Metropolitan Waterworks Museum — Attraction in Boston

Free tours are offered and it’s great to check ahead of time to see when is best to arrive. If you bring your headphones you can do audio tours. Accessibility: The whole museum was easy to access. There is a water fountain and a restroom. I did not see a family restroom. The environment is not loud, however at times I struggled to properly hear the tour guide. There are elevators and the 2nd floor has rotating exhibits, there are places to sit and it is child friendly. Content: I enjoyed learning the history of the waterworks and the tour guide was friendly and wanted to answer questions, but was honest enough to say if there was more research needed to answer the question Future: The story of water predates the arrival of the Puritans. It would be fantastic to see how the indigenous people gathered and stored water before the Puritans. I believe there is a rich story that can be gained when we bring the human side to the age of machines. Who were the workers who crafted the steel or dug the tunnels? Did immigration or race play a role in who worked in what position? Are there any notable women in this field? What impact did the expansion have on the indigenous people’s...

The Special Access tour at the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum was amazing and is definitely worth your time. What do you know about the history of water access in Boston? "Thousands have lived without love, not one without water." W.H. Auden. There are 3 coal-powered, steam-driven water pumps built by Leavitt, Allis and Worthington and they are each marvelous in their own way. Leavitt's is gorgeous with walnut wood insulation, amazing metal work, a complicated oil delivery system and always 'dual action'. Allis created a slightly less gorgeous machine to look at, however it was very well built, put together onsite and it was extremely functional. Worthington's looks like you could buy it from Amazon and it would be - plug and play. Our guide, Martin, has a long history with pumps from his career in the navy and as an engineer. His passion, knowledge of history and story telling added to the entire experience. Go try out the ship's wheel, the massive wrenches and marvel at this...

I went to the Waterworks Museum one Saturday. I didn't know what to expect going in but was pleasantly surprised by what I found. The staff were very friendly and knowledgeable about the history of Boston's water supply. One of the volunteers, Damian, gave us an hour long tour of the huge water-pumping machinery. His enthusiasm really added a lot to the experience.

Inside, there are some very impressive video displays and posters. It's obvious that a lot of work went into turning the old pumping station into a museum. 10-year-old me would been blown away by the three-story pumps and cranks. Kids with an interest in machines would definitely like this place. It isn't very large, so you only need about an hour to see everything.

I think the museum would get more visitors if they highlighted the huge pumps on their signs. If I had known how interesting it would be, I would have...