A. Navarro

October is here! In preparation for spooky fall activities, consider visiting Eastern State Penitentiary.

Eastern State Penitentiary is a national historical landmark, located at 2027 Fairmount Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19130. The penitentiary opened in the fall of 1829 and was considered, “one of the most expensive American buildings of its day and soon the most famous prison in the world,” according to Eastern State Penitentiary.

According to Philadelphia Visitor Center, the penitentiary was designed to inspire true penitence into the hearts of its nearly 80,000 prisoners, which ranged from men, women, and children.

The penitentiary’s most notable inmates include Al Capone, William Francis Sutton, Freda Frost, Morris Bolber, and “Pep the Cat Murdering Dog.”

Eventually, the penitentiary shutdown operations in 1971. Since then, in 1994, the penitentiary opened its doors for curious visitors.

Today, Eastern State Penitentiary hosts day tours from Monday to Sunday, starting at 10 AM, with varying times. Most notably, in 2020, the penitentiary began hosting “Halloween Nights”, in place of a previous seasonal attraction known as “Terror Behind the Walls”. Today, “Halloween Nights” fuses history, themed bars, immersive walkthroughs, and festivities into an over a month-long event. The event runs in the evenings from September 23 to November 12.

On the other hand, an average day tour allows a visitor the freedom to tour the penitentiary and explore the bars and restaurants across the street, like Urban Saloon, Jack’s Firehouse, and OCF Coffee House.

Happy touring this Spooktober!