Shut down in the 1970s, Sloss was reborn as an industrial museum and a unique community gathering place for everything from music festivals to artistic metalworking. Alabama's first theme park opened May 23rd, 1998. The iron man has stood atop Red Mountain since 1939, holding a torch aloft over the city. The torch glows green, except when there has been a traffic fatality in the metro area within the previous 24 hours. It then shines a bright red, making Vulcan the world's biggest traffic safety reminder.
Visitors can see commanding view of the city of Birmingham from it's observation deck.