7 Scary US Prisons You Can Tour While Waiting For the Next Season of OITNB
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It's no secret that our culture is vaguely obsessed with prison life (Orange Is the New Black has been dominating headlines for the past month!). Priceline.com provides a list of prisons in the US available for tourism, along with hotel rate data and airfare info.
Priceline.com has devised a sampling of US prisons to tour along with the rate ranges from the website of nearby hotels for travelers to make a weekend of their exploration. Travelers can explore, ghost-hunt, and even stay in some cells. These could make for killer (no pun intended) weekend road trips!
West Virginia Penitentiary — Moundsville, WV
An imposing Gothic structure where visitors can tour the cafeteria, cell blocks, "The Alamo" max-security area, and see the electric chair. Over a hundred inmates walked their last mile inside this prison. The "guards" will happily lock up scare-seeking visitors for the night as well.
- Moundsville hotel rates for July 13-17: 3-stars $139-$159, 2-stars $94-$156
- Moundsville hotel rates for Aug. 17-21: 3-stars $139-$159, 2-stars $94-$159
Ohio State Reformatory — Mansfield, OH
Next to Alcatraz, this is what most envision when they think "prison." That's because motion pictures like The Shawshank Redemption and Air Force One were filmed here. Sit in the now-famous warden’s office, hang out in the yard, climb the guard tower, and tour the cell blocks.
- Mansfield hotel rates for July 13-17: 3-stars $87-$219, 2-stars $45-$104
- Mansfield hotel rates for Aug. 17-21: 3-stars $87-$355, 2-stars $45-$104
Missouri State Penitentiary — Jefferson City, MO
Once the biggest prison in the US, it was dubbed the "bloodiest 47 acres in America." Tours include the infamous "Yard," dungeon cells, and gas chambers.
- Jefferson City hotel rates for July 13-17: 3-stars $93-$103, 2-stars $62-$75
- Jefferson City hotel rates for Aug. 17-21: 3-stars $108-$110, 2-stars $55-$114
Prison of Southern Michigan — Jackson, MI
Visit the cell block where "Death Doctor" Jack Kevorkian was imprisoned. Some of the older cells here measure a claustrophobic 7 feet by 3 1/2 feet. Cell block #7 houses the prison’s museum.
- Jackson hotel rates for July 13-17: 3-stars $72-$309, 2-stars $50-$154
- Jackson hotel rates for Aug. 17-21: 3-stars $72-$242, 2-stars $49-$124
Eastern State Penitentiary — Philadelphia, PA
One of the pioneers in the practice of keeping prisoners in individual cells, Eastern State Penitentiary once housed Willie Sutton and Al Capone. Eastern State is frequently featured on ghost hunter shows and is home to one the nation’s scariest Halloween haunted houses.
- Philadelphia hotel rates for July 13-17: 4-stars $159-$255, 3-stars $109-$221
- Philadelphia hotel rates for Aug. 17-21: 4-stars $146-$349, 3-stars $109-$178
The Liberty Hotel — Boston, MA
This 4.5-star hotel, formerly Charles Street Jail, gives fans a chance to stay in a luxury room while keeping the prison atmosphere.
- Rates for July 13-17: $429/night
- Rates for Aug. 17-21: $434/night
Alcatraz — San Francisco, CA
Nicknamed "The Rock," this fortress/prison island in San Francisco Bay was once home to convicts like Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelley, Alvin Karpis, and The Birdman, and the site of action films starring Sean Connery, Clint Eastwood, and Nicholas Cage.
- San Francisco hotel rates for July 13-17: 4-stars $334-$599, 3-stars $184-$652
- San Francisco hotel rates for Aug. 17-21: 4-stars $254-$539, 3-stars $75-$459