A prison that was a model for over 300 prisons worldwide? Another truly surprising find. It is easily visited after your visit to the Barnes Foundation...just a short walk North. You will be glad you took the time.

My family and I visited Eastern State Pen. I especially appreciated the audio-tour, which helped the kids remain engaged. We were very glad we made this stop part of our time in Philadelphia. Leave time to do the hands-on activities. My kids loved playing bocce ball in the courtyard. The tour took us about 3 hours. Parking was ample, just... More

if you grew up watching horror movies this is not the place for you. I have still yet to be scared by a haunted house yet. no I did not ever go back

This place was super cool. True, it's falling apart - but so is the coliseum in Rome. Very little has changed (i.e. little has been rehabbed), but you get to see how things *really* were. You can stand in one of the cells (inside and outside part). This prison style became the standard here and in Europe for many years.... More

As a criminal justice professor I have read and taught about this prison for years. To actually visit was a "Bucket List" item I can check off! From the imposing outer walls to the cell blocks, the restored cells and "the hole", Al Capone's cell and the operating room there is so much to explore. The way much of the... More

Great self guided, audio tour for a reasonable price. Bring your law enforcement ID for a discount. Great architecture and history. A must stop in Philadelphia.

I never imagined visiting a penitentiary, but thought it might be the perfect stop for my 13 year old nephew. To my surprise I enjoyed it as much as he did. We expected to stay an hour or two, but stayed most of the day and only left because we were starving. We learned a ton about US history.

This was an awesome visit for adults and children. We brought four children age range 7-12. We were able to navigate the prison with one adult in a wheelchair. We all thoroughly enjoyed all the stories we heard from the audio tour. There was also interesting talks throughout the visit given by the guides. These were a highlight of the... More

After the first part of the audio tour has completed it is great just to wander around off piste, there are loads of back stories with audio. The synagogue are is fascinating to see how it has been rebuilt.