Being a Johnny Cash fan, we had to make a short drive to Folsom Prison and learned a lot. There were items. including items made by prisoners, from the old prison and an section on Johnny Cash. We were fortunate to be able to talk a good while to an gentleman who had worked at the prison years ago and now worked at the visitor center. From the parking lot both the prison and the guard towers are visible, but you cannot get close. When we knew we would be in the area we had to make a stop.
This was a no brainer for my family and i as we are all country and rockabilly music fans with a particular interest in Johnny Cash, we also love history so this place ticks all the boxes, we arrived right on closing time and the prison guard at the gate was polite and helpful, no power trip at all, he explained we had arrived upon closing and probably miss out, but after my wife explained that we had traveeld across the globe to get here, he opened up for us for an hour on our own, what a Gentleman! This place is not for everyone with a bit of a macabre feel, but we loved it, amazing displays and times made from prisoners, to stand where JR once stood and played was a real blast
museum only had a few artifacts and newspaper articles and a small sample of a cell. No access to the actual prison - no tours available
We visited the museum when we were passing by Folsom. The museum is small (just 3 rooms), but so is the price. They have some interesting artifacts and Johnny Cash related info here. The teen in the family liked this place, too. A lot of info about prison, prison breaks, prison artifacts etc. Outside you can take a picture of the prison, real Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison style. It was a cloudy day, but I can imagine that when it is sunny, you can take even better pics. And I loved the semi wild turkeys wandering in the area. Guards were really nice and helpful. We though first that we were in the wrong place since the museum is next to the prison and we could not see it first from the parking lot.
A lot of information and objects packed in a few small rooms. Would give it 4 stars if the museum actually had more space to show all the things they have in a more professional way.Lovely (volunteer) staff and absolutely worth a visit.
We were in Folsom visiting a son and his family. A visit to the Folsom Prison Museum was suggested as an afternoon activity. We ranged in age from 70 down to 5 and all seemed interested but in different things. The museum is small and run by volunteers. There is a small charge of $2.00 per person which we gladly paid and then donated additional to help the museum. The lady that conducted our tour was a retired guard and had some very interesting personal stories to tell and facts to relate. As has been said in other reviews, much info on Johnny Cash and his concert recorded here in Folsom. Some neat artifacts and collections of knives, guns, law enforcement patches, etc. If you are already in Folsom and have from 30 minutes to two hours to spare.....why not! We enjoyed our outing and ended up spending about an hour and a half here.
Folsom Prison is huge and sits on a wide expanse of land near Folsom Lake. The scenery is really impressive, so a drive around the perimeter is something worth doing if you're already in the area. One can't actually go inside the prison, but you can view the entrance from a short distance. The museum holds a fair amount of artifacts and has a good portion of info about the history of the prison, including Johnny Cash's visits (he was never a prisoner at Folsom, contrary to popular belief). The museum itself is nothing too extraordinary. It's actually very small & some of the info was obviously printed directly from a wiki site. However, the museum director was knowledgable and friendly. He was able to answer all questions. For $2, it was worth checking out. We were able to take a few photos of the outside of the prison. If you're a Johnny Cash fan, it's definitely worth a stop. You can see from a distance where Cash posed for a photo standing by East Gate.
30 minutes is all you need to swing by and learn some pretty cool trivia. Johnny Cash fans will certainly enjoying learning about where one of the man in black's greatest live albums was recorded. We actually started walking down the hill toward the prison gates are and were stopped and told to turn around!
great to see and would say a 'must see' if you are in the area.However it feels really small and consists of a few cabinets of artifacts from the prisons history and some pictures mostly revolving around johnny cash. There were a few bigger items such as a ferris wheel made of tooth picks. Would have been better to be able to go in a cell or see more of what the actual prison was like rather than just a few items taken out of the prison over the years.but for the entry price of $2 it was definetly a fair price.
They have a great tribute to Johnny Cash. Very cool exhibits. It is a small museum but only 2.00 and you get bragging rights. Lots of books, t shirts, etc. The noon siren will blow so if you are there at noon don't panic. LOL.