While sightseers in Boston have the chance to coast aboard amphibious Duck Tour vehicles or follow the brick path of the Freedom Trail, some tour groups are taking the art of innovation one step further in pushing tourists to live what they learn.
Urban Interactive, which began hosting tours in September, combines scavenger hunts, technology and role playing to inform tourists of Boston’s rich history, said Nicholas Tomarello, the company’s founder and president.
Tomarello said that out-of-towners interact best with the city by becoming part of an elaborate story on the tour. Participants use detective skills to complete various missions such as retrieving a stolen painting near Copley Square or hunting down a shadowy criminal hiding among the historic buildings in the North End.
Tommarello, a graduate of Babson College, said he was inspired to create a tour of Boston that incorporated Global Positioning Systems after participating “geocaching,” an outdoor treasure-hunting game that uses GPS to find hidden objects.
“[The tour is] not only a great way for people to have a good time and see Boston, but to really be introduced to some interesting GPS technology,” he said.
The tour provides participants with handheld positioning devices used to send messages and calculate information found during the hunt, Tommarello said, adding the company will frequently upgrade technology to stay current with advancements.
“This technology is changing so quickly,” he said. “Devices we bought eight months ago are ancient technology now.”
Tomarello said Urban Interactive currently designs tours for business professionals on corporate outings but is looking to expand its market to attract college students and other young adults with an interest in history.
If successful in Boston, Tommarello said Urban Interactive could branch out to other parts of the country.
“We’re hoping to use Boston as a platform for national programs,” he said. “The company is just figuring out all of this now, and seeing how the city reacts to it.”
Though Urban Interactive incorporates technology more than other area tours, it is not the only company offering hands-on experiences to give a glimpse into the city.
Watson Adventures, which has been sending patrons on citywide scavenger hunts since 1998, changes its tour themes each month – including “The Murder at the MFA” and “The Secrets of Salem” – to keep business fresh.
Watson Tours assistant manager Rachel Hausner said interactive tours allow sightseers to understand Boston’s history in a more exciting way than traditional tours.
“On a Duck Tour, you’re just sitting there listening,” Hausner said. “Scavenger hunts allow people to really interact with their environment.
“Buildings and historical sites will always be around. People don’t need to just see them, but be interested in their importance,” she continued. “Unconventional tours are definitely the way of the future.”
Boston University also employs unique tourism tactics to acclimate incoming freshmen to the city with the Common Ground program during summer orientation. Similar to Urban Interactive’s tours, students receive a GPS system and are sent to different parts of the city, where they search for various landmarks.
“It was a really great way to get to know a city that I was never familiar with before,” College of Arts and Sciences freshman Amy Metz said. “My group got to travel through Beacon Hill, and I got to a see a part of Boston that I probably wouldn’t have visited.”
Metz said the activity not only helped her understand the layout of the city but also allowed her to make friends along the way.
“At first I was worried it was going to be lame,” she said, “but I got to know some awesome people and get to know the city I was going to spend the next four years in.”
