The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery in Dayton has a new space built for its smallest visitors. Stone’s Zone, a climbable toddler play area named for the museum’s juvenile mastodon, opened with a ribbon cutting Oct. 9 at the museum’s DeWeese Parkway location in north Dayton.
The play area is the first visible piece of a larger first-floor renovation at the Boonshoft, and with children 2 and under admitted free, it gives families with toddlers a relatively low-cost reason to make the trip.
What Toddlers Will Find in Stone’s Zone
The play area is modeled on the rocky landscape glaciers left behind as they retreated from the region, giving young children a colorful space to climb and explore. According to the museum, it extends the Ice Age story that starts in the recently renovated lobby, where Stone stands alongside his mother, Feather, as life-sized mastodon recreations.
Stone has a real-world backstory. He was inspired by a juvenile mastodon specimen in the Boonshoft’s collection, discovered at Carter Bog in Darke County, Ohio. That connection gives parents an easy way to frame the visit: see the mastodon in the lobby, then let kids play in his zone.
The museum has not published a specific age range for Stone’s Zone beyond describing it as built for toddlers. Families with very young children may also want to look at the museum’s ToddlerTime program.
Part of a $10.5 Million Boonshoft Museum Renovation
Stone’s Zone opened alongside the public phase of “A River Runs Through Us,” the museum’s $10.5 million capital campaign. The Boonshoft reports it has raised about $8.8 million, more than 80% of the goal, through private gifts, foundations and corporate support. The public phase is expected to last three to six months. Early support for Stone’s Zone came from the Charles D. Berry Foundation, Berry Family Foundation, Marj Keenoy and E. Gray.
The campaign reworks parts of the museum to tell the Miami Valley’s natural history, from Ice Age glaciers to the rivers, aquifer and ecosystems that shape the region now. Two family favorites are on the list. The water table, installed in the 1990s, will be replaced with a new custom version; the museum says more than 5 million visitors have used the current one. The longtime climbing structure will give way to a new tree house climber with a slide.
“Every part of this project is about building on what people already love about the Boonshoft,” said Tracey Tomme, president and CEO of the Dayton Society of Natural History, which operates the museum.
Donations can be made through the museum’s A River Runs Through Us campaign page.
Good to Know: A Temporary Closure Is Coming in 2027
The final phase of renovations is planned for August 2027, when the museum expects to close for about five to six weeks while major installation work is completed. Exact dates have not been announced, so check the museum’s website before planning a late-summer 2027 visit. Members affected by the closure will have their memberships extended by two months.
Kids under 18 must be accompanied by an adult at all times, and members need to show ID with their membership card on every visit. For more low-cost outings, see our roundup of free museum days in Dayton and nearby.
Plan Your Visit to the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery
- Address: 2600 DeWeese Parkway, Dayton, OH 45414
- Hours: Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
- Admission: Adults $16; seniors 60 and older $14; children 3 to 12 $13; children 2 and under free; Dayton Society of Natural History members free
- Tickets: Buy Boonshoft tickets in advance
- Phone: 937-275-7431
- Website: boonshoft.org
Looking for more ideas? Browse our list of things to do with kids in Southwest Ohio.
