COLUMBUS, Ohio – The April theme of America 250-Ohio is “Ohio Moves: Transportation,” with programs and events planned across the state celebrating the state’s  role in developing how people and goods moved across the country.

The events this month give Ohio residents the chance to explore its transportation culture in myriad ways, including driving tours, trivia, exhibits and other options.

“From the first canals that carved pathways through the frontier to the cars, trains and airplanes that connected a growing nation, Ohio has always been where movement begins,” said Todd Kleismit, executive director of America 250-Ohio.

The group is giving every month in 2026 a theme. The themes offer a framework for showcasing Ohio’s contributions to America’s 250 years of nationhood.

The centerpieces of April’s transportation theme are the Ohio Transportation Celebration and the new Transportation Trail.

The state’s transportation ingenuity will be on display at the Ohio Transportation Celebration April 25-26 in Dennison, with two days of festivities featuring an antique vehicle car show, flyovers of vintage planes, a steam train on display, food trucks, three entertainment stages and more.

The Transportation Trail is the fifth in the “Trails & Tales” series of driving trails where visitors can explore contributions by visiting museums, historic sites and other locations that share information on the topic in a region.

The Transportation Trail will explore Ohio’s contribution to the movement of people, goods and ideas through transportation modes including rail, area, roadways, canals and water. It will be rolled out the week of April 20. 

The Ohio Statehouse will also host a special historical event in April:

Reenactment: American Revolution in the Ohio Country. The Statehouse will come alive with an American Revolution encampment where visitors can experience the sights and sounds of a late 18th-century military camp. Guests will see Captain Joseph Ogle’s Company of the Ohio County, Virginia Militia, in action and feel the energy of the Heritage Fife and Drums. This event will take place at 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 15.

Communities across the state will bring the “Ohio Moves” theme to life through locally produced exhibitions, lectures, specialty programs and interactive experiences. The full calendar is online HERE.

Here is a sampling of the events:

  • Soup at Six: The Freedom Train, Steam of Democracy: Train Curator David Ziegler shares the remarkable story of Ross Rowland Jr. and his “precious freight” aboard the Freedom Trains of 1946 and 1976 during a lecture April 9 at the McKinley Presidential Library and Museum in Canton. These traveling museums carried 26 galleries of priceless American treasures across the country, inspiring patriotism and civic pride.
  • Night at the Depot: At the Wolcott Heritage Center in Maumee on April 18, visitors will enjoy interactive stations including a telegraph table where they can tap out Morse code, a lantern signaling activity and an artifact table featuring tools, timetables and conductor gear.
  • The Big Roadshow: Transportation Milestones that Shaped Pickerington: This free, family-friendly event explores how transportation helped shape Pickerington and the nation, focusing on key milestones including Zane’s Trace, the Ohio & Erie Canal, the railroad and Interstate 70. The Big Roadshow will take place April 24-26 at the Pickerington Senior Center. 
  • Time Traveler History Talks: Retracing the Lake Shore Electric Railway: This presentation, taking place April 28 at the Shores & Islands Ohio Welcome Center in Sandusky, talks about how the Lake Shore Electric Railway influenced transportation, recreation, urban development and the economy and explores where to find many of its remnants in today’s landscape.