FOSTORIA, Ohio — Northwest Ohio has plenty of places, like businesses and nonprofits, for guests to visit and enjoy, but how often do locals visit them?
For the second year, Destination Seneca County is hosting a promotion for residents of the county to get free admission into 14 local museums and art galleries and enjoy hour-long experiences at five local businesses.
Bryce Riggs, executive director of Destination Seneca County, said this year's Be a Tourist in your Own Community event is in conjunction with the Seneca County Bicentennial celebration and gives people "an excuse to get out and go experience what the community has and really have an appreciation of where they live."
One participant is the Fostoria and Area Historical Museum.
The building itself is an artifact. Built in 1875, it was the original Fostoria town hall.
Leonard Skonecki, a decades-long member of the Fostoria Historical Society, says he loves talking to visitors from out of town but really appreciates when people from the community step in.
"It's fun to share it with people and it's nice when people who are from here say' Oh, I didn't know that about Fostoria,'" Skonecki said.
You can print your passport for the event with all participating locations online by clicking here.
Organizers are hoping that the participating organizations not only see new visitors, but potentially new members and volunteers, too.
"It really opens up the opportunity and just the collaboration amongst all of our museums and galleries and our experiences," Riggs said. "Bringing them closer together is huge."
Participating locations will at least be open from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
If you fill out six locations and two experiences on your passport, you'll be entered to win a prize worth over $500.