SHELBYVILLE, KY — The stories of Kentucky’s Black Trailblazers come to life through a fully immersive experience that will inspire and educate travelers and locals alike with a rich tapestry of stories.

Available to be explored now, the Kentucky Black Trailblazers is a transformative, first-of-its-kind experience that celebrates the influential Black figures who shaped the history of the Commonwealth and beyond. Six tourism agencies partnered on the project – ShelbyKY, Louisville, Oldham County, Bardstown, Elizabethtown, and Shepherdsville-Bullitt County – and received federal ARPA grant funds distributed by the Kentucky Department of Tourism to assist with project funding.

ShelbyKY Tourism President & CEO Janette Marson developed the project, “We are thrilled to introduce the Kentucky Black Trailblazers Experience, an initiative aimed at honoring and preserving the extraordinary contributions and stories of our local heroes. Through the integration of Augmented Reality technology, visitors are offered the unique opportunity to travel back in time and encounter the personal histories of these remarkable individuals who left an indelible mark on our cultural heritage.”

Two years of work went into creating the Kentucky Black Trailblazers experience, which includes 19 stops where users will hear and see, via Augmented Reality (AR), the stories of Muhammad Ali, Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Oliver Lewis, Civil Rights Leader Whitney M. Young Jr., and more. The experience locations, which are listed on KyBlackTrailblazers.com, include signage containing QR codes that digitize the reenactments in three dimensions, allowing the historical figures to speak to users through QR code-enabled signage.

There is no cost associated with participating in the Kentucky Black Trailblazers.

For more information, visit KyBlackTrailblazers.com.