The Innovation Trail

The Innovation Trail

The Innovation Trail
5
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
About
The Innovation Trail is a way to experience, learn about, and be inspired by four centuries of world-changing breakthroughs from Boston. It focuses on the history of science, medicine, entrepreneurship, and technology in Boston and Cambridge. In 2023, our guided walking tour won a "Best of Boston" award from Boston Magazine, and in 2024, the Trail was listed in Yankee Magazine's "Best of New England" issue. You can: • Book a 90-minute tour on Friday/Saturday/Sunday (starts in Kendall Sq, Cambridge). Tour link is on this page: Public Innovation Trail Tour. • Use our mobile-friendly website to walk the Trail independently, with an audio segment at every stop • Arrange for a private group tour, at theinnovationtrail.org We want the Trail to inspire you to create the next great innovation!
Duration: 1-2 hours
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The area

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How to get there
  • State • 3 min walk
  • Government Center • 3 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles23 reviews
Excellent
23
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Terrible
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VelmaSnack
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022
We did the 90 minute tour of the Cambridge side of the Innovation trail as part of Cambridge Science Festival. The tour guide (Daniel) was fantastic- very knowledgeable, loud clear voice, and almost theatrical delivery of the info for each stop. Even if you are not from a science background, he did a great job describing the inventions and ideas in a way that made them easy to understand. He also did a great job interacting with the audience, moving us along to each each new tour stop, and even acknowledging some points that a few locals made. This is definitely an extremely unique walking tour that you won't find anywhere else! The passion and research that went into the making of this walking tour is obvious to spot, and does right by the legacy of innovation in Cambridge.
Written October 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Roseanne S
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022
I had the opportunity to walk Innovation Trail on one of the first “beta” walks.The weather was perfect and I walked the entire trail. It is a long walk and families with young children might only want to do part of the trail. The stops on the Innovation Trail I really enjoyed were the ones that you could actually walk into and see things, like stops # 5 (the Telephone Museum) and 6 (MGH Museum of Medical History) on the trail in Boston. I didn’t realize how many significant inventions were created in Boston! I also enjoyed seeing the home to the Tootsie Roll company in Cambridge; I wish we could tour the factory, but like Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory, no-one is allowed to enter the building because the recipes are secret. If you need something sweet to eat, Toscanini’s ice cream shop, is a short distance from the Cambridge end of the trail. We stopped there for some delicious ice cream.
Written October 9, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mary McD
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2023
This was a fantastic tour! Four of us were on our tour – two locals and two visitors -- each coming to technology and innovation from different perspectives. Each of us came away from the tour energized, entertained, informed, and, I think, a bit more hopeful for the future. Our tour leader (Daniel) was completely engaging and scarily knowledgeable, bringing the innovation stories from the past not only to life, but making their relevance and foundation for the current and future technologies clear. I highly recommend this tour for long-time Bostonians and visitors alike. It was remarkable, it was eye opening, it was fun, and it was incredibly easy to do.
Written January 7, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

BTH1
Cambridge, MA29 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2022 • Friends
As a Boston resident for decades, I’m amazed how the Innovation Trail opened my eyes to the rich creative history of the city. It’s the kind of experience one can go back to again and again and keep learning more about the people and places that have generated some of the greatest inventions of all time, ranging from ice cubes to Covid-19 vaccines. Accessible to young and old and engaging for an hour or for all day, the Innovation Trail truly reveals why Boston is known as the hub of the universe!
Written July 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Grace
Boston, MA3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2023
The Innovation Trail is among my top 3 greatest historical tours ever. It succeeds at the seemingly impossible: helping non-scientists/engineers understand the great Boston-area innovation stories from the 19th through 21st centuries. We came away thinking that contemporary Kendall Square was yet another "Hub of the Universe" moment for Boston, and that we were a select group somehow "in on" this amazing story. Our tour guide Daniel's enthusiasm, compelling delivery, and deep knowledge swept us along, as he linked past and present in a thrilling and convincing tour. We are now spreading the word to get others to sign up!
Written January 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kristen C
Needham, MA59 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2022
So outstanding! Despite years living in Boston and a career in tech, I had no idea how many meaningful and impactful discoveries (from *many* industries) came from Boston. Bob Krim's work as a historian is renowned and should be applauded and recognized by the city and state. Thanks to everyone who created this tour. It's a must-do for locals and visitors alike.
Written August 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

travelgal37
Boston2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023 • Friends
Are you looking for a unique outdoor activity in Boston and Cambridge? Add the Innovation Trail to your list! The Innovation Trail is a new walking tour highlighting the innovation history in Cambridge and Boston. The tour was terrific! It was chockful of interesting topics, including the invention of the telephone, surgical anesthesia, Polaroid, and much more. And the tour guides were wonderful—very knowledgeable and great storytellers. If you love history, walking around Boston, and want to learn more about our rich history of technology and innovation, I recommend this tour.
Written May 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dave Flynn
Boston, MA1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022
Scott and Bob gave a great tour!! Their knowledge, research, enthusiasm and willingness to interact with the tour members was fantastic.
The pace was good and their friendliness made the tour more fun. I learned a lot on this tour and am looking forward to taking the Cambridge based tour.
Thanks for all your efforts in researching and promoting the innovation that has occurred in Boston. It is a topic that not a lot of attention has been given to. There is a lot of innovation that has occurred in Boston and still continues.
Thanks for bringing this to light.
Written August 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Casey C
Boston, MA15 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023 • Business
I kept hearing about all The Innovation Trail hype and let me tell you, it exceeded my expectations. Danielle, our guide, delivered a performance that kept my entire group engaged learning about all the history that Cambridge has to offer. Danielle knowledge is truly remarkable and found us wanting more time by the end of our tour. This tour is easily walkable with many stops along the way. It truly was a very impressive tour and have been telling everyone about it!
Written April 7, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sabine M
6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022 • Friends
Amazing. Fantastic tour and experience. Super educational and entertaining. A must do in Boston. A 3 hour walking tour visiting key sites and learning a lot about the historical and current innovation and inventions coming out of Boston and Cambridge. Even locals can learn new things!!! Wonderful stories.
Written October 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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The Innovation Trail - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2025)

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