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Anne’s family finds the Firefighters Hall and Museum to be a great summer visit for kids and families. Affectionately known as the “Fire Truck Museum,” this unique space allows visitors to climb on old fire trucks, try on fire gear and slide down a fire pole in the interactive East Gallery.

Note: Other areas of the museum contain historical artifacts that visitors are not allowed to touch. Kids 12 and under should be supervised at all times.

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So it’s late July and you’re looking for a place to take the kids and cool off. Bet you’d never think of the Firefighters Museum in Minneapolis, huh? I never guessed my kids would leave soaked to the skin either, but they did and they had a marvelous time getting there. I should have realized what was going to happen when two of the volunteers who run the museum started filling up these cool, old-fashioned hand pumpers with hoses attached. And brought out the bucket of squirters. (And then totally left us to our own devices out back behind the building.) I think one-third of the kids’ aim went towards fighting fires on the “fire wall” display and the other two-thirds went squarely at each other.

Luckily, we’d seen a good chunk of the museum before the waterworks. I appreciated all the hands-on touches, such as the chance to:

• climb into a fire truck cab and operate the lights, tinker with the switches
• steer a ladder truck in a simulator
• pull an old fire alarm box and find out how the signal was received in re-created “Station 8″
• work an old fire station switchboard
• slide down the pole!
• try on firefighter duds
• And take a ride through the neighborhood on a real fire truck! (Make sure to eat your lunch at least an hour in advance. Really.) Rides are no longer offered due to insurance restrictions.

Make it a Day Out in NE Minneapolis:

Other family-friendly destinations in Northeast Minneapolis include:

• Ard Godfrey House – The oldest house in Minneapolis
• Beltrami Park, Minneapolis
• Brickmania Toyworks
• Jim Lupient Water Park, Minneapolis
• Bottineau Library

Birthday Parties at the Firefighters Hall and Museum

Birthday parties are scheduled for 2-hour time blocks and can can accommodate up to 25 people. Parties are scheduled for 10:00 am and 1:00 pm. on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month. Call 612-623-3817 to schedule a party or for more information.

Useful Links:

The museum is volunteer run. As a result, over the years, their website has been up and down and inconsistently updated.  When in doubt, check their Facebook page.

This article was originally written March 19, 2015
Anne’s Review was added  in July 2017
and details most recently updated September 10, 2019