These are the best outdoor music venues, as voted by the community during Dayton.com’s Best of 2018 contest.
>> Best of Dayton 2018 winners
WINNER: Fraze Pavilion
The Fraze Pavilion is a 4,300-seat outdoor amphitheater in Kettering that opened in 1991. It includes orchestra seating, a lawn where you can bring a blanket or rent chairs and terrace seating. The Pavilion is named after Ermal Fraze, late resident of Kettering and inventor of the pop-top beverage can.
Through the years, the Fraze has brought in famous performers including Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Earth, Wind & Fire, the Backstreet Boys, Vince Gill, Vanilla Ice, Trisha Yearwood, The Go-Gos, The Avett Brothers, Old Crow Medicine Show and so many more.
695 Lincoln Park Blvd., Kettering | Website | Facebook
SECOND PLACE: Rose Music Center at The Heights
The Stuart & Mimi Rose Music Center at The Heights is a 4,200-seat fully covered outdoor amphitheater located in Huber Heights visible from Interstate 70 just north of Dayton. Construction began on the facility in 2013 and was completed in time for the 2015 concert season. The Rose Music Center — owned by the city of Huber Heights and operated by Music and Event Management of Cincinnati — is entering its fifth concert season. The facility is part of The Heights, an 800-acre residential and retail development.
Top artists in the first five years have included John Legend, Shawn Mendes, Vince Gill, ZZ Top, Boston, Chicago, Rob Zombie and more.
>> Summer is here early! Rose Music Center’s fifth season now under way
6800 Executive Blvd., Huber Heights | Website | Facebook
THIRD PLACE: Levitt Pavilion Dayton
This is the new venue on the block that provides up to 50 free concerts a year including local, regional and national acts. The venue opened in 2018 and is about to enter its second season. Bring a chair, a blanket and food and enjoy downtown for free.
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