Missouri State Penitentiary, Jefferson City MO

Awesome experience for everyone in the family. So fascinating and my kids loved it. I wasn't sure if they would (middle school aged) because it's like a museum, which doesn't always fly for them. But the stories were interesting, they loved how 'creepy' parts of it were as well as looking in the cells. It was a great time! We'd love to go back for the ghost tours.

I got to go do the ghost tour it was a bit crowded though which made it a bit different to see things or take good pictures but it was a fun tour and this was a birthday gift to me so yeah it was fun just a bit crowded

You have to come at 10 a.m. Or a little before because it's an accompanied visit, then the doors are closed. It lasts 2 hours and it's really worth the detour. Seeing the largest prison in the country until 2004 is something to see. You can even see the gas chamber where different criminals were executed, see the cell of several criminals.it is a piece of American history that you must see.

I love this place and findnit so interesting and historic. Me and my boyfriend have went here twice togerther and everytime I was never bored and was so amazed by everything

Very cool place. We did the overnight tour. Tour guides were great, knowledgeable, but also left you alone so you could do your own thing.

We had an excellent time! Our guide, Matthew, was very knowledgeable and funny! We could have easily listened to him talk about the history for another 2 hours. This is the second time I have gone and learned so much new information. Also we recommend going to the museum before the tour.

Even if you're not into the whole paranormal thing; the sheer barbaric history of this place is staggering. If you're into ghosts, I can't think of a better place to visit. 1200 dead prisoners, at the hands of the state and otherwise, must leave some kind of psychic smear. The staff and our guide were awesome; we're already planning on an overnight with the ghost hunting crew.fingers crossed!

I cannot recommend touring the Missouri State Penitentiary enough. Our guides, Randy and Jim did an amazing job, both very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions.

Before you go, get your tickets on line in advance. They go quick.

Arrive early. Get checked in and visit the giftshop. Many interesting photos and information on the walls to keep you entertained until your tour starts. It's also a good time to get to know your guides and ask them a few questions.

Keep in mind there are limited bathroom facilities on site
(think porta potties) plan accordingly.

There are a lot of stairs, be ready to go up and down them
(trust me, it's worth it.)

If you visit in the summer, it will be hot and humid. Sometimes, VERY HOT AND HUMID! Water is available in the giftshop, I recommend getting a couple before your tour starts.

I took the two hour history tour. In the future I plan on returning to do one of the longer tours. There is still a lot left for me to explore here and I'm already eager to return.

Very musty but is exactly what you would expect from a 20 year old building, we did the midnight ghost tour and didn't hear or see anything but it was definitely an experience I enjoyed

My family enjoyed the entire 3 hour tour. Our guide has plenty of interesting facts and stories. One of the guides worked at the penitentiary before it closed, which made for a great experience. I highly recommend visiting if you are interested or slightly curious. There is so much criminal history and the establishment of Jefferson City. It was amazing to hear how self sustainable the place was when it was fully functional.

We went for a 2 hour ghost tour during the week and had an awesome time. Anyone who's a skeptic won't be after you visit here.

Our guide, Jenny, was super into it. She knew her stuff, and she was happy to share. She also took great pride in making grown men scream. Which was hilarious.

We had several experiences with the paranormal on our tour. We saw the most activity in the oldest building on sight and felt the most on death row. Though I wonder if that was because I had brought my own ghost hunting/conducting gear to the prison.

If you can, I definitely recommend bringing at least a pendulum. We were allowed to use our equipment when we had 5 minutes of free time in each building. They also offer ghost hunting tours once a week. Unfortunately, we could not be there for one of those.

Go on this tour! Totally worth the time and money! Michael was so informative and entertaining. We really enjoyed our tour and learning about the history of the prison.

Personally, i would not recommend this tour.i did the history tour and it was the most boring tour i’ve been on simply because of the tour guide.the ghost tours at night or the photography tour probably would’ve been much more interesting.there were informative parts of the tour but our tour guide made it so incredibly dull by talking about the architecture, her personal life, and simply irrelevant topics.she also repeated details frequently to the point where it was redundant.i would also like to note that at the end of the tour if you would like to see parts of the penitentiary, you need a car to get there.we didn’t have a car when we went because we took the train and walked.this was not addressed to us prior.if you like to be lectured for two hours straight and allowed to interact with only two things, this tour is for you.

Michael was our tour guide and he was amazing at all the informational history that he knew about the prison, super friendly and positive experience from start to finish, I highly recommend to anyone, Michael and James were amazing guides and you can tell that they both are super passionate about what they do.

We had an absolute blast! Our history tour guide was the best and very knowledgeable. We will be going back and 10/10 recommend to everyone. Only thing I regret is not writing down his podcast channel!

We have been all over the world in our travels and Michael was one of the best tour guides we have ever had. The walk through of MPS was interesting but he made it an experience! We love the history that is being kept alive for the current and future generations. The 2 hour History Tour is worth going out of your way for.

Very interesting informative tour, our tour guide Randy was great. Randy was knowledgeable and friendly. Highly recommend taking this tour.