Sloss Furnaces
is the Birthplace
of Birmingham

CULTURAL EVENTS

Experience hundreds of concerts, festivals, weddings and corporate events that are held at Sloss Furnaces every year. Sloss is a unique and exciting venue for 10 to 10,000 guests!

METAL ARTS

Cast your own ironwork in classes held throughout the year. Sloss is home to one of the largest iron arts program in the world, creating commissioned works for corporations and individuals.

DATES CLOSED

In addition to our regular hours, Sloss Furnaces will be closed on these dates:

•

Thu

Apr 23

Sun

Apr 26

(

Closed for Magic City Art Connection

)

900

total tons of iron produced each day by two furnaces built in the late 1920s

million gallons of water each day to cool the furnaces - providing steam and power

2.3

million pounds of coke delivered by train each day to keep furnaces at 3,800°

3.5

million pounds of iron ore used daily from mines throughout the Birmingham area

VISIT SLOSS FURNACES

Discover Sloss

Sloss Furnaces has educated, entertained and inspired our community for nearly 50 years - a vibrant cultural center that welcomes people from around the world - a place that tells our collective story as the birthplace of Birmingham.

The numbers you see here represent the extraordinary scale of operations at Sloss Furnaces before it stopped producing iron in 1971 and became a national historic landmark in 1981.
‍
Admission to Sloss Furnaces is FREE. You can take a self-guided tour through this 15 acre site and learn about the process and the people that made this incredible place operate 24/7. Guided tours are also available for a small fee, with immersive special tours scheduled throughout the year.

ways to visit sloss

MUSIC ARTS CULTURE

Spectacular Events!

Sloss Furnaces is located in the heart of Birmingham and brings people together from throughout the community. For more than forty years, Sloss Furnaces has hosted unforgettable festivals and concerts. This year that included Furnace Fest, Dia de los Muertos, Magic City Art Connection, Taco Fest, Festa Italiana, Food+, Magic City Mimosa Festival, and Walk for Alzheimer's, with dozens of new and exciting events planned this year!

Sloss Furnaces also hosts many private daytime and evening events including weddings and corporate retreats. People are drawn to the iconic backdrop that only Sloss Furnaces can provide!

Modern indoor spaces at our Visitors Center include a beautiful conference room when you need a private space for 10 people, our East Room that can seat 280 for dinner, or a large outdoor plaza and elevated patio that offers views of both Sloss Furnaces and the Birmingham city lights.

Discover the magic of sloss

metal arts

Fire and Iron!

Sloss Furnaces is much more than a celebration of the past. A team of four metal artists teach classes on iron casting, metal fabrication, and lead high school students during a summer internship program. This talented group also creates individual and corporate commissions. If you're lucky, you might even get to see them launch a flaming ball of fire using a trebuchet! Sign up before classes are full!

We are also home to the biennial National Conference on Cast Iron Art, the largest event of its kind in the world. Nearly 500 metal artists and students from as far away as Australia gather at Sloss Furnaces for four days of lectures, hands-on workshops, students contests, and the sharing of knowledge and friendships that could only happen in a place like this.

Metal arts

About Sloss Furnaces

Our Story in 30 Seconds

Sloss Furnaces was Established in 1881

Sloss was established by Colonel James Withers Sloss, along with new railway lines, due to vast deposits of coal, limestone and iron ore that launched an industry.

New Technology and the Magic City

Thousands of workers from the rural South and around the world came seeking jobs. At one time, Sloss Furnaces was the largest pig iron producer in the world.

Two Steps Forward
Two Steps Back

Sloss provided jobs for thousands of former slaves and European immigrants, but had a history of racial injustice, union busting and dangerous working conditions.

The Lasting Legacy of Sloss Furnaces

Sloss has a unique role in the history of civil rights in Birmingham and in the ways we now connect our diverse communities through art, education, and cultural events.

Testimonials

What Visitors Say

This is a great place to learn history of the area and what was made there in the past. Great for kids, people visiting the area and anyone really that likes history. You can tour the whole factory. This concluded a great time in Alabama. – Nick N.

Great venue for a huge range of events. We’ve been there for large rock concerts and small, more intimate events. It encapsulates the history of Birmingham wonderfully. Very interesting place, with a history all its own. Highly recommend! – Steve A.

We've lived in the Birmingham area for over 50 years but only recently visited Sloss Furnaces. We had a good time wandering around this slice of area history. We were with a group and had a knowledgeable tour guide that gave us a lot of useful information. There are a lot of wonderful picture opportunities if you are interested. You can get around with very few stairs. – James R.

Sloss Furnacesis the Birthplaceof Birmingham