9/7/2013
A 3-hour tour is what we got. The tour guide was thorough and gladly answered questions. He was knowledgeable in bot technical aspects, business aspect and social aspects of the furnaces and history. However, this is risky place to walk in and you need to watch where you walk. At the beginning of the tour the pace is a bit quick for someone out of shape or with bad knees. After that it settled down. A couple of sets of stairs of about 40-50 steps each can be rough and visitors should be made aware of this before showing up. There is no place to sit and relax and yes, it is dirty, Part of the challenge is finding this place. Follow the instructions on the web site.
This is a national historic site that might eventually become a national park. This could ruin the tours since national park rules would probably keep you from entering certain areas because this place can be dangerous. Part of the excitement is touring all parts, even those rusting away.