What a fascinating place if you're into Boston history, or machinery! We learned a lot about how this glorious building with its giant machinery came to be, and saw all the pieces up close on the all access tour. A totally different view of the history of Boston.

Interesting museum. 1 hour is plenty of time to see the museum.

We took an outdoor guided tour that occur once a month where it is outside around the buildings and reservoir. It was through Eventbrite- and given by staff. Our guide was great and it was so informative! They also offer indoor tours on a regular basis. So glad we found this place to tour. We learned a lot! Local history! Plenty of parking around the back and off to the side of the building.

Impressive engineering and three types of water pumps. Free entry with suggested donation of $5. Tour was interesting but could be improved by having an adult version of tour. Nice staff.

One of the absolute coolest museums I've ever been to as an engineer. Not very big but if you can catch Martin there, you're in for a very very cool experience with a Professional Engineer who knows his pumps.

We went on the special access tour with Emily and it was awesome! It was fascinating technically and historically. The tour led us up into the engines and down below. I highly recommend the museum and the tour. Thanks Emily!

A great experience and will certainly return. This museum isn't large by any standards but I was surprised by how interesting and well maintained the building is. As a word of caution, the museum covers a very specific topic and won't be for everyone. But at the same time, for those who may be on the fence, the museum is still worth checking out as there is on-site parking and admission is free. Overall, I appreciate the piece of Boston's history that this museum preserves. You should expect to spend up to an hour here, and almost certainly less than two.

Awesome museum. Free entrance and guided tour. So well preserved piece of machinery!

Really great museum and tour. We originally came for the tour but ended up doing the Boston Fire Exhibit first. While on the smaller side the exhibit gave a lot of information about the progression of fire fighting and fire code standards since people began living in Boston. The actual waterworks tour was also very interesting. It was cool to see the progression of technology used over time. It's also nice to be able to get close to the equipment and actually see the stuff being talked about by the tour guide. I'd recommend it to everyone visiting Boston. Tickets are free but tours are at set times.

What an amazing hidden treasure of a museum! Definitely get the guided tour if you have time. Could climb the machines as well as see the basement. Videos and written exhibits are great too. Some activities geared towards kids but they may be done quickly if they are too young to read all the exhibit panels. It becomes very hot in the exhibit hall on warm days. There are fans, but keep in mind if you’re heat sensitive.

Magnificent architecture in addition to the antique huge water moving engines there in the museum. They host functions there, thus the family wedding&reception I attended there. Very surreal eating my dinner surrounded by all that mega industry, but they make it work.

It was pretty quiet in the museum on Saturday and I was given an individual tour by a super enthusiastic and very well informed guide! It is always pleasant to see people enjoying what they are doing. Totally recommend!

A quiet interesting gem of a museum. If you're an engineer or someone who's curious about these topics, this is the place to visit. There's a lot of history about the city's early water supply and the station's ingenuity. The only thing missing is a small cafeteria for patrons. haha This is a wonderful facility. Be sure to take a walk around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir once you're done exploring the museum.

We stumbled onto this free museum on a weekend. What a nice find! Lots of mechanics and history to read upon.

An excellently run museum, with enthusiastic docents who give 1 hour long guided tours of the history of the waterworks, the steam driven pumps that ran to keep Boston supplied with clean fresh water in the 19th century, and the design of said pumps. A very entertaining and interesting museum for people interested in engineering.

Shout out to the guide who was very very informative with how the machines worked and of all the timeline. It was my first time visiting the place and the guide offered me to join the tour guide which is fabulous! Highly recommend a visit here! Thank You Team and wishing you all the best, great place :) and grateful to have payed a visit! PS: the place is free to visit but I highly recommend the paid tour as you will get to learn more about every part of the machinery.

Marvelous museum showcasing powerful industrial and mechanical equipment, engineering skill, and stunning architecture. Don't miss it.

Attend A water fest event for kids and families. Was very amazing and learn a lot about water conservation. My donation was $5.oo but the event was free. If you are planning to visit this museum kindly check their rates online or place a call to know the lastest happenings as they have tours and events often.

Wowww! What an amazing piece of history! My son, his friend and I opted for the special access guided tour, which I highly recommend. Marty was such an amazing guide. He was extremely knowledgeable and was able to connect with both the adults and the children. Thank you Marty for an amazing tour.

Attended a wonderful wedding there. Place looks amazing all decorated.

The Waterworks Museum is a real treat in Chestnut Hill. The machinery is very impressive -- you marvel at the engineering. The "Special Access" tour, was fantastic. The enthusiastic guide had deep knowledge of Boston's history with and made the hour-plus tour a great deal of fun.

A gem for the curious and mechanically inclined, as well as victorian and steam punk enthusiasts. This well cared for museum provides a glimpse at beautiful large scale machinery kept in beautiful condition, opersted by a dedicated and passionate staff.

Tour and entry was free, and the tour guides really know their stuff. It’s a waterworks museum so it’s obviously not the MET but stuff was still interesting + the museum has what was once the most efficient pumping system in the world. If you’re willing to donate it helps them out + their childrens programs

Interesting part of the history of Boston, nicely done, excellent tour guide. I highly recommend seeing it with a tour. The museum is small but it is next to a reservoir with a walking path. Parking is in the back.

We had our wedding here and it was wonderful! It is such a cool museum with such interesting history, and the architecture is gorgeous. The event coordinator I worked with, Rebecca, was wonderful, however she works for a third party the museum uses for events. I did have some less favorable interactions with male staff working at the museum, but for the most part, a great experience. If you are looking for a unique venue and they are still offering weddings here, would highly recommend! Though you should know coordinating vendor set up can be challenging if you are also having your ceremony here, as we did, because the venue operates as a public museum until 3 pm and shuts down at 11 pm, non-negotiable. Still worth it for us :)

Speaking as an engineer, it was wonderful, educational and beautiful!

Going in, I didn't know what to expect but it was amazing! I took a tour and the guide was lovely (also volunteers at the MIT museum so lots of knowledge too!) and gave a great insight into the site. What starts as industrial heritage veers into public health, the development of Boston as a city and the various architecture styles.

Great free museum! Have to highlight Ethan as our tour guide. He was just awesome, funny and knowledgeable.

A really interesting place, the entrance and the tour are free but the suggested donation is 5 dollar per person, a nice slice of history with activities for children.

Neat old building with a unique part of history to tell. I'm a mechanical engineer, so take that into account. Beautiful machinery with excellent exhibits explaining how steam engines, pumps, and water systems work. Also excellent display showing the metro Boston water system evolution to present day. Beautiful, fun way to spend 2 hours. Also, admission is free!

Free tours are offered and it’s great to check ahead of time to see when is best to arrive. If you bring your headphones you can do audio tours. Accessibility: The whole museum was easy to access. There is a water fountain and a restroom. I did not see a family restroom. The environment is not loud, however at times I struggled to properly hear the tour guide. There are elevators and the 2nd floor has rotating exhibits, there are places to sit and it is child friendly. Content: I enjoyed learning the history of the waterworks and the tour guide was friendly and wanted to answer questions, but was honest enough to say if there was more research needed to answer the question Future: The story of water predates the arrival of the Puritans. It would be fantastic to see how the indigenous people gathered and stored water before the Puritans. I believe there is a rich story that can be gained when we bring the human side to the age of machines. Who were the workers who crafted the steel or dug the tunnels? Did immigration or race play a role in who worked in what position? Are there any notable women in this field? What impact did the expansion have on the indigenous people’s access to water?

Wonderful tour, totally worth it to pay for the longer tour. Incredible time in history well explained through engineering of the late 1800's and early 1900's. Highly recommend!