This study reports the effects of different vegetation restoration on soil microbial characteristics, based on a long-term experiment established in 1987 at the Ecological Experimental Station of Red Soil, Chinese Academy of Sciences. This experiment included different types of vegetation planted on eroded bare land. The results showed that soil pH, soil nutrients, soil total porosity, soil microbial biomass and soil respiration rate increased significantly under different vegetations restoration compared with the eroded bare land. The concentrations of indices measured under Cinnamomum camphora were higher than that under Lespedeza bicolor, Pinus massoniana forest had the lowest the concentrations of indices measured. Soil microbial community was mainly composed of bacteria in all treatments. The ratio of ergosterol-C to microbial biomass carbon was the highest under Pinus massoniana among all treatments. Soil organic matter accumulated with vegetation restoration land. At the same time, the availability of carbon for soil microbe increased significantly, but not significantly different among vegetation types.