The Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board (VFTCB), the Destination Marketing Organization for Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, has launched the Montco History Passport, a free, gamified program that aims to highlight Montco’s rich history and historical locations.
The Montco History Pass leads visitors on a journey through historical homes, parks, and museums throughout the county, honoring the Revolutionary War and early Pennsylvania history. With 17 participating venues, this digital passport showcases the best of Montgomery County in an easy, mobile-friendly way.
“Montgomery County’s historical sites are the type of treasures that deserve to be shared,” said Justine Garbarino, VFTCB’s Associate Vice President of Marketing. “This pass is the perfect way for visitors and locals to explore them for the first time or get reacquainted and discover something new.”
Conversations around highlighting Montco’s rich historical locations led the VFTCB to partner with technology company in the travel space, Bandwango. Bandwango is designed to support free and paid experiences created by destinations and marketed to prospective visitors. Using this technology, the VFTCB began working alongside local businesses to get their offerings loaded into the Montco History Pass.
“This visitor experience pass will allow us to better highlight what truly makes Montgomery County a historical destination,” continued Garbarino. “Any time we can get people to explore something new is a great opportunity for our community.”
To activate and redeem, users visit a dedicated mobile passport landing page on www.montcohistorypass.org where they can sign up for their Passport. Once registered, a link is then sent to their mobile phone, which opens the passport and directs them to visit participating locations and virtually check in via GPS to start redeeming prizes including stickers, mugs, tote bags, and more.
Montco History Passport participants include:
- Valley Forge National Historical Park, Valley Forge
- PennyPacker Mills, Schwenksville
- Peter Wentz Farmstead, Lansdale
- Pottsgrove Manor, Pottstown
- Sunrise Mill, Schwenksville
- Schwenkfelder Library, Pennsburg
- Graeme Park, Horsham
- Hope Lodge, Ft. Washington
- Mather Mill, Ft. Washington
- Morgan Log House, Lansdale
- Harriton House, Bryn Mawr
- Historic Trappe -Speakers House, Trappe
- Henry Muhlenberg House, Trappe
- Dewees Tavern Museum Center, Trappe
- Goshenhoppen Museum, Green Lane
- 1732 Gemeinhaus, Harleysville
- Henry Antes Planatation, Perkiomenville
Merchant onboarding is ongoing. Historic locations wishing to be a part of the Passport can contact the VFTCB directly via www.valleyforge.org.
Additionally, the VFTCB has released its fifth issue of Patriot Tales, a comic book series highlighting the history of Valley Forge National Historical Park and other historical locations in Montco, with a fictional story of children traveling back in time to meet George Washington and embarking on an exciting adventure to discover the area’s rich history.
The VFTCB invites history and comic book enthusiasts of all ages to adventure back in time by downloading volume 5 of the free comic book, which completes the initial series, at https://www.valleyforge.org/history/comic-book.
Photo: 1732 Gemeinhaus – Courtesy 1732gemienhaus.org