Fire Museum of Maryland — Attraction in Maryland

Visited here yesterday with my four kids and I was a little disappointed based on all the good reviews I read before going. If you’re someone who is extremely interested in firefighting and its history, you’ll probably find the museum very interesting, but if you’re an average mom just out for a morning activity with her kids, most of the info may go over their heads. They do have various interactive stations that make the museum portion a bit more exciting for kids—if not for those, we probably would have spent less than ten minutes looking at all the artifacts.

The discovery room seems to be what kids enjoy the most, and that was true for us also. The room is fairly basic with a reading corner, some well-used fire-themed toys, a train table, ample supply of dress-up gear, and the crowning glory—an old truck that kids can climb on and pretend to drive. The room was lots of fun for my kids (ages 1-7), but we have had the same amount of fun at our local library for free.

Unfortunately we had only been in the discovery room about ten minutes when a camp group of 30+ older kids (upper elementary-middle school) were let loose into the room and that ended our play time in there. The kids were very rambunctious and not much was done to corral them. The museum staff (while very friendly) did not stay to supervise and the camp “leaders” were content to be on their phones. But the real problem was that these kids were just too old and there were way too many of them to be in this room that is geared for toddlers and young elementary aged kids.

I know this does not mean others will have this experience when going, but if it is summertime and you are considering a visit, it’s worth noting that your young children could literally be overrun by a visiting camp group.

Overall, I probably will not visit this place again. We can find similar entertainment for a morning elsewhere and skip...

What a wonderful hidden gem! I've been wanting to go here for a while now because my boys love fire trucks, but it's a bit of drive for us. We were finally in the area and it was just amazing. It was so impressive to see all of the awesome antique and historical fire trucks that they have collected, with many of them being local trucks. Although my kids are a bit young to appreciate them, the trucks are truly impressive and I felt like I was walking through time seeing how trucks have evolved, and all the different styles. This is a great place to visit for young and old. My kids really enjoyed the discovery room with an actual fire truck they can play in, and many fire truck toys to play with. Also lots of firefighter outfits that they can dress in - they could have stayed all day. Gift shop items are reasonably priced. I even got a Groupon to go but I would pay full admission to go again, maybe when the kids are older so I can actually listen to...

Wonderful museum with a ton of interesting exhibits. I was surprised to see a lot of original equipment and vehicles, with some dating back to, and that were involved with, the Great Baltimore Fire. The gentleman that showed me around was extremely knowledgeable and was adept at providing information by the way of story-telling, which kept my attention and kept me engaged throughout my visit.

I also learned about the boat out front (well, half of it), which I've always wondered about. I'm looking forward to when they complete their renovations and open it to the public!

This museum is a bit pricey for the size and amount of exhibits they have compared to the time you can spend there, however it's worth checking out if you've never been and are looking for a different way to...