Innovative Boston residents and visitors to Beantown can now be among the first to enjoy a new attraction—the Innovation Trail. Since 1951, Boston has been home to the Freedom Trail, a 2.5 mile, 16 landmark path that takes visitors through some of the places—homes, graveyards, churches and so on—integral to historic Boston. Recently though, the city has become equally well-known for the high concentration of innovation on both the Boston and Cambridge sides of the Charles River. Visitors interested in the rich history of business, entrepreneurship, and innovation can follow the Innovation Trail via a digital map created by Boston Globe journalist Scott Kirsner.
Kirsner included 21 innovation landmarks on the trail. Some sites, like Stop 4, the Ether Dome, are purely historical. There, in 1846, a surgeon used ether to successfully anesthetize a patient before surgery. Other spots on the map, like Stop 7, the Cambridge Innovation Center, are places where creation is happening daily. In a guided video tour, Cambridge Innovation Center CEO Tim Rowe, leads visitors through the office, which is located on 101 Main Street. Rowe points to desk alignment, room layout, and facilities—all of these features showcase how the physical layout and functions of a structure can inspire innovation. The Cambridge Innovation Center currently holds approximately $8.7 billion in venture capital funds generated through its resident energy, technology, and life science companies.
Information on each trail stop can be found in the form of videos, audio clips, text and photographs by downloading a free app, Movable Feast. Those who can’t walk the trail, but would like more information on some of its interesting stops, can find short “tours” of particular sites on vimeo.com, under Scott Kirsner’s “Innovation Trail of Boston & Cambridge” series.
For those who live, work, and study in Boston, a stroll down the Innovation Trail will likely become as familiar as the Freedom Trail. This is especially true given the growth within Boston’s tech industry, in particular. Visitors to and residents of Boston interested in innovation, venture capital and start-ups will see Boston’s history, albeit of a different sort, unfold on the Innovation Trail.
