At the Fire Museum of Maryland, visitors learn the importance of fire safety and experience a trip through the history of firefighting. With vintage equipment and trucks, the museum is a multisensory exploration of how firefighting has changed through the years.

Praise: CBS Baltimore named it one of the five best children's museums in Maryland.

Size: The museum displays 40 antique fire engines, as well as gear that dates back to the early 1800s.

Highlights: Monthly special events, extensive photo collection and library, and a Fire of 1904 wall of artifacts and movie that illustrates the historical fire that changed Baltimore and firefighting history. Newest exhibit is a Logs and Ledgers and Rare Prints gallery.

Eye Catcher: Museum staff carefully restored the cast-iron façade of Baltimore Engine Co. #8; behind it lies an exhibit called Life of a Fireman, with the trappings of a typical firehouse.

Tribute: The Charles T. Holloway exhibit celebrates Baltimore's most famous firefighter, displaying his retirement watch as well as other artifacts from his life.

Hands-On Activities: In one corner of the museum, kids can try on firefighter gear and marvel at how much lighter it is than their bookbags. They can also climb and play on a fire truck.

Special Programs: Museum staff, inclusing a full time education director, have carefully curated seven different tours, geared toward different age groups matching Baltimore County’s educational curriculum and the Next Generation Science Standards. In one, kids learn fire safety by working to rescue someone from a burning building; in another, adults see firsthand how the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904 was overcome. All tours are available by preregistration.

Rentals Available: Rent a fire truck for your event, host a birthday party with or without rides. Special events, weddings and meeting space are available at the museum.