Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site

Plan Your Visit

When to arrive, where to park, what to expect, and more. Learn More

Upcoming Events

The Searchlight Series, Terror Behind the Walls, and more. Learn more

Featured Exhibit

Prisons Today: Questions in the Age of Mass Incarceration is a groundbreaking new exhibit. Included with admission. Learn More

Annual Appeal

We need your help to stabilize Soup Alley, the area connecting the Central Hub to the Dining Halls. Learn More

America's Most Historic Prison

Eastern State Penitentiary was once the most famous and expensive prison in the world, but stands today in ruin, a haunting world of crumbling cellblocks and empty guard towers. Its vaulted, sky-lit cells once held many of America's most notorious criminals, including "Slick Willie" Sutton and "Scarface" Al Capone.

Explore the online tour

September 23, 2017, 12:00 pm – September 24, 2017, 4:00 pm

Family Weekend: Pets in Prison with New Leash on Life USA

Learn more

What We're Reading This Week

"Criminal Justice Reform Unites 5 Former New Jersey Governors"
New York Times, September 6, 2017

Read the article

Instagram Pic of the Week

Courtesy of @tvalentino