Cincinnati Fire Museum
Cincinnati Fire Museum
4
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Cincinnati is the birthplace of Professional Firefighting. History of firefighting in Cincinnati is told in many fine exhibits, audio-visual presentations and scale model dioramas. The CFM is fun for the entire family. Bring the kids so they can: Visit our Safe House and practice life-saving fire safety skills. Slide down our real firehouse pole! See what our real firefighters look like wearing their protective gear. Run the lights and sirens in our E-One Pumper Cab! Witness some of the oldest examples of firefighting equipment in existence.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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4.0
65 reviews
Excellent
25
Very good
28
Average
9
Poor
2
Terrible
1
Michael P
Mason, OH498 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
Interesting history on a topic you don’t often think of. It was fascinating to learn the role Cincinnati has played in the field of fire fighting. The museum is on two floors, but I believe there is an elevator if you need it.
We spent a little over an hour here. There are some informative movies that are worth a watch.
We spent a little over an hour here. There are some informative movies that are worth a watch.
Written 18 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bine Travels
Cincinnati, OH617 contributions
Dec 2013 • Family
Great museum showing the history of fire engines and fire fighters. Great for family with small kids - small museum, strollers are OK. Have the kids sit in a fire engine, push buttons, start the sirens, etc. Great picture opps. You can even have a kids birthday party there! Went with 2 girls 10 and 13 and they loved it. Place even has a "house" setup so the kids can learn what to do in a fire emergency.
Written 4 July 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Karen C
Calistoga, CA261 contributions
Apr 2014 • Couples
We had never been to Cincinnati, OH before & were just driving around looking at the sites. The city wasn't very warm & welcoming, but we stopped at the Fire Museum. We parked in the adjacent parking lot & asked the lady at the museum where we should park since it was labeled at a monthly rate. She told us to move the car to the front of the building. It was labeled a tow away zone all along that street until 4pm. We moved the car & decided that just didn't seem right so we parked in the library parking lot taking the handicap space. The lady at the museum met us at the door & told us to move our car or it would be towed. She reiterated that she said to park in front. I told her the signs clearly state no parking 10am-4pm. She said she knows but she wouldn't tell us to park there if it wasn't the place to park. We moved our car & went into the museum. We would have enjoyed the museum much more if it hadn't been for the parking situation. We felt we needed to hurry & get out of the no parking zone.
Overall, the museum was very informative & had a lot to show about the history of firefighting & we were very surprised they had a paid professional fire company in 1853! We took lots of pictures & did enjoy the museum.
It would have been a real asset for them to have a better parking situation. To have one or two spaces in some parking lot would probably be enough, but somewhere should be designated as Museum parking. If you can legally park in front of the building, a sign stating that would have been appreciated.
$8 adults, $6 for seniors, children & veterans, free for under 6 yrs.
Overall, the museum was very informative & had a lot to show about the history of firefighting & we were very surprised they had a paid professional fire company in 1853! We took lots of pictures & did enjoy the museum.
It would have been a real asset for them to have a better parking situation. To have one or two spaces in some parking lot would probably be enough, but somewhere should be designated as Museum parking. If you can legally park in front of the building, a sign stating that would have been appreciated.
$8 adults, $6 for seniors, children & veterans, free for under 6 yrs.
Written 30 April 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
D C
Cincinnati, OH79 contributions
Mar 2015 • Couples
An excellent overview of Cincinnati firefighting history from the 1790's. The collection includes many items from the 19th Century including fire buckets, hats, hand pumpers, and horse drawn steam pumpers. The 20th Century collection includes Fox Ahrens motorized fire engines.
Whether wanting to learn about the history of American firefighting in general or the proud heritage of Cincinnati's smoke eaters, this is a great place. I do hope that they find a way to include information and equipment from the last couple of decades to assure that this resource continues to tell this important story.
Whether wanting to learn about the history of American firefighting in general or the proud heritage of Cincinnati's smoke eaters, this is a great place. I do hope that they find a way to include information and equipment from the last couple of decades to assure that this resource continues to tell this important story.
Written 22 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FFBB
Fayetteville, PA89 contributions
Jul 2013 • Couples
This is a must see in Cincinnati. I would recommend this to anyone. It is very educational with fire prevention, and history of the fire service. It is filled various fire history exhibits such as an ahrens fox pumper, hydrants, joker drop, old steam pumper, hand pumper and other exhibits. No food or drink are allowed in the museum. Cleanliness of the museum was average for being an old fire station. Parking is hard to find nearby, you might have to walk a distance to find parking. Plan on 2-3 hrs to see everything.
Written 6 May 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rhonda S
Colfax, IN48 contributions
Apr 2017
Our family (2 parents and 2 older teenagers) really enjoyed reading all the history and spent about 2 hours here. Families with younger children could probably spend 30 minutes here looking at the antique fire engines, playing in the firetruck, going through the safe house and sliding down the pole. Bring change for the parking meter out front. Get a 50% coupon through Groupon.
Written 10 April 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Elliehoo
Washington DC, DC45 contributions
Jun 2015 • Family
For our four year old boy, who is obsessed with all things fireman, this was heaven on earth. He got to slide down a fire pole, see lots of fire gear, and play in the firetruck cab that they have for kids to go in. Then, for days afterwards, he told every waiter, hotel staff person, and random stranger in line about his experience. For him, it was definitely a trip highlight. It's a small and manageable place with plenty of interesting objects, photographs, and vehicles to keep adults interested for the hour or hour and a half it takes to see the whole thing at a leisurely pace.
Written 30 June 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
zula154
Portland, NY19 contributions
Sept 2014 • Family
This is a little known gem that I just happened to find a coupon for. It was very interesting and very well kept. I would recommend taking kids to this as it is great history.
Written 29 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CathCaseZ
New Jersey26 contributions
Aug 2014 • Friends
My sister and i went to the fire museum on Saturday and we had a blast. The fee to the museum was very reasonable and the woman at the window was very nice. She directed us down the stairs to see the early history of Cincinnati's fire department. We walked down the first flight where a pole was available for everyone to try. Needless to say my sister drop, rolled, and stopped! Pole dancing was never this much fun! They had many cases with fire badges from all over the US and world. That was very impressive. Definitely a place to take your children for a few hours.
Written 5 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ferd R
Mechanicsville, MD47 contributions
Aug 2013 • Couples
We usually try to get to a fire museum when we're on vacation so we decided to check this one out. They have some very interesting old pieces including the last Ahrens-Fox ever built, which makes sense since Ahrens-Foxes were built in Cincinnati. They also have several hose wagons, old hand pumpers, and antique aerial apparatus. They also tell the history of the Cincinnati Fire Department, which we learned is the oldest paid fire department in the country. Well worth a visit!
Written 17 September 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I am a Cub Scout den leader. I will be bringing my den to visit on Weds. the 24th of this month. We were wondering if we are allowed to pack lunches for the boys to bring in? If so, is there a designated area to sit and eat? We were also curious about how long it takes to walk through the museum. We'll have approx. 7 boys and 7 adults.
Written 10 January 2018
I don't recall seeing a "designated area" for lunch. I would suggest contacting them through their website>Plan a Visit>Educators and asking them directly.They do offer birthday parties, so food is permitted.
I would allow 2 hours. That will be enough time to see the museum and play with the hands on exhibits they offer for that age group.
Written 10 January 2018
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