The Twin Cities offers plenty of opportunities for kids to meet real firefighters and get up close to fire trucks and other fire fighting gear. While October is our favorite month for visiting a fire station, there are actually two year-round fire-related museums in Minnesota and private tours can be scheduled at many stations throughout the year.
For Fire Trucks and More, check out our Touch-A-Truck Calendar
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Minnetonka Sensory Friendly Fire Dept Open House (FREE)
Date(s): 04/18/2026 10:00 am - 1:00 pmLocation: Minnetonka's Fire Station #1, 14550 Minnetonka Boulevard, Minnetonka, MN, 55345
Visit Minnetonka’s Fire Station #1 without the lights and sirens. Check out police, ambulance and fire truck displays, meet a firefighter, slide on an inflatable slide and grab a cookie. This event has been designed for families with kids who could use a calmer, quieter environment.
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Waconia Spring Pancake Breakfast & Fire Truck Rides
Date(s): 04/19/2026 8:30 am - 12:30 pmLocation: Waconia Fire Station, 10451 W. 10th St, Waconia, MN
Pancakes plus fire trucks, could you ask for a better Sunday? Your breakfast ticket includes a ride on a real fire truck – sure to be a thrill for big rig lovers young and old. Tickets $12/person, 5 and under eat free.
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Forest Lake Big Rig Day (FREE)
Date(s): 05/02/2026 9:30 am - 11:30 amLocation: Headwaters Transit Center, 19955 Forest Road, Forest Lake, MN, 55025
Vehicles like an ambulance, fire truck, garbage truck and more will be on display at the Forest Lake Metro Transit Parking lot behind Hardwood Creek Library. This event is hosted by Washington County Library.
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Spring Lake Park Tower Days
Date(s): 06/04/2026 - 06/06/2026 10:00 am - 8:00 pmLocation: Lakeside Lions Park, 7840 Pleasant View Dr, Spring Lake Park, MN , 55432
Family friendly: Parade Thursday June 5th, entertainment & fireworks Saturday June 7th; music and lumberjack demo, Sunday June 8th.
Art Together (FREE)
Date(s): 06/09/2026 5:00 pm - 7:00 pmLocation: Edina Fire Station 2, 4401 W 76th St, Edina, MN
Make art projects and enjoy a snack with Edina emergency personnel – police, firefighters, and more. FREE. Drop In. All Ages.
2026 Art Together Tuesdays:
- June 9, 2026
- July 7, 2026
- August 4, 2026
St. Louis Park Fire Department Open House (FREE)
Date(s): 06/16/2026 5:00 pm - 7:30 pmLocation: St. Louis Park's Fire Station #1, 3750 Wooddale Ave S, St Louis Park, MN, 55416
St. Louis Park Fire Department’s annual Open House is free and open to all ages. Stop by to meet some firefighters, enjoy snacks and participate in fun activities (see link for complete listing of events).
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Ham Lake Freedom Festival
Date(s): 06/27/2026 3:00 pm - 11:00 pmLocation: Ham Lake Lions Park, 1220 157th Avenue Northeast, Ham Lake, MN, 55304
At the Ham Lake Freedom Festival families can participate in kids’ activities, grab a free pulled pork sandwich, listen to live bands, and watch fireworks at 10pm.Â
Lakeville Pan-o-Prog Festival
Date(s): 07/04/2026 - 07/12/2026 SEE TIMESLocation: Pan-O-Prog Festival (Map), Multiple Locations, Lakeville, MN, 55044
This family-friendly summer festival starts out with 4th of July fireworks and continues through the week with family-friendly events such as a family picnic with puppets, music in the park and a kids pedal tractor pull, a carnival, two parades (kiddie & grand), and a family tailgate party. Sweet treat alert: the festival’s free ice cream social is July 9th in 2025. Fireworks – July 4th; additional events – July 5-23, 2026.
Burnsville Festival & Fire Muster
Date(s): 09/10/2026 - 09/12/2026 SEE TIMESLocation: Burnsville Fire Muster, Multiple Locations, Burnsville, MN, 55337
The Burnsville Fire Muster includes inflatables and a kids area, a medallion hunt, a food truck festival, city block party with live music, fire truck display, carnival with family activities and an exciting drone and fireworks show. Full festival runs September 10-12, 2026.
Burnsville Fire Open House (FREE)
Date(s): 10/08/2026 5:30 pm - 7:00 pmLocation: Fire Station No. 1, 14275 Newton Avenue South, Burnsville, MN, 55306
Burnsville Fire Department invites the community to visit Fire Station No. 1 for a family-friendly evening of learning, hands-on activities and fun for everyone. See the link for our full schedule of fire prevention events.
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Fire Station Tours Anytime
Many Fire Stations offer tours by appointment throughout the year. If you don’t see your local station on this list, you can call their non-emergency number to inquire about tours.
- Saint Paul: To schedule a free tour, choose a fire station from this list, call the Fire Captain of the station to arrange a tour time.
- Minnetonka: Tours can be scheduled through the public education specialists by calling 952.939.8331.
- Inver Grove Heights: Call the Fire Operations Supervisor at 651-450-4303 to book a 30-45 minute tour.
- St. Louis Park: Offers tours by appointment by calling 952-924-2595.
- Burnsville: Contact Fire Administration at 952-895-4570 to schedule a tour.
- Eden Prairie: Station tours can be scheduled most Mondays and Fridays during regular business hours, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Call the Fire Prevention Bureau 952-949-8556 at least a week in advance of all requests.
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3 Fire-Related Museums
Firefighters Hall and Museum
664 22nd Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN, 55418 United States
Located in Northeast Minneapolis near Edison High School, this small interactive museum offers kids a chance to climb on fire engines and try on firefighter gear. There is also a dedicated exhibit to the heroes of the 2007 35W bridge collapse – first responders who risked their lives in this emergency.
Open the 2nd & 4th Saturdays in 2022. PLEASE call ahead to confirm.
Hinckley Fire Museum
106 Old Hwy 61 S, Hinckley, MN 55037
Located a little over an hour north of the Twin Cities, this museum memorializes the 1894 Hinckley Fire.
The museum is only May through mid-October. Find current hours and admission here.
Mill City Museum
704 South 2nd Street, Minneapolis, MN 55401
You might not think that a museum dedicated to flour would have anything to do with firefighting, but flour is very explosive and the building has suffered multiple fires over the years — in 1878, 1928 and 1990 — all of which are discussed during the Flour Tower experience.Â
Open Thursday through Sunday, year round.
7 At-Home Fire Prevention Activities For Young Firefighters
The good news is that, according to FEMA, children 14 and under are 50% less likely to die in a fire than the general population. The U.S. average over the last 10 years has only been 300-400 child deaths per year. I start there in hopes that I don’t add to your late-night worries. We have enough of those.
That said, according to Stanford Children’s Health, “Most child play related home fires begin in a bedroom or living room where children are left unattended. The majority of these fires are started by children playing with matches or lighters.” A little fire safety education can go a long way. We recommend starting with the list below:
- Earn a Junior Ranger Badge from the National Park Service. Print and complete a Wildland Fire: Junior Ranger Booklet to learn more about what wildland firefighters do. Complete the booklet to earn a virtual badge.
- Test Your Smoke Alarms: Let your kids press the button while you cover your ears.
- Check Off A Safety List: This is a good month to review the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Winter Safety Checklist: For Your Home as a family. Let your kids check things off as you finish the checklist.
- Screen Time Fire Safety Fun: The kids page of the National Fire Prevention Association is Sparky.org. It offers a variety of printable activities and lesson plans as well as videos games and other fun things to explore.
- Family Movie Night: Families with younger kids may enjoy Planes: Fire and Rescue.
- Read About It: Pick up some books about firefighters and fire safety at the library. We recommend for for Headstrong Hallie!: The Story of Hallie Morse Daggett, the First Female “Fire Guard” by local author Aimée Bissonette
- Activities from Pinterest: Check out these fun ideas we’ve gathered on Pinterest.
Watch A Fire Prevention Video
Your young firefighters can watch this video from the National Fire Protection Agency (“NFPA”) about the Great Chicago Fire anytime. It features author Lauren Tarshsis (of the “I survived” books)Â interviewing Casey Grant of the NFPA.
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