003, anchors downtown Dayton's cultural district. Its 2,300-seat Mead Theatre hosts Broadway touring productions including Wicked, The Phantom of the Opera, The Lion King, Les Miserables, and Hamilton. The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance combines the Dayton Ballet, Dayton Opera, and Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Victoria Theatre, operating since 1866, offers a more intimate 1,100-seat venue for concerts, comedy, and theatrical productions. The Human Race Theatre Company produces professional plays and musicals at The Loft Theatre, with a national reputation for developing new works. La Comedia Dinner Theatre in nearby Springboro combines Broadway-style entertainment with multi-course dining. Closer to home, the Xenia Area Community Theater (X*ACT) produces local shows with volunteer casts throughout the year.
The National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is the world's largest military aviation museum, with free admission and over 360 aircraft on display. Exhibits span from the Wright Brothers through modern stealth technology. Highlights include the Air Force One that carried President Kennedy on November 22, 1963, the B-29 Bockscar that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, the Apollo 15 command module, and a Space Shuttle crew compartment trainer.
The Dayton Art Institute, founded in 1919, houses collections spanning ancient to contemporary art in an Italian Renaissance-style building overlooking downtown. The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery offers interactive science exhibits for families. In Xenia, the Greene County Historical Society Museum preserves local history, including extensive documentation of the 1974 tornado and the community's recovery.
The Dayton Dragons, a High-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, hold the longest sellout streak in North American professional sports history, with over 1,500 consecutive sold-out games. Day Air Ballpark offers an affordable, family-friendly experience where you can watch future major leaguers develop their skills.
Cincinnati sits an hour south, providing access to major league sports, while Columbus offers NHL and MLS teams. College sports are equally accessible, with University of Dayton basketball generating intense local passion and Ohio State football drawing fans from across the region.
The region hosts festivals throughout the year. The Dayton Hamvention attracts over 20,000 attendees each May. The Ohio Renaissance Festival runs from late August through October in nearby Waynesville. Local and regional events celebrate music, heritage, and seasonal traditions.
Holiday events include the Dayton Holiday Festival and Clifton Mill's lighting display with over 3.5 million lights, drawing visitors from across the state.
Dayton's Oregon District provides the region's primary nightlife destination, with bars, restaurants, and live music venues. The Neon art-house cinema offers independent films alongside beer, wine, and coffee. Craft breweries and wine bars provide relaxed options for evening socializing.
Xenia's entertainment landscape combines small-town accessibility with metropolitan options just minutes away. You can enjoy a casual dinner at a local favorite, catch a Dragons game, see a Broadway touring production, and explore one of the world's great aviation museums—all without big-city congestion.
Xenia has earned its designation as the "Bicycle Capital of the Midwest" and a charter member of the American Hiking Society's Trail Town USA Hall of Fame. The city sits at the hub of one of the nation's largest paved trail networks, with over 340 miles of interconnected paths radiating from Xenia Station. This replica 19th-century railroad depot houses bike rentals, repair stations, restrooms, and a visitor center at the convergence of five major trails.
The Little Miami Scenic Trail stretches 78 miles from Springfield south to the Cincinnati suburbs, following the banks of the Little Miami River, Ohio's first designated National Scenic River. North of Xenia, the trail passes through Yellow Springs to Springfield. South of Xenia, it meanders through wooded corridors, past canoe liveries, and alongside the river to Loveland and beyond. The Prairie Grass Trail heads west toward Dayton, connecting to the Great Miami River Trail network. The Creekside Trail runs east, and the Ohio-to-Erie Trail connects Xenia to a 326-mile route spanning from Cincinnati to Cleveland.
John Bryan State Park lies just north of Xenia near Yellow Springs, encompassing 752 acres along the Little Miami River. The park surrounds Clifton Gorge, where dolomite and limestone cliffs rise above the river, supporting over 300 species of wildflowers and 100 tree species. Ten hiking trails wind through the gorge and woodlands, ranging from easy strolls to the 10-mile segment of the Buckeye Trail. The park also offers rock climbing and rappelling on designated cliffs, an 18-hole disc golf course, and cross-country skiing in winter.
Caesar Creek State Park, 20 minutes south of Xenia, centers on a 2,830-acre lake offering boating, swimming, and fishing. The park contains 43 miles of hiking trails, 15 miles of mountain bike trails, and equestrian paths through forests and meadows. The marina provides boat rentals, fuel, and supplies, and a 1,300-foot public beach draws summer crowds. Fish species include largemouth and smallmouth bass, crappie, catfish, muskellunge, and saugeye. Hunting is permitted in season for deer, turkey, and waterfowl.
Glen Helen Nature Preserve, adjacent to John Bryan State Park, offers 20 miles of hiking paths through 1,000 acres of old-growth forest, past 400-year-old trees, limestone cliffs, and waterfalls including the Yellow Spring for which the nearby village is named. Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve protects the dramatic gorge with wooden walkways and overlooks. Great Council State Park, opened in 2024, honors the Shawnee heritage of the region with an interpretive center and replica longhouse.
The Little Miami River flows through Greene County as a designated National Scenic River, offering canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. The river hosts over 87 species of fish and 36 species of mussels, with smallmouth bass, rock bass, and channel catfish among the most commonly caught. Canoe liveries operate along the river, including RiversEdge Outfitters in Waynesville, providing rentals and shuttle services.
The Narrows Reserve, operated by Greene County Parks, offers six miles of trails along the Little Miami River and serves as a popular launch point for kayaking and fishing. Caesar Creek Lake provides larger-scale boating with five launch ramps and no horsepower limit. Spring Valley Wildlife Area offers additional fishing and hunting opportunities and ranks among the best birdwatching locations in southwestern Ohio.
Beyond the paved multi-use trails, Greene County offers natural surface hiking through its parks system. Russ Nature Reserve features a 1.6-mile loop popular for hiking, running, and birdwatching. Indian Mound Reserve contains the Williamson Mound and Pollock Works, earthworks along Massie Creek offering historical interest. Old Town Reserve preserves the site near the birthplace of Tecumseh with interpretive markers and walking paths.
The Dayton region offers numerous golf courses for all skill levels. Public courses provide accessible options without club membership, while semi-private and private clubs serve golfers seeking more exclusive experiences. Courses range from championship layouts to relaxed executive courses, with a long playing season from April through October.
Ohio's four distinct seasons create year-round outdoor opportunities. Spring brings wildflower blooms to John Bryan and Glen Helen, with over 300 species visible from March through May. Summer opens water activities at Caesar Creek and along the Little Miami River. Fall transforms wooded trails with color, and winter brings cross-country skiing, ice fishing, and snowshoeing when conditions allow.
The trail system remains accessible year-round, with paved surfaces cleared after snow. Many cyclists and runners use the trails throughout winter on milder days. With approximately 190 sunny days per year, opportunities for outdoor activity are plentiful in every season.
Xenia's outdoor recreation options rival those of communities many times its size. Whether you prefer a morning bike ride, a weekend hike through gorges and forests, a day of fishing on the river, or a boat outing on the lake, the infrastructure exists within minutes of your home—allowing you to decompress on trails and waterways rather than sitting in traffic.
The City of Xenia maintains 12 local parks offering playgrounds, picnic shelters, outdoor fitness equipment, basketball courts, baseball and softball diamonds, walking paths, and fishing areas. A splash pad provides summer water play for families with young children. A disc golf course added in 2016 offers a free recreational option for all ages. Parks are distributed throughout the city, ensuring most neighborhoods have convenient access to green space and recreational facilities.
The Fairgrounds Recreation Center, operated by Greene County Parks & Trails, provides additional recreational programming. The playground at this facility has been designated as a national demonstration site for GameTime, promoting physical activity, fitness, nature engagement, and inclusion. The center hosts programs for all ages, from preschool activities through senior programming.
The Xenia YMCA, located on the campus of the REACH Center at 336 Progress Drive, serves as the community's primary fitness facility. This modern center includes two indoor swimming pools, two full-size basketball courts, an indoor walking track, a group exercise studio, an outdoor track, and complete weightlifting and cardio equipment. Swimming lessons, fitness classes, personal training, and youth sports leagues are available.
The YMCA's family-friendly environment accommodates all fitness levels and ages. Childcare services allow parents to exercise while children participate in supervised activities. The teen center provides programming for adolescents, and adult leagues offer social recreation for those seeking team activities outside of work.
The Athletes in Action Sports Complex represents a significant recreational asset in Xenia. This 235-acre campus at 1197 South Detroit Street includes six synthetic turf fields for football, soccer, baseball, softball, and lacrosse. The Sports Performance Center features an indoor weight training gym, indoor turf field, and athletic training room staffed by professionals.
The recently completed John Wooden Family Fieldhouse adds a 65,000-square-foot indoor facility with one of the largest hardwood floors in Ohio at 40,000 square feet. The complex also includes a 275-bed retreat center and conference facilities and is expected to serve approximately 400,000 athletes annually.
Greene County Parks & Trails manages 2,600 acres of parks and nature reserves throughout the county, offering programming for all ages. Educational programs include nature preschool, homeschool science days, and youth camps, while adult programming covers DIY workshops and guided nature hikes. Adaptive programming ensures accessibility for individuals with disabilities.
The parks system hosts interpretive nature programming, fishing derbies, and special events throughout the year. Facilities can be reserved for private events, and nature centers provide educational exhibits and raptor rehabilitation programs. The system maintains over 60 miles of paved trails across five major corridors.
Xenia supports youth athletics through multiple organizations. Kings Hammer (Xenia Say Soccer) hosts 10-week programs in spring and fall. The Xenia Youth Athletic Association offers recreational football and cheerleading for children ages 6 through 13. Celebrity Athletics provides tumbling and dance classes from recreational to competitive levels.
The Xenia YMCA operates youth and teen leagues, swimming lessons, gymnastics programs, and summer camps. These organizations give physician families meaningful ways to integrate into the community through their children's activities.
Tennis and pickleball courts are available at parks throughout Greene County. Petrikis Park in nearby Bellbrook offers pickleball and tennis courts alongside basketball courts. The growing popularity of pickleball has led to new court additions across the region.
The Xenia Recreation and Events Commission (X-REC) coordinates recreational opportunities and seasonal community events. Highlights include the annual Youth Fishing Derby, Easter Egg Hunt, Spring Fling, Red White and Blue Block Party, Harvest on Main, and Christmas Station. A farmers market operates on Greene Street the third Wednesday of each month from June through September.
The Xenia Adult Recreation and Services Center provides programming for adult and senior residents, supporting social connection and physical activity. Together, these resources create a recreational infrastructure that supports active lifestyles at every life stage, from toddlers to seniors.