COLUMBUS — Starting Oct. 1, travelers can explore the Ohio Air & Space Trail with a new, free audio tour from America 250-Ohio.
The tour, titled “Ohio’s Air and Space History,” is available on the TravelStorys app. It brings the state’s aviation and aerospace legacy to life with stories that play automatically as visitors arrive at trail sites.
The Ohio Air & Space Trail links more than 30 museums, landmarks and historic sites across the state, from Dayton and Cincinnati to Columbus, Akron, Cleveland and Toledo. Together, they show why Ohio is known as the Birthplace of Aviation. The state was home to trailblazers like Wilbur and Orville Wright, John Glenn and Neil Armstrong.
It also served as a laboratory and proving ground for many of the innovations that advanced human flight and continues to play an important role in the advancement of aviation and aerospace.
“Ohio’s contributions to flight are among the proudest chapters in our state’s history, and this audio tour lets people hear those stories right where they happened,” said Todd Kleismit, executive director of America 250-Ohio.
“Whether you’re standing in the shadow of a historic aircraft or listening from your living room, the tour offers an easy, fun way to discover how Ohioans helped the world take flight, and to celebrate that legacy as our nation marks its 250th anniversary.”
The audio tour is designed for everyone, from experienced pilots and aerospace enthusiasts to families looking for a fun afternoon outing. Its stories span the trail’s themes:
- The Birthplace of Aviation
- Innovation
- Service to Country
- Training
- Space Exploration
- Preservation and flying experiences
- Aviation feats and spectacles
Listeners can learn how the Wright brothers built the first controlled airplane in their Dayton bicycle shop. They can also hear how Akron pioneered lighter-than-air flight, how Ohio women served as “Rosies,” WASP pilots and Curtiss-Wright Cadettes during World War II, and how two Ohioans became the first Americans to orbit Earth and the first person to walk on the moon.
How the tour works
TravelStorys is a GPS-guided audio tour platform. Visitors simply download the free app from the App Store or Google Play, select a tour, and stories play automatically as they approach each site. Tours can be used on-site even without Wi-Fi.
Visitors who aren’t traveling can still enjoy the tour from anywhere. They can tap any story icon on the map to listen,or choose “Play All” to hear the stories back-to-back, podcast-style. The app also provides turn-by-turn directions to each site. Each story’s text screen includes links to museum websites, so visitors can check opening hours before they go.
Because each site could fill hours of exploration, America 250-Ohio recommends breaking the trail into several mini-trips. Travelers can start with the sites closest to home and save the rest for future excursions around the state.
For the best experience, users should set the app’s location permission to “Always Allow.” This keeps stories playing even when the phone’s screen goes to sleep.
Earn a patch along the way
The audio tour pairs with the free Ohio Air & Space Trail digital passport from Brightr Travel. Visitors who check in at six participating trail locations earn an exclusive Ohio Air & Space Trail patch. Travelers are encouraged to share their visits on social media using the hashtag #ohiotrailsandtales.
The trail is part of America 250-Ohio’s Trails & Tales program, a partner project with the Ohio Travel Association. Trail maps, a group travel planner, a road trip playlist, reading lists and educational resources are available at america250-ohio.org/air-and-