Vulcan Park and Museum

Vulcan Park and Museum

Vulcan Park and Museum
4.5
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
About
The largest cast-iron statue in the world created for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair placed on top of Red Mountain with a beautiful view of downtown Birmingham. Also, inside Vulcan Center, is an interactive museum that contains the historical timeline of the city of Birmingham.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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  • TSP2014
    Colleyville, Texas385 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great Views, Nice History Lesson
    I would say this is definitely something you want to do on a sunny day. The view of downtown Birmingham at the top of the statue is beautiful. The grounds are kept very nice as well. There is a museum you don't want to miss that tells all about the history of the statute and how it was moved to Birmingham. If you are in the Birmingham area this is worth a stop.
    Visited May 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written June 15, 2024
  • tarajean424
    Colleyville, Texas418 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great attraction! Lots of history!
    This is a great place to visit, with great views of Birmingham! There is a museum inside the visitor center that I would recommend going to-it tells the history of the statue, and gives a brief overview of the park. Then, you can take a short elevator ride to the top of the statue! If you are in the area, this is a great place to visit!
    Visited May 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written August 4, 2024
  • Teammilitello
    Des Moines, Iowa2,831 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Museum attached closes at 6pm
    You still get charged full price with or without the museum. They should change that. But walking up (or choosing the elevator if you like) to the top was a lot of fun for my teenage sons to burn some energy. Great view of Birmingham. Helped us understand the layout of the city before our next day of exploring it.
    Visited August 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written August 6, 2024
  • aberfitchgr534
    Bolivar, Ohio1,988 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Unique Park
    Very Unique Park Overlooking the city. We were staying close by so decided to check this park out and I am so glad we did, it is beautiful. It was $6 a person do see the museum and ride up to the top of Vulcan Tower. The views of the city from here are incredible. The museum is small and we did this in 20 minutes, the history on the park was very interesting. Everything is very clean and well maintained here. Worth a trip if you run the area.
    Visited August 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written August 28, 2024
  • helstravels
    Redcar, United Kingdom890 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great views
    Nice museum giving a history of the statue and the area in general. Toilets are available. No cafe so I really think they are missing a trick. Friendly staff. Great views across the area. This is a popular park and is ideal for a picnic
    Visited November 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written November 12, 2024
  • Dale S
    8 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Vulcan Views
    Impressive location with very interesting exhibits in the visitor center. The visitor center also has a great gift shop. Spend the time (and the fee) to ascend to the top for great views of Birmingham and surrounding area. Clean, very managed site.
    Visited November 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written November 20, 2024
  • LexiV
    Cleveland, Ohio1,741 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great View
    This was a really fun stop. The tower with the statue offered amazing views of Birmingham and can be reached by stairs or elevator. The small museum was very informative. It had a scavenger hunt for kids and there was also a well-priced gift shop, clean bathrooms, and water fountains inside that building. However, don't do the trail later in the day. When we left, the gates to the trail were open, but they were closed at our return (maybe half an hour to 45 minutes later). We had to hop over two different gates to get back to our car. Other than that, we had a great time and admission is free if you're on SNAP (food stamps).
    Visited October 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written December 4, 2024
  • Wayne B
    Enterprise, Alabama53 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Panoramic Views of the City
    Great attraction and interesting location to visit if your wanting to better understand the origin and history of the city of Birmingham with regards to what brought immigrants and Americans to settle in the area. Museum presents a documented and easy to follow path of the iron and steel industries and the role they played in the development of the city. Views from the Observation Deck are phenomenal and on a clear day offered a panoramic view of the city and surrounding areas. On the day we visited the elevators were down; however the steps while many -will lead you to the top. While visiting the Park, you can view the largest cast iron statue in the world. Recommend planning to spend at least 4 hours if not longer.
    Visited November 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written January 21, 2025
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,413 reviews
Excellent
706
Very good
545
Average
148
Poor
11
Terrible
3

An0nyMs
Tucson, AZ1,612 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Solo
Even though the observation tower is closed for renovation, the view from the park and the museum are worth the admission price. I especially liked the short but detailed picture I got of the iron industry here. Maybe a quarter of the exhibits were about the Vulcan statue. There were also a couple of special exhibitions.

This is one of the places that accepts the NARM (North American Reciprocal Museums) card for free admission. You can join at a museum near your home or almost any of the 1,000+ museums. Note that different museums charge different prices for the same NARM membership.
Written October 4, 2023
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.

Noel78
Tennessee673 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2022
On a cold December day we made our first visit to see the statue of Vulcan which overlooks Birmingham from Red Mountain. He was created in 1902 for the St Louis World's Fair to promote the iron industry then flourishing in the city. Now he is a symbol of its past glory because the furnaces are long closed.

But he is a fun stop. An admission ticket will buy you entrance into a small museum that documents his and the city's history. Then you can take an elevator ride up to Vulcan's level which is about 10 stories up. Visitors can alternatively climb the stairs to the platform.

This would be a fun activity for kids.
Written December 20, 2022
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.

rdyrtr99
Saint Louis, MO53 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023 • Friends
Interesting history of the Vulcan statue and the homage it pays to the Iron ore miners in the early day s of Birmingham. Statue made a trip to the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, MO. You can take an elevator up to almost the top of the statue and view the city of Birmingham.
Written May 18, 2023
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.

livelife h
Atlanta, GA5,277 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2022 • Couples
Beautiful way to see the city. Price of a mission is six dollars which gives you access to the museum and to the Tower. Plenty of places to see the views even if you don't go to the top of the tower. Pretty cool experience if you just want to relax and see some cityscapes
Written March 1, 2022
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.

mirtle2
Saint Louis, MO255 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2020
What a neat place. The Vulcan statue above Birmingham was originally made for the 1904 World's Fair. The park is lovely with a great view of the city. We paid the $6 to see the museum and go up to the top of the statue. The museum was great, telling the story of the history, art and science behind the creating and restoration of Vulcan.
Written October 25, 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.

reindeerlvr
St. Louis258 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022 • Couples
We went to see Vulcan. The views over the city are beautiful when you get to the park. You can either climb steps or take the elevator up to the observation deck to get a closer look at Vulcan. There is a very informative museum about the history of the iron industry in Birmingham. Also, the history of Vulcan. There is a gift shop as well. I believe there are hiking trails in the park, we were limited on time. We recommend visiting Vulcan.
Written June 25, 2023
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.

ransom007
Anaheim, CA1,107 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020
The park has free parking. If you want to go to the statue and museum, you must ascend about 50 stair steps. There is an elevator inside "Vulcan" which leads to the observation tower which must have a fabulous view of the city. I only went to the visitor center (which houses the museum and gift shop) and that provided a breath taking panorama of Birmingham. Admission to the museum is nominal (I paid $5.50 as a senior). The museum gives a good history of Jefferson County. It also has a section on the civil rights movements for both minorities and women.
Written October 29, 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.

cynthiab
Los Alamos, NM21 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023 • Couples
For a first visit to Alabama, this was a great place to start. We arrived at BHM and, with our rental car, drove straight to Vulcan Park. There is a great view of Birmingham from there. In addition to the history of the Vulcan statue, the park’s modest-size museum describes the iron ore mining and steel production history of the city, including labor struggles and civil rights demonstrations related to that industry. There is an elevator as well as the original stairs to get up the tower to the platform under the massive 1904 statue of Vulcan. Even better views of the city can be accessed from up there. Below the area of the tower and museum is a room from an original iron ore mine, seen through a barred opening.
Written March 11, 2023
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.

genglertNorfolk_VA
Norfolk, VA172 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022 • Couples
We enjoyed the museum, which has a LOT of interesting information about early Birmingham, including tidbits on coca cola rivals in the early days of the soft drink. We were able to get to the top of the tower even though the elevator was not working. It is 159 steps to the top with many landings to stop and rest. Once you get to the top there is a grating that surrounds the tower,so (unless you are uncomfortable with heights) you con see for360°.
Written October 10, 2022
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.
Thanks for visiting! The views from the top are unmatched!
Written December 13, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Steff S
129 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Friends
This was a neat place to visit. It’s a fairly quick visit but has some nice views. It costs $6.60 per adult to see the small museum and go up in the statue. Fun for kids but there’s not much to it.
Written February 16, 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.

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Vulcan Park and Museum - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2025)

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