From airplanes to lollipops: new Ohio Innovation Trail showcases state’s greatest inventions

Spangler Candy World in downtown Bryan, Ohio.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – From airplanes to traffic lights to pull-tabs on beer cans, Ohioans have had a hand in some of the world’s best innovations.

A new driving trail celebrates all of it – from the Packard automobile to the Hoover vacuum to the Dum-Dum lollipop.

The new Ohio Innovation Trail, unveiled late Tuesday in Dayton, is part of the state’s ongoing effort to highlight Ohio’s outsized role in American history, as the country prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday in 2026.

The Innovation Trail is one of six road trips created by the Ohio Commission for the Semiquincentennial to honor the state’s contributions to America’s story. Other trails include the Ohio Air & Space Trail, with stops focused on aviation and aerospace history; the Ohio Creativity Trail, spotlighting art, authors and music; and the Lake Erie to Ohio River Trail, celebrating the state’s waterways.

The Innovation Trail features 81 stops across Ohio, from the Airstream Factory in Jackson Center to the Thomas Edison Birthplace Museum in Milan to Spangler Candy World in Bryan.

There are 16 stops in Northeast Ohio, including the Cleveland History Center, with exhibits about Garrett Morgan’s World War I-era gas mask, the traffic light and other innovations; the National Packard Museum in Warren, which details the history of the pioneering automobile; and the Hoover Historical Society in North Canton, which outlines how janitor Murray Spangler came up with the idea for a portable vacuum while sweeping one night.

The Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum at the Cleveland History Center is a stop on the new Ohio Innovation Trail

The city with the most stops is Dayton, described as “a hotbed of invention,” home to the Wright brothers, Charles Kettering and Ermal Fraze, who invented the pull-tab on cans after he got frustrated opening a beer in the late 1950s. They’re all celebrated at Carillon Historical Park, as well as numerous other venues in Dayton.

The stops can be organized by theme or geography to create individual road trip itineraries.

“The ingenuity of everyday Ohioans has, quite literally, shaped the history of the United States,” said Lance Woodworth, president and CEO of Destination Toledo, in a statement. “This new, experiential trail showcases the wonderous potential of the human imagination when faced with a challenge.”

A statue of Thomas Edison sits on a bench outside the inventor's birthplace in Milan, Ohio.

There are two more themed trails to be announced, both next year: The Transportation Trail and the Leadership Trail, including U.S. presidents.

The driving trails are just one part of Ohio’s planned celebration for the nation’s 250th birthday.

Other activities include themed monthly celebrations, starting in January, with focuses on transportation, innovation, the arts and sports; Ohio Goes to the Movies, with films featuring Ohio and Ohioans shown in all 88 counties; plus dozens of other events and activities across Ohio. For the complete list: america250-ohio.org

The Wright Cycle Company, part of the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, is one of 81 stops on the new Ohio Innovation Trail

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