My family and I visited Eastern State Penitentiary for Halloween 2013 (the review wouldn't let me choose a date that far back). It was better than any Haunted House we'd ever been to. The actors are great and visitors are processed along in such a way that you don't get bunched up with a lot of people which is the problem with a lot of other Halloween venues. If you're shoved into large groups the first people in the group get to be scared and everyone behind them is let down. We were sent through as a family, just the 3 of us, and the 'fright' was all ours, LOL. What's nice is that they give you the option of having the actors touch you or not touch you, which is indicated by you wearing (or not wearing) a glow necklace that they provide. We opted for the necklace for the ultimate experience and weren't disappointed. Side note: we've also visited the penitentiary for their regular self guided tour and it is really quite interesting. The place has an overall eery feel to it, and we all agreed that having Steve Buscemi as the speaker of our pre-recorded tour was an excellent choice
Tons of history!!! A prison in the middle of the city!! Nice audio self guided tour. Do not let it end there as there much other walking around you can do. My son who did not want to go because it be boring loved it.
Visited twice before: always an amazing and educating experience to observe the operation and conditions of this historic detention facility. Previously there were only "guided tours"; now the majority are "audio" which have less of a personal touch and commentary anecdotes.
那天去参观东方州立监狱还是相当有意思的。自助的语音导游不错,信息量也够。我们在那里时,也有一些有导游的团,由于时间有限我们没有加入任何一个。如果说某一地方特别有趣的话,我想导游肯定会讲解的很详细,很有意思。 我们在里面逛了3个小时,然后在街边的Jack's Firehouse吃了一些美味的饭菜。这个地方禁止7、8岁以下的儿童参观,可能是太阴森了,儿童不宜吧。我们最大的孩子13岁了,她想看这里。如果来费城。一定要来这里玩玩。
This historic facility was amazing. I learned alot about the roots of the corrections system in this country and visited a possibly haunted place that looks as if it should be a castle in Europe. Parts of the facility are restored and parts are in partial ruin, adding to the mysterious allure. It was interesting to see the cell where Al Capone did time.
If you are in or around Philadelphia this is a must do tour. Was very interesting and informative. Take the audio tour and walk around was an awesome couple of hour. After take the 15 walk to the Rocky Statue
这是我第一次来东方州立监狱,也是第一次使用语音导游。虽然错过了导游带的团,但是这次语音导游也特棒。阳光明媚的时候,这个地方并不那么阴森恐怖;但若是阴天的话,我觉得会令人毛骨悚然。他们禁止7岁以下儿童入内,但是我看到一个5岁左右的小孩在那里听着语音游玩。如果你们一行有人被吓着了,那就让他在东方州立监狱里数“angel cats”吧。
There are some places you visit for fun or to escape (Disney, Vegas). Others because they're uplifting (e.g., our nation's cathedrals). This is neither. This is one of those places you visit to learn, perhaps to dramatize to your children a particular lesson or to learn more about what makes US (while still a comparatively altruistic and compassionate nation) one which nonetheless can still improve. The prison, or penitentiary (and you will learn that semantics are indeed important) dates to the mid-1800's and at the time was one of the first buildings in the US to have heat and light (before the White House!). It was to serve as a model for how a prison could be constructed to address the fundamental cause of crime and to reform the criminals so as to return them to society in a more productive way. They provide you audio headsets which don't always work (both my wife and I had to exchange our units at various times) and there are 10 suggested and additional optional stops along the complex. Only a handful of the buildings are open to tour but you will definitely get the gist. Charles Dickens at the time is said to have noted that there were two things he wished to see when he visited US: Niagara Falls and the Eastern State Penitentiary. Be warned, the buildings have neither heat nor air conditioning. We visited on a rather cold March morning and, although we were dressed warmly, were utterly freezing by the time we were done less than an hour later. Had we known, we would have brought scarves and gloves. In the courtyard stands a graphic which connects the past to the present. It visually displays the significant increase of the prison population in the US and then compares it to the other countries who imprison large numbers of their population. In this regard, the US is indeed #1 - by a dishearteningly large number. We imprison 700 people per 100,000 citizens. The next 3 worst countries - Rwanda, Georgia and Russia - imprison around 500. It's a sobering but necessary place to visit.
It was snowing but our plan was to see the penitentiary. Glad we did. The self guided audio tour, coupled with the detailed map made it easy to find our way around. Since it was snowing and cold, not many people were out, so we got to experience the place without a crowd. Also the snow helped make an the eerie effect. Highly recommend a trip here.
东方州立监狱建于19世纪初,于20世纪中叶关闭。带着耳机听着录音,你自己就可以参观那些广场和不同的牢房区。你也可以报有导游的旅游团。我很喜欢恶魔岛,而且发现这次自助游也是特好玩的。花那些时间逛的很值。2个小时我还是要好好计划的。成人票是22美元。这个景点最适合成人,但如果你想让孩子长见识的话,那也可以带他们来。