GLOUCESTER, Mass. — July 19, 2012 — Among the weathered docks and fishermen’s shacks of this renowned port lives another Gloucester: a world of sea serpents and seafaring stories, world-renowned artists and beloved cultural icons.
The problem has always been how to find it. The working waterfront that supplies the city’s lifeblood also presents a maze of piers and industrial lots that are as difficult for visitors to navigate as they are crucial to Gloucester’s economy.
Next month, the city hopes to solve that problem with the opening of Gloucester Harborwalk, a 1.2-mile loop that brings to light previously hard-to-find historical and cultural lore and reunites the city’s main streets and its seaport. It does so with a network of 42 markers that is accompanied by a virtual tour that can be downloaded onto a smartphone.
City officials see the Harborwalk as a way to lure visitors who stop by for lobster, whale watching, or a trip to the beach into longer stays that will help drive the local economy.
“We want people to linger,” said Mayor Carolyn Kirk, as she led a reporter on a preview of the walk on Friday. “We want people to immerse themselves in the history of Gloucester.”
The trick was to get visitors to engage in the waterfront without getting in the way of it. Over three years of planning and community meetings, it became clear that people did not want to “Disney-fy” Gloucester, Kirk said. Rather than sanitize the gritty waterfront, the project was designed to zig-zag in and out of docks that had been inaccessible, giving visitors a glimpse of the maritime port and the cultural treasures within.
Read the full story at the Boston Globe.
VIDEO: Mayor Carolyn Kirk leads a preview tour of Gloucester HarborWalk
Visit the Gloucester HarborWalk website.