America 250-Ohio adds three new creativity trails

COLUMBUS, Ohio — America 250-Ohio has announced the addition of three new trails to its signature Trails & Tales Program.

America 250-Ohio is the state commission leading Ohio’s official celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary in 2026.

The Trails & Tales program hosts Creativity Trails, which are set at sites across Ohio, showcasing the work of the state’s past and present writers, musicians, artists, and other creatives.

The Ohio Creativity Trails showcase six artistic categories: written, music, visual arts, glass & pottery, folk & traditional art, and carousels.

The carousels will feature renowned institutions like the Cleveland Museum of Art and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Millersburg Glass Museum and Merry-Go-Round Museum.

“Ohioans create art that shapes the culture of our great nation,” said Todd Kleismit, Executive Director of America 250-Ohio. “From brushstrokes to storytelling, their creativity echoes far beyond our borders. With these new trail sites in Genoa, Portsmouth, and Union County, we’re celebrating the artists who help define Ohio’s and America’s spirit.” 

The three new trails introduced this year will feature:

• Packer Creek Pottery in Genoa has been nationally recognized since 1979 for its vibrant, whimsical designs. In 1993, founder Jan Pugh was honored with a White House commission to craft a Christmas angel, now kept in the National Archives.
• Southern Ohio Museum and Cultural Center in Portsmouth houses the largest collection of works by American Scene painter Clarence Holbrook Carter, along with “Art of the Ancients,” featuring 10,000 prehistoric Native American artifacts from the Wertz Collection. The museum is temporarily closed for renovations and will reopen later this fall. 
• Marysville Art League in Marysville, which was founded in 1979 by local artists, promotes visual and performing arts throughout Union County while preserving Houston House.

There are currently seven sites in central Ohio to visit, like the Watch House and Circle Mound in Dublin and the Ohio Statehouse.

The full trail can be explored, and more information can be found at the America 250-Ohio website.