Wright Patterson Air Force Base

I am TDY here, and there is not a whole lot to do here on base. I have been to the club on base to eat which is good by the way. Other than that, from what I’ve been told you have to drive about an hour for anything to do.

First of all, this place is HUGE. I’ve been on many a military installation and never had the kind of issues finding places like on WPAFB. If you don’t know the area, you will get lost. I lived here for a couple years before joining the Air Force and still get lost. It seems like they’re always doing some kind of construction that alters how I would normally get somewhere.
That aside, you have everything you need here. I’ve been able to find almost everything I would immediately need at the BX/​Commissary and they have a real Class Six store, instead of a gas station that happens to sell booze. WPAFB has a REAL hospital, not a clinic that has to send you somewhere else when something is really wrong. Last time I checked, they had three gyms and one has a Smoothie King inside (Wright Field Fitness Center). They even have their own Starbucks — not some random café that serves Starbucks coffee.
Overall, you guys stationed here have it better than those at certain other bases (*cough* Scott *cough*)

The officers club is nice and the people here at the Wright patt team annual awards banquet are having social hour and then the big ceremony then a awsome dinner.

Wright-​Patterson is my 3^rd assignment with the Air Force and in that time I’ve been able to visit a dozen different bases around the nation. Wright-​Patt is one of the worst Air Force installations I been to, I am honestly really surprised this base hosts a 4-​star level command. With everything from the aging fitness centers to the dramatically unimpressive commissary and BX this base is doing it wrong.
The base’s confusing lay-​out is a byproduct of the fact that it was originally two different bases (Wright Field and Patterson Field) that were merged. I work on Area A so I rarely make it over to Area B, I’m sure the opposite it true for folks who work on Area B. Area A can be really confusing to get around, with different ‘clusters’ of buildings divided by base housing and the massive golf course. Recently the base took over a stretch of public road in order to consolidate some gates. The result of that is it now takes longer to get to the BX and commissary and there are longer waits at all the gates. That is why I very rarely make the trek out there. The commissary does ok dry goods like cereal and pasta but an awful selection of produce. The little I save doesn’t justify the drive out and I’d still end up going to Kroger for produce and meat.
The fitness center on Area A, the Dodge gym, leaves a lot to be desired. It’s tiny, cramped and usually overcrowded. It has a no-​free weights. For stuff like that you must go to the gym on Area B, which is nice but has no air conditioning!
Please note this is just a review of the base, NOT the local area or Ohio. I realize this base is doing the best it can with reduced budgets. But how do other bases (that don’t house 4-​star level commands) provided so much superior services?

This review is specifically for the Wright Patt Club Sunday Brunch. Having been affiliated with the Air Force since 1973 in some capacity, I have had the opportunity to sample several Sunday Brunches at various locations. On this occasion we went for Mother’s Day. The ambiance was nice but not nice enough to encourage a higher standard of dress for the clientele. Many were dressed in blue jeans and sweats.
The food was good but the available selection was nothing exceptional. The price at other locations we have been to included champagne and other spirits, Wright-Patt’s does not. There is an extra charge.
I think for the future, as long as we live in the Dayton area, if I am inclined to partake in a true Sunday brunch experience, I may seek out some other place even if the price is higher.

Without saying anything about what is on this base, I will say this is the best base we have ever been assigned to, and we’ve been all over the world and have been in the service for enough decades to say we’ve been around the block a few times! This is a wonderful place to work and otherwise do what we military folks and families want or need to do on a base. I appreciate the friendly attitudes all around, highly indicative of the fact that others are happy here too. When a base is inadequate, you can tell in the attitudes and morale of it’s people. Lots of smiles here!
To speak of the area, it is absolutely diverse. It is beautiful year round, in my opinion! There is plenty to do, many family friendly events to search out and discover especially around the holidays, and many large and small towns to visit if you get bored of staying in one area for any length of time, like me! About an hour in any direction will find you somewhere new and fun, ripe for exploring. North there is Columbus, South there is Cinci, North-​East there is Springfield and scattered everywhere in between are adorable little towns each with their own wonderful charm, history, or something neat to offer. Clifton Mill is here, about 20 minutes from base nestled in the woods by a surprise ancient glacier gorge with rapids and gorgeous nearby hiking trails that wind around Clifton Gorge overlooking the powerful humbling rapids below! It is a beautiful place to escape the ordinary, check my reviews for pictures! You’ll also find such gems as Young’s Dairy Farm (and many others scattered willy nilly) the most beautiful outdoor shooting range I have ever seen in my life, and a wonderful hands on children’s museum that offers military discounts on annual passes that also get you into attractions nationwide!
For the foodie, this place is paradise! For the history buff, check out the most amazing museum I have ever seen, the US Air Force Museum! It’s amazing and it’s completely free! You won’t believe it! The Wright Brother’s craft is here, and seeing it is just, humbling to say the least. The locals, just as with the people local to the base, are indicatively happy to live here, many of whom end up sticking around after «growing up» here to start families of their own instead of running as fast as they can as far as they can, as is the case with my hometown in Eastern Washington! That says a lot.
This is one of those bases where you think at first how unlucky you must be to have been assigned to it, only to pull an «about face» upon arriving and realizing how terribly, terribly wrong you were!
If you have received orders to Wright-​Patterson AFB, Ohio, may I be the first to offer you a big warm congratulations!

Of course I love this place. It’s where America’s heroes can be found.
Now, find one of our military women or men and thank them for their service. Have a good day. They made it possible.

This is definitely the most confusing base I have ever been to. I swear I get lost there every single time I go. I guess it has to be big to accommodate everything this base is responsible for and all of the employees who do it but, boy is it confusing. They have all of the amenities of other bases and more. The commissary, exchange (not a great one), restaurants, hospital, multiple gyms… you name it they got it.
One of the most frustrating things is that if you ask a guard at the gate for directions 9 times out of 10 they can’t help. They are usually willing to try by pulling out their trusty map but, there have been times that they have been equally confused by the map. Make sure you know where you are going before you get there. Do not rely on your GPS because it is not accurate on base. Note that not all of the gates are open. Make sure you know which gate you are going to and make sure it is open before you go.
Good luck navigating this base. You will need it!

We drove around Wright-​Patterson AFB quite a bit. The base is one of the larger ones that I’ve been to. The lodging facilities were nice and the employees were friendly to talk to. We didn’t stay here but we did stop in to talk to an employee. We also went to the Shoppette and the BX. The BX had a huge selection in every department. I was rather impressed. However, the set-​up is typical and if you are familiar with a BX or PX, then you generally know what to expect. I did see a barber shop, beauty salon, GNC, Starbuck’s, Post Office and more!