Remove Ads
4.5
4,855 votes

Eastern State Penitentiary

2027 Fairmount Ave, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19130 USA

$
Budget
Open Now
Thu 10a-5p
  • Independent
  • Credit Cards
    Accepted
  • Wheelchair
    Accessible
  • Public
    Restrooms
Add to Trip

Certified Weird

Our Take

Admission to the historic Eastern State Penitentiary includes an excellent audio tour narrated by Steve Buscemi and visitors are free to explore the grounds on their own or join one of many guided tours. Some areas are still off-limits to visitors, but the newly-reopened hospital wing—full of peeling paint and creepy old medical equipment—is a must-see.

Remove Ads

“A hauntingly historic prison experience”

Step into the eerie world of Eastern State Penitentiary and explore the remains of a once-revolutionary prison that operated from 1829 to 1971 and housed notorious criminals like Al Capone. Wander through the haunting cell blocks, stand in the eerie solitary confinement cells, and learn about the history and innovations of the penitentiary system. Discover the stories of inmates, guards, and the daily life inside this historic prison through immersive exhibits, artifacts, and multimedia presentations.

Read More >
Add Review
Thanks!
Your Rating
1
2
3
4
5

Reviewed by
Greg Newkirk

  • Expert
  • 314 Reviews
  • 374 Helpful
September 17, 2013
Rated

One of the greatest ghost tours in the Northeast. Self-guided, and after you sign the waiver, you just go off on your own. Amazing building, and some fun installations. Keep an eye out for the red pipes that mark successful escapes from the prison!

6 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by
Dana Newkirk

  • Road Warrior
  • 298 Reviews
  • 377 Helpful
September 16, 2014
Rated 4.0

Go! Absolutely go. If you love visiting abandoned places, or you love history, or you love a good ghost story ESP is like the motherland of all three. Take the all the tours and then when you've finished go do the self-guided tour. The building is beautiful and the history is fascinating. And like Greg said, red pipes equal successful escapes, and that equals awesome photo ops!

4 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by
Jenn Coffill

  • 19 Reviews
  • 14 Helpful
April 26, 2015
Rated 5.0

The best stop on our Philly road trip! Check hotels and rest stops for a $2 off coupon or show a student ID for a steeper discount. We did the main audio tour first and then wandered the rest of the grounds for another hour or two. Such a neat and historical place with lots of fantastic photo ops. The artist installations were really neat and thought provoking. If you have children, be careful of a few of the off the main tour exhibits ;)

3 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by
pastor.ari

  • 74 Reviews
  • 62 Helpful
September 10, 2014
Rated 4.0

First prison in America is one of those rare places that rates highly on both the fun and learning scales. Touring the halls is fascinating and exciting, but also a great lesson in our approach to criminal justice over two centuries and leaves you with a lot to think about. Definitely do the audio tour.

3 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by
Spiritweaver

  • 4 Reviews
  • 6 Helpful
July 14, 2014
Rated

Very interesting historic site that describes innovations in humane treatment of prisoners and changing philosophies regarding punishment and penitence. Tour guides, audio tours, and hands on exhibits make this a must see for children as well as adults. It was not scary at all.

3 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by
Luuger

  • 6 Reviews
  • 2 Helpful
May 05, 2018
Rated 5.0

Great place to visit and learn. Thought 2 hours would be enough time for street parking. Our car got ticketed. There was a lot down the street, should have parked there. The tour guide was great telling the history of the parts of the prison she showed us. Hard to believe what prisoners went through here. We spent around 3 hours here and didn’t see it all.

2 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by
CrusinSusan

  • 1 Review
  • 1 Helpful
July 08, 2022
Rated 5.0

Enjoyed our experience here, was very cool to see the cells and what life was like. Brings realization about our justice system and how it needs help. If some of the walls could talk especially in the women’s section after listening to the audio and exhibits sends chills down your spine and a heavy heart.

1 person found this review helpful

Reviewed by
Susan

  • Photographer
  • 21 Reviews
  • 6 Helpful
November 14, 2014
Rated

i visited during the night time. we went on the haunted tour called LIghts Out. It was amazing! All we had for lighting was a glow stick. If you wear one around your neck, the scare actors can touch you. DO IT! It is a great experience not to miss! Well done I think it was better than my visit to Howl O scream at Busch Gardens. The atmosphere of the defunct prision makes it creepier. Will have to visit during the day

1 person found this review helpful

Reviewed by
tinahuffman0426

  • 4 Reviews
  • 2 Helpful
August 23, 2014
Rated

We really enjoyed this place. The audio tour provided so much information.

1 person found this review helpful

Reviewed by
wkroner

  • 35 Reviews
  • 28 Helpful
April 08, 2014
Rated

Terror behind the walls is the annual Halloween event. Even better is going to take the regular audio tour. Still a little eerie but very interesting.

1 person found this review helpful

Be the first to add a review to the Eastern State Penitentiary.

Eastern State Penitentiary

2027 Fairmount Ave
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
19130 USA
Remove Ads

Hours

Open now until 5:00 pm
  • Sun - Sat: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Problem with this listing? Let us know.

Has RV parking changed? Let us know.

Remove Ads
  • Check
    Parking
  • Unavailable
    Pets Allowed
  • Check
    Restrooms
  • Unknown
    Wifi
  • Check
    Wheelchair Accessible
  • Check
    Credit Cards Accepted
See More Details (13)

Parking

Remove Ads

Nearby Hotels

Malvern, Pennsylvania
FastBook

Click to discover a
great deal!

Norristown, Pennsylvania
Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Remove Ads

Related Trip Guides

Remove Ads
44548