The building underwent restoration to its original form, and is now the Houston Fire Museum. And it is historic, indeed. Upon entering the building (and after being greeted by friendly, helpful staff), you will literally sense the historic nature of the building and it's exhibits. As you make your way through the building, you will see horse-drawn steamer (from 1895!), an original bed and desk from the old fire station's dormitory, a replica of the dormitory (located upstairs), and a vehicle from 1937.
Also upstairs is a locker room, which provides a time line of fire uniforms and memorabilia through the decades. And the museum includes something very meaningful to the 21st century - a piece of the World Trade Center from the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
To my surprise, this was all very interesting to my boys. But their favorite part of the museum was, of course, the kids play area (pictured).
The area includes a loft replica of home, dress-up clothes, an interactive fire truck (complete with walkie-talkie, steering wheel, and lights), pretend hoses, and even a firehouse pole for sliding (no worries - there's a cushioned fall surface below the pole). Although the dress up clothes (boots, pants, jackets) are sized for preschoolers, older children can wear the hats and oxygen masks. There are also coloring sheets, a puppet show area, and other fire-themed toys. Of our hour-long visit, we stayed 40 minutes in the play zone! I would recommend The Houston Fire Museum as a simple, fun afternoon out with your children (and they will learn something, too!).
The Houston Fire Museum offers a Tales for Tykes storytime on the first Tuesday of each month at 11:30 am and 1:00pm.
Know Before You Go
- Free street parking is available in front of the museum during hours.
- Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children. Children 2 and under are free.
- There is a gift shop located within the museum with fire department themed toys and clothing.
- Museum hours are 10:00 am - 4:00pm Tuesday through Saturday.
- Public restrooms are available.
- There isn't a whole lot of room to maneuver larger strollers.
- The Fire Museum offers birthday parties as well.
