Beer, Wine & Shine Trail goes digital

Amid a growing craft beverage scene, the county’s Visitors Bureau has reimagined how to package and promote Johnston’s Beer, Wine, & Shine Trail.

That trail now includes new stops like Raleigh Brewing Distro and The Vault, plus new experiences like Broadslab’s bourbon line and Hinnant Vineyards’ revamped facilities.

Part of the reimagining has been to take the legacy print piece, the Beer, Wine & Shine brochure, and make it more accessible to visitors and craft beverage enthusiasts.

“We are excited to announce that we have partnered with Bandwango to create the Beer, Wine, & Shine Trail Digital Pass,” the Visitors Bureau said in an email. “Our new pass is a free program that visitors (or locals) can sign up for and includes all nine stops along the trail.”

The digital pass is not an app, so trail visitors have nothing to download that will take up space on their phones. In addition, check-ins work via geolocation and will not require patrons to ask bar staff for a physical stamp on their brochure.

The trail landing page — bit.ly/3L6HoLA — has a step-by-step guide on how to sign up for and access the pass, as well as answers to Frequently Asked Questions, including how to earn prizes. Free swag was a big part of the brochure, and it will remain part of the digital pass.

With five breweries, two distilleries and two wineries on the trail, visitors and locals have multiple opportunities to earn prizes. Each check-in to a business is worth 10 points, which means the entire trail is worth 90 points. Two check-ins earn a Beer, Wine and Shine Trail sticker and a phone stand that doubles as a bottle opener. At five check-ins, you earn a set of two bamboo coasters. Nine check-ins earn a T-shirt with the trail logo.

“Once you earn a prize, we encourage you to stop by the Visitors Center to pick it up,” the staff said in the email. “If the stop does not work in your schedule, no worries. We will be able to ship the prizes you earn to you.”

Though the pass will replace the printed guide, the Visitors Bureau will continue to accept stamped guides for those in the middle of earning rewards on the current brochure.

The Johnston County Visitors Bureau is located at 234 Venture Drive in Smithfield.

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