All of our daytime programming (“The Voices of Eastern State" Audio Tour, Hands-On History experiences, artist installations, and exhibits) is included in one admission price. 

When you arrive, you'll get an mp3 player and headphones that will guide you through the penitentiary complex and explain the prison's history. This audio guide contains a main audio tour route, plus additional stops for subjects like escapes, sports, sexuality, race, and more.

First, we recommend that you listen to our main audio tour (audio stops 1-10), which lasts about 40 minutes. The main audio tour ends at The Big Graph and its climate-controlled companion exhibit Prisons Today. From there, you can explore freely and tour at your own pace, listening to (or skipping) stops based on your interests. While you're taking the audio tour, you'll encounter artist installations and exhibits throughout the property. Most of them are accompanied by audio tour stops that you can listen to for more information.

Throughout the day, we offer quick, interactive tours led by our educators. This program is what we call Hands-On History. They're a great way to explore otherwise-off-limits areas of the prison and learn more about life at Eastern State and in prisons today. Our Hands-On History schedule changes daily. If you're interested in taking one or more of these short tours, ask any staff member for more information.

Eastern State Penitentiary is currently open Wednesday through Monday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Last entry is at 4:00 pm. 

We are closed on Tuesdays and on the following holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.

Tickets are available online and at the door, subject to availability.

When purchasing online, daytime tour admission is $21 for adults, $19 for seniors, and $17 for students and children ages 7-12. When purchasing at the door, daytime tour admission is $23, $21, and $19, respectively. (Not recommended for children under the age of seven.)

Eastern State members always receive free daytime admission to Eastern State Penitentiary.

Yes! We are currently accepting reservations for guide-led group tours, self-guided audio tours, and virtual group tours.

Visit our Group Tours page for more information.

Yes! In addition to our student, children, and senior rates for daytime tours and our group rates, we offer a variety of special discounts.

• Discounted admission is available by request for Museums for All, ACCESS Card, and SEPTA Key REDUCED FARE card holders. These card holders will be granted $2 admission for up to four guests for daytime historic tours or Night Tours: Summer Twilight. Visiting guests must present their valid ID upon arrival. Offer not valid for Halloween Nights.
   
• Upon request, visitors with a disability will receive $2 admission for daytime historic tours or Night Tours: Summer Twilight. Paid Personal Care Assistants are always provided complimentary admission when accompanying a visitor with a disability. Offer not valid for Halloween Nights.
   
• Philadelphia high school students may use their student ID to gain entrance to Eastern State during daytime tour hours for FREE, thanks to STAMP, a city-wide initiative led by Art-Reach. Offer not valid for Night Tours or Halloween Nights. For more information, visit www.art-reach.org/STAMP.
   
• Have a SEPTA Key Card? You can save $2 on adult daytime tour admission! Offer valid online only. Not valid for pre-arranged, private tours or special events, including Night Tours or Halloween Nights. Visit the SEPTA Perks website for more information.
   
• If you’ll be visiting several different Philadelphia attractions you can save 40% or more on admission to 3, 4 or 5 top attractions with Philadelphia CityPASS.

Yes! We offer a worry-free online booking policy for our daytime tours. This policy allows the flexibility to make reservation changes, including cancellations and refunds, up to 24 hours in advance of your visit, without incurring fees. Simply send an e-mail to [email protected] and let us know if you'd like to reschedule or request a refund.

Please Note: There are no refunds or exchanges for special events, including Halloween Nights.

The Visit Philly Overnight Hotel Package is the best way to experience Philadelphia during your visit. The offer includes FREE parking at your hotel and other valuable perks. Click here now to search rates and availability. 

Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, Inc. is a charitable nonprofit organization as described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Proceeds benefit the preservation and interpretation of this National Historic Landmark. Thank you for your support!

Eastern State Penitentiary is located at 2027 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130. You can access customized driving directions on Google Maps.

The penitentiary is accessible to Philadelphia Trolley Works, Big Bus, The Phlash, Philadelphia Bike Tours, and several SEPTA bus routes. Visit our Directions and Parking page for more information.

While we do not have our own parking lot, there is a parking lot neighboring us at 22nd St & Fairmount Ave. Parking costs vary. For exact pricing, please call Parkway Corporation at (267) 765-3665.

Additionally, you can find parallel parking bordering the penitentiary. Eastern State is so large that it occupies one full city block. Bordering Eastern State on the west (to the left if you are facing the entrance) is 22nd Street. On the Eastern State side of 22nd Street, parallel parking is free and unlimited. The same is true of Brown Street, which borders our back wall. Again, parking is free and unlimited only on the Eastern State side of the street. If you choose to park anywhere else in the neighborhood, just exercise caution and read all signs.

Eastern State Penitentiary is also accessible by public transit.

Visit our Directions and Parking page for information about alternate transportation options.

Eastern State Penitentiary is located in beautiful, historic Fairmount, a neighborhood of Victorian homes and some of the best restaurants in the region. We are located in the Parkway Museums District, just five blocks away from the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

We are fortunate that Fairmount is quite safe. You should, of course, take all the safety precautions that you would normally take. Lock your car, and don’t leave valuables in clear view inside the vehicle.

Eastern State Penitentiary is currently open Wednesday through Monday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. The last entry is at 4:00 pm, but most visitors spend about two hours on site.

We are closed on Tuesdays and on the following holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.

When you arrive, you’ll follow a one-way route through the site, which begins with our main audio tour. The main audio tour, which provides a general overview of the penitentiary’s history, includes ten audio stops and lasts about 40 minutes total.

From there, you can end your tour or continue to explore additional audio stops, artist installations, and exhibits. Depending on your interest in doing this and the time you have, this could take several hours.

Eastern State Penitentiary is open rain or shine, and the building does not have climate control. Summers can be quite hot, and winters can be quite chilly. Please dress for the weather, and be sure to wear appropriate footwear. Sandals, flip-flops, open-toed shoes, and high heels are not recommended.

While there are no dining facilities within the penitentiary complex, there are several wonderful restaurants in the surrounding neighborhood. Here you'll find a list of select restaurants within walking distance of the penitentiary. We strongly recommend calling ahead to make reservations for large groups.

Yes! Eastern State Penitentiary may be the most picturesque place you’ve seen in years. We encourage you to bring a camera when visiting the historic site, but we ask that you honor our Non-Commercial / Personal Photography policies when photographing during your visit.

In addition to the general admission fee, non-members must purchase a daily "photography equipment pass” if they wish to use a tripod, monopod, or easel while on site. Equipment passes are $10 per person and are valid only on the day they are purchased. While we recommend you purchase your tickets online in advance, photography equipment passes can only be purchased at the admissions window on site. Want free daytime admission and free photography equipment passes all year long? Become a Member today!

Any photographer (professional, amateur, or student), ad agency, or other commercial entity wishing to photograph models (professional or amateur); wear costumes or use props; photograph the building without visitors; photograph in non-public spaces; or conduct shoots that require equipment (other than a tripod, monopod, or easel) must make reservations in advance. Visit our Photography and Filmmaking page for more information about setting up a private photo shoot.

If you have to ask, it’s best that you leave it in the car or, better yet, at home. We are dedicated to providing a safe, fun, and educational experience for every visitor. Therefore, weapons of any kind, pepper spray, pocketknives, lighters, flashlights, alcoholic beverages, and any other potentially dangerous objects are not permitted inside the penitentiary.

We have a strict "no guns" policy, which means that even persons licensed to carry a firearm, including off-duty law enforcement officers, will not be permitted to bring their weapon into the penitentiary complex (and we can't hold them for you, either).

Eastern State Penitentiary is a wonderful place to bring kids ages seven and up. Our Eastern State Challenge booklet, free with admission for kids, provides an engaging scavenger hunt throughout the prison complex.

Eastern State is not recommended for children under the age of seven. The building is in a state of semi-ruin and can pose safety hazards to unattended children. There are also some audio tour stops that contain adult content. (These stops are appropriately marked.) Although we do not offer programming for children under the age of seven, they are welcome to visit and their admission is complimentary.

Eastern State Penitentiary offers a wide range of services for our patrons. For information on ADA accessibility, service animals, captioning, ASL interpretation, sensory-friendly touch tours, and other accommodations, please visit our Accessibility page. 

Our staff is available to assist all guests to the best of their ability.

If you have additional concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact our administrative offices at [email protected] or (215) 236-3300.

Thousands of visitors tour Eastern State Penitentiary every week without incident.

That said, Eastern State Penitentiary was abandoned for more than 20 years and remains in a state of semi-ruin. Visitors should exercise caution and stay within the clearly marked public areas. Ground surfaces can be uneven, and stone edges can be sharp. Please watch children carefully, as the building can pose safety hazards to unattended children. For visitors’ safety, the penitentiary complex is monitored by a closed circuit surveillance system.

Download our public statement regarding lead-based paint hazard.

Our daytime tour programming is not meant to provide a scary experience. Most visitors find the historic cellblocks to be surprisingly beautiful.

The tour content can be disturbing at times, but our goal is to explain and interpret the penitentiary’s complex history, to place current issues of corrections and justice in an historical framework, and to provide a public forum where these issues are discussed.

If you’re interested in a more immersive, theatrical experience, you'll enjoy our annual fall fundraiser Halloween Nights at Eastern State Penitentiary, which features five haunted houses plus historic tours, themed lounges, live performances, and more. Halloween Nights raises funds for the year round historic preservation and educational interpretation of Eastern State Penitentiary and does not affect daytime operation of the historic site.

Many people believe that Eastern State Penitentiary is haunted. As early as the 1940s, officers and prisoners reported mysterious visions and eerie experiences in the ancient prison.

The penitentiary has been featured on the Travel Channel’s Most Haunted Live, Ghost Adventures, and Paranormal Challenge; Fox Television’s World’s Scariest Places; TLC’s America’s Ghost Hunters; and MTV’s FEAR. Footage captured on the second tier of Cellblock 12 by paranormal investigators during filming of SyFy’s Ghost Hunters may be the most controversial ghost sighting in history.

During the filming of Paranormal Challenge, host Zak Bagans called Eastern State Penitentiary “one of the most haunted places in the world.” Jack Osbourne, host of the Travel Channel’s Portals to Hell, agreed. After filming the series, he noted, “Eastern State Penitentiary really freaked me out… The place is terrifying… Easily one of the most haunted places I’ve ever been.”

Paranormal investigations (including the use of EVP recorders or other pieces of paranormal investigation equipment) are not permitted at Eastern State Penitentiary. While we know this is an area of interest for many, our mission drives our work. At this time, we are focusing our resources on maintaining and expanding programs that explore the penitentiary's history and connections to contemporary criminal justice reform.

Eastern State does not allow third parties to conduct unauthorized events or sell tickets to the general public. Any persons conducting unauthorized events will be asked to leave the site without a refund. 

Thank you for your understanding!