America 250-Ohio Launches Trails & Tales Passport Program

COLUMBUS, OHIO – (August 26, 2026) – America 250-Ohio today unveiled a Passport Program that helps Ohioans create itineraries and track their visits to the hundreds of attractions around the state that are part of one of the five Trails & Tales experiential driving trails.  

The Passport Program uses a web-based system to make it easy for visitors to check in at the attractions that make up each trail.  There is no app to download, and participation is free. Visitors can go directly to ohio.brightrtravel.com or scan the QR code displayed on tabletop signs at participating trail partner locations. After creating a login using a cell phone number, visitors can use the interactive map to explore and save trail sites, plan itineraries, and sign up for passport visitation challenges. 

Sites on existing trails – Ohio Air & Space, Creativity, Lake Erie to Ohio River, Innovation, and Transportation – are organized into five online passports, with a sixth passport coming soon. Visitors who check in at six sites within each trail’s passport earns a special commemorative patch as a reward for completing their journey. There are six different patches to collect. If sites are a part of more than one trail, a check in counts as a “stamp” towards any trails that site participates in. 

“Ohio’s story is just waiting to be discovered, one trail stop at a time,” said Todd Kleismit, executive director of America 250-Ohio. “Sign up for a passport, get out there, and discover the people, places, and stories that make our state extraordinary.” 

The Passport Program was built in partnership with the Ohio Travel Association and Brightr Travel, a destination marketing and management platform.  

For more information, visit https://ohio.brightrtravel.com/. 

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About America 250-Ohio 

In 2026, the United States is celebrating its semiquincentennial, which is the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Each state is creating a celebration and commemoration of this anniversary to reflect the unique character and contributions of each state to the nation over the past 250 years. Ohio is fully embracing this opportunity. Cenovus Energy has signed on as the Visionary Sponsor for Ohio’s statewide programming. The Ohio Commission for the Semiquincentennial (aka America 250-Ohio Commission or AM 250- OH) was created by the Ohio legislature and launched on March 1, 2022. The charge of the Commission is to “…to plan, encourage, develop, and coordinate the commemoration of the two hundred fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the United States and the impact of Ohioans on the nation’s past, present, and future.” — Ohio Revised Code (149.309). More information can be found at America250-Ohio.org.