The Ohio Leadership Trail Seeks Your Submission
The call for submissions is now open for the Ohio Leadership Trail, the sixth and final statewide driving trail created by America 250-Ohio in partnership with the Ohio Travel Association.
The trail will connect places where visitors can discover how Ohio leaders shaped communities, influenced the nation, and changed the course of history. Stories may reflect leadership in politics, social reform, labor, religion, environmentalism, social justice, the military, and other fields. Eligible sites must be regularly accessible to visitors, offer a strong connection to an Ohio leadership story, and provide an engaging on-site experience through exhibits, tours, interpretation, or signage.
This is the sixth and final statewide trail project launched by America 250-Ohio (in partnership with the Ohio Travel Association). It joins the Ohio Air & Space Trail, the Ohio Creativity Trail, the Ohio Innovation Trail, the Lake Erie to Ohio River Trail, and the Ohio Transportation Trail. These five trails have already captured the hearts and attention of Ohioans and others, with more than 22 million impressions generated by dozens of media stories thus far.
Deadline for submission is September 9, 2026
Have Questions?
A Q&A Zoom call will be held on Wednesday, Aug, 12, at 10 a.m. Registration is required to receive the link. CVB members are encouraged to share this information with local museums, historic sites, attractions, and other partners that may have a compelling Ohio leadership story to tell. Your outreach can help ensure that communities and leaders from across the state are represented.
Criteria Used for Consideration:
The scope of the Ohio Leadership Trail is to create a driving trail connecting places where visitors can learn more about leaders from, and associated with, Ohio. As this is a tourism-based project designed to encourage people to spend time in our communities and visit our museums and businesses, submitted sites must meet the following criteria. Submissions are evaluated based on their ability to meet the expectations below:
- Accessibility — Is the site open to walk-in visitors during consistent and regular hours? Is there parking? If you are relying on call-ahead access, tours must be open to the public and posted on your website with an easy booking process.
- Relevancy — Does the site interpret a story that directly relates to how an Ohio leader shaped the future of the state and the country?
- Visitor Experience — Is that story told on-site, either through regular tours open to the public or exhibits one can easily find when stopping by the site? Is there signage directing visitors to where they can experience the story? The scope of this project is to create a trail where visitors to and through Ohio can stop and spend an hour or two at each site, learning more while being engaged in the story.
Tips Before You Submit:
Before you start the submission process, consider how your site contributes to the story of how Ohio’s leaders shaped the future of the state and country. Consider the following key storylines as you shape your story.
- Ohio leaders demonstrate decision-making under pressure
- Collective action or movement-building changed the nation
- Change occurs because of Ohio leaders (policy, rights, environment, etc)
- Leadership isn’t always easy; there is typically conflict, negotiation, or risk
- Leadership is a choice that ordinary people make in extraordinary and everyday moments
Questions?
Questions can also be sent to Haley Martin (America 250-Ohio Trails & Tales Project Coordinator) at hmartin@ohiohistory.org.