Paul Laurence Dunbar House

Bearing in mind that I’m a huge fan of American poetry and of writers’ homes, this review may be a bit biased; your experience may differ.
I had an amazing time at the Dunbar House. We went on a weekend kinda late in the year and we were, quite literally, the only two visitors all day. I kinda like that — it proves this is an undiscovered treasure and you won’t have to wrangle with scores of pushy tourists.
First of all, I didn’t know what to expect in the neighborhood (many historic homes I visit are in bad areas). This one was quaint — impressive large old homes that were intermixed with some dilapidated ones. The street was very quiet and still. We started in the visitors center which is around the corner from Dunbar’s house. They have a great introductory video, some exhibits, and the requisite gift shop. We signed up for the tour (with a Park Ranger from Dayton Aviation Heritage NHP) and were led into the building. Our guide was fantastic — he really dug into the story of Dunbar the poet, and didn’t just do one of those boring inventory tours («this chair is from blah blah blah, this other chair is from…»). He was very knowledgeable about Dunbar, his poetry, and the literary climate — perfect for me.
We spent a fair amount of time in the museum space back at the visitor center. I was most impressed by the full suit of Dunbar’s on display — his pants, coat, vest, hat, and shoes. Considering how short Dunbar’s life was, it was amazing to see something so real and so closely connected to the man.
What can I say? If you like poetry, I recommend this place! And read some of his poems before you get there.