What a cool experience! I like these small yet interesting museums and the Michigan Firehouse Museum fit in my wheelhouse. This one was recommended by a firemen in the City I work and I'm glad he suggested it. If you are intrigued by loud and screaming mostly red but sometimes yellow fire trucks like I am coming here was pretty good. The building is a mix of new and old. The new part of the building is a modern looking building and contains most of the apparatus. The older portion is an old fire house that has everything from the pole the firemen came down on to the horse drawn carriages used in the beginning. There are quite a few apparatuses to look at as well as badges and patches of Michigan fire departments. Back in the corner there is a portion of the wall dedicated to the manufacturers of fire trucks (name plates) that I thought took some time and effort. Definitely worth a visit, cost was cheap. read more

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I had Cabo fish tacos which were delicious with my Bloody Mary. Service was delightful. Music was loud but very good. Highly recommend.

Can I gush, just a little bit, about how well my adopted hometown does with its historical museums? In the last few weeks, I have been bowled over by first the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Collection, followed by the Ypsilanti Historical Museum in the Asa Dow house, and now the Firehouse Museum. All three are fan-freaking-tastic, at least if you're geeky in that way, which I am. The Michigan Firehouse Museum is housed partially in what was once an Ypsilanti Firehouse, though there's a larger expansion attached to it now. The main showroom contains fire trucks from a variety of eras from all over Michigan. Most of the examples are from southeast Michigan, but I was also enchanted to find an example of a 1950s or 1960s-era firetruck that was originally used in the Upper Peninsula town of Escanaba where I was born and raised. In addition to the firetrucks, there are displays of fire men's caps, badges, and other paraphernalia. The main room also contains a collection of firehouse bells, both full sized and smaller salesmen models. You or your kids can ring them with a wooden mallet so you can hear the different tones. This brings me to the coolest aspect of the museum- there are a variety of hands-on displays. Most museums have a "Look but don't touch" policy, and while that's understandable, it's really fun to be able to touch at least some of the exhibits. The Firehouse Museum has at least four exhibits that I noticed with a hands-on component. In addition to the bells, there are a couple of places where adults or kids can try on firemen's gear, and in the basement, there's an area where kids are invited to learn to tie knots. In addition, the basement also houses one firetruck that's available for touching. You can climb right into the driver's seat if you like. Upstairs in the larger building, there are several auxiliary displays featuring firefighter kitsch, a tribute to firehouse dogs, and a small Smokey the Bear display. There's also a video on a loop and chairs if you want to see a guy explaining the various parts of the fire engines and how they work. The part of the museum that was once an old firehouse holds really old gear, including horse-drawn hose carts. Upstairs, you can see how the firefighters of old lived. There's a restored kitchen and a sleeping quarters, in addition to the firepole. Almost the entire museum is handicapped accessible. The sleeping quarters at the very top of the museum is up a short flight of stairs, but the rest of the building is accessible by elevator. As if all that wasn't enough, there's an extensive collection of firefighter and Dalmatian merchandise that can be purchased, and there's even a Brave Fireman videogame and a firefighter-themed pinball machine in the lobby. This place would be absolutely fabulous for kids. The next time I have my nieces and nephews for a day, I plan to suggest an outing here. read more

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The Aunties Liked ...Surprising the kiddos. ...The budget friendly cost of admission. ...The fun firefighter hats for the kids. ...The thoughtfully curated space. ...The low key vibe. The Nephews Liked ...Trying on the firefighters' gear. ...Cimbing onto a firetruck. ...Taking goofy photos. ...Checking out old school fire alarms and bicycle. The Nieclets Liked ...Playing with all the fire truck toys. ,..Taking a quick fire truck ride with Bert and Ernie. ...The dalmatian and horse statues. ...The firefighter rubber duckies. read more

Michigan Firehouse Museum - Museums Near Me - Ypsilanti, Michigan

An authentic brick firehouse with a 10,000-square-foot museum space attached to it. It's full of antique fire trucks and equipment. If you're a guy, it's hard to look away. If you have to, take some kids with you as an excuse to get yourself in the door. read more

An excellent museum centered on firefighting history, especially here in Michigan. A terrific collection of vehicles, spanning the hand-cart, horse drawn, and motorized eras (be sure to visit the bottom floor for more examples of all three!) The fire grenades collection was fascinating - I didn't know such things had existed - and the extensive collection of extinguishers had some surprising examples of early innovations. The mezzanine has a great collection of patches from fire departments across the state, as well nearly a hundred toy fire trucks. The attached historic fire house shows fire reporting technology, and what a real firehouse looked like. This is a great museum for kids and adults. I give it my highest recommendation! read more

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I would give this place five stars but I am infuriated with how my friend was treated. We work at a very well-known, reputable, local entertainment & media company. The museum is great so we wanted to do a 3-4 minute mini documentary just talking about their cause and highlighting some of the events they do in the community. It would have been completely free for them and provided a lot of free publicity. So we called them today to ask and the man who answered was so rude! My friend was very polite and gave him three different dates we could come in and film (each of them on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning, each 1-2 months out) and the guy immediately said, "No, we're booked that day... and that day... and that day!" And we were fine paying admission like he requested but he said that the five of us was too many at once. He was so incredibly rude and made us so angry that I'm really debating on going back. My friend has the quietest, most polite demeanor and when he hung up, he screamed that we were never to donate to them or do any business with them again. read more

My son loves this museum! They've really done a lot in a small space, and it's fairly inexpensive. In 2012 a family membership is only $35 and day rates are reasonable as well. read more

A museum with surprising depth. The Firehouse museum from the outside looks to be a small place with maybe enough space to provide half an hour to an hour of entertainment. Once you start exploring the museum it becomes apparent that there is far more to the place than expected, start first with the fact that the building has three levels making it larger inside than it looks (TARDIS for the win!). There is a generous number of firefighting vehicles on display, each one has a very well documented history and a description of the unique parts of firefighting history they represent. The descriptions are at times rather technical, and or, clerical in tone and printed from a Word document onto regular paper giving it a homegrown-volunteer feel. The vehicles are in various conditions, some which have been restored with gorgeous colors and details, while others have great hardworn patinas and discolorations. The vehicles represent many different eras and firefighting philosophies. In the shadow of the vehicles are the various artifacts kept along the outside walls of the first floor, do not skip these displays! What first starts off as a catalog of firefighting helmets evolves into a awesome collection of unusual, and underrepresented parts of firefighting history. These displays cover the basic concepts behind different firefighting techniques and tools without outright lecturing, and give a great sense of history as well. be sure to check out the "Fire Bombs" and early fire extinguishers. The old firehouse is charming yet crammed with great information, and some amazing electronics artifacts which will give you a new appreciation for the hard work of firefighter dispatchers. The second level of the old firehouse is a bit light on displays, and oddly connected to the newer building through a functioning work space. The subfloor (basement?) level has a nice collection of firefighting cars, but also houses a children's play area which seems like an afterthought and has a bit of a creepy vibe to it. The Michigan Firehouse Museum has a great amount of information on everything displayed, but needs to adapt with more interactivity. A few soundboxes with a button to push to hear different styles of bells, gongs and sirens, or a in era style narration describing the artifacts would add a fifth star to this review. If this museum starts getting more traffic, it will surely evolve into a must see attraction for the area. read more

Possibly the first child-centric museum that did not feel child-centric IN A GOOD WAY, nor did it give me the feeling I might contract the ebola virus (see also: fantastically clean). We went over the holidays and we were the only museum guests. The staff was delightfully hands-off but helpful when asked. The museum covers about 3 floors, the basement being a dimly-lit but still clean and totally rad level with part historical firetrucks and part children's play area. My 2 year-old was held captive in the play area for a good 30 minutes. The main floor is a great warehouse of firetrucks and historical accoutrements. The 3rd floor allows access to the old firehouse (built in 1892, I believe) and more firehouse memorabilia. The 4 year-old probably wanted a little more interactive museum action, but on the whole, this was a dang good deal (I don't even think they charged us for our tot) and I know we will return. In the meantime, we will enjoy the plastic firehats the children were given as souvenirs. read more

i can't image there being a better firehouse museum anywhere in the world - great spot for kids (playground in basement)

I took my son here today during his day off of school. They have a really comprehensive collection of fire trucks and other historical items all relating to firehouses. I was really impressed with the selection of items they had. I actually learned a lot myself! My son took notes (his idea) and it was a neat learning experience for him as well. We then headed to Depot Town for lunch - a really great way to spend the afternoon. Highly recommend! read more