The Innovation Trail is a way to experience, learn about, and be inspired by four centuries of world-changing breakthroughs from Boston. Bring a group and walk it in person, or use this website to take a virtual stroll through the history of science, medicine, entrepreneurship, and technology. We want the Trail to inspire you to create the next great innovation!

CHANGING PERCEPTIONS.

When most people think of Boston, they think about the American Revolution—or higher education. They might walk the Freedom Trail starting in Downtown Boston, and visit places linked to the start of the Revolution. Or they might be touring colleges, or attending events, at schools like MIT, Harvard, and Northeastern.

The Innovation Trail focuses primarily on what happened after America became an independent nation, and after some of Boston's early schools like Boston Latin (founded in 1635) and Harvard (founded in 1636) were established. Independence and access to education began to build a foundation for innovation—as did societal changes like the abolition of slavery, women's suffrage, waves of immigration, and marriage equality—allowing a diverse group of people to collaborate on research and company formation. Add in a desire to make the world better, and money from investors, universities, and government agencies to set up labs and run experiments—and voila, you get a thriving innovation ecosystem that has helped shape the modern world.

WHO IT'S FOR.

Visitors, residents, students, and teachers who want to understand more about Boston's legacy of world-changing innovation.

WHAT'S NEXT.

We're working on a slate of events, tours, and education-related initiatives for 2022 and 2023… raising money… and beginning to build awareness of the Trail. We'd love to get you onboard as a supporter of this important new experience in Boston! You can also follow us on social, or get in touch!