Boston [1] has always has had a tempestuous relationship with fire—from the great fire of 1872 to the infamous 1942 Cocoanut Grove conflagration (a fiery tragedy that killed almost 500 people in a crowded nightclub and led to important changes in the fire code).
The small Boston Fire Museum in a historic old firehouse (344 Congress St., 617/482-1344, www.bostonfiremuseum.com [2], 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Thurs., 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Fri., 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Sat., free) is calculated to thrill the under four-foot-high set with displays of shiny antique fire engines and memorabilia from Boston’s [1] fiery history, including items from the Cocoanut Grove itself.
The Boston Fire Museum is run by the Boston Sparks Association, a group of several hundred fire fanatics who still listen to scanners late at night and show up at fire scenes to watch the jakes do their thing.
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/new-england/massachusetts/boston
[2] http://www.bostonfiremuseum.com