Cell Block

Unique bar experience for sure. Bar is inside a Century old prison. We went on Saturday night while they had a Halloween costume party. We are from out of town and had to see the place. They have a bus they use to pick up college kids from the local dorms. Average age of the hundreds of kids was probably 21-23. Us, 49. We stayed for 2 drinks and a look around. The bucket drinks were cheap and tasty. It was fun. Definitely like no other bar I've ever been to.

I usually always have such a fun time coming here with my girlfriends. Last time I went however I did not have a great experience with the lady bartender upstairs. Really pretty, but really mean girl. Short, brown hair, wears lots of makeup.. she’s very pick and choose, who she wants to serve. I being a female asked her very politely for a drink; her response was “I’ll get to you.” Then looks me up and down as if I was a piece of trash. I waited, and waited. And waited. Until eventually I realized she was just having fun flirting and serving the guys and totally disregarded me… so I had to get a guy to order my drink, and she served it right away…… I gave her the benefit of the doubt she had an “order” to serving, but after asking one of my guy friends to get me a drink, and proceeded to make it right away I knew she was being inconsiderate and plain out rude. Not a good bartender. If you’re gonna favor one guest over another for no reason at all, she shouldn’t be a bartender. Me being a past bartender, I would never treat anyone that way. Especially a paying guest. Nasty little girl. The owner has since replied to my comment. She definitely wasn’t blonde.. if she is it’s recently done or fake blonde, she had brown eyes and looked Latina. I definitely didn’t imagine it or make her up for fun. Hopefully she quit or got fired if you don’t know who I’m talking about. She wore a tube top and was pretty small chested.

Went on a Saturday night and the were pretty dead for a club. The bar is limited on what they have for basic popular cocktails. Although if they don't know a drink recipe they will look it up.

Manager is a complete racist. He will find any reason to kick a black person out. Apparel rules aren’t posted they just don’t like something they claim you can’t come in. And they are picky and choosey on who for no reason. Very picky on black guys and what they wear: it’s like they’re offended.

Okay place but they do sell alcohol to underaged students/people. Cannot enjoy a bar without knowing they serve alcohol to underaged people. They accept fake IDs.

Great club, drinks are decently priced and the servers know what they're doing. Security and staff are always on point and get flak by idiots for doing their jobs well.

If you like people in their 30s acting like they are in high school this place is for you. The Vibes are always off. 3 years ago to now has not changed one bit. Drinks tasted as if water down or off, limited drinks to Order. Overall not a place to recommend unless you just truned 21.

It's a club. It's fine. Often too packed. Bathrooms aren't the greatest, frequently wet floors, have seen people slip and fall in there. Prices are fine. It'd be nice if there was a shelf along the banister upstairs, so you could go to a less crowded area and be able to sit drinks down somewhere while overlooking the 1st floor.

Probably the worst experience I have ever had. Came into town to visit my girl friend and we decided to go for the Halloween special (5$ trash cans). We went to the bar on the right most side and waited for 45 min only for the bar tender to tell us she did not serve the trash cans on that side. (NOTE: The other bar was not busy. The bar tender did not have the required drink on hand to finish the other customers order and made everyone wait while she filtered with the customers waiting for security to bring her the other drinks). We then proceeded to the other bar which was packed. We asked the bar tender for two drinks -- a miller light and a "trash can", but before even given the chance to specify which one he was off making the trash can drink. He then comes back and says it will be 17$. When we asked for the cost break down he specified that when we said trash can he assumed we meant the most expensive one on the menu and not the one that everyone else was order (the special). When we asked him to rectify this he threatened to get security to kick us out (we didn't even want our money back just the other trash can because he decided to pick the WORST DRINK ON THE MENU). On the upside a very nice security guard was kind enough to refund us the money for our drinks out of his OWN POCKET. If you are coming from out of town and need a place to go DO NOT COME here, the bartender makes it a scam.

For a small city, it's worth it cause it can't and won't get better than this. Drinks are cheap and the staff are friendly just don't ever get there too early lol

Bartender at the upstairs bar told me to keep holding up my dollar on dollar drink night because my " whole group" wasn't tipping him.... I was there for my first time in years with my daughter I made it a point to hand him $5 for a tip on my 4 $1 drinks and said I'm sorry we're not all made of money and he literally said "Well maybe you shouldn't be out at a bar!" WTF

This place is bad news. My female friends did not feel safe and I totally understand why. It got to the point my friend and I were taking turns watching their drinks and walking them to the bathroom so as to never leave them alone. The reputation this place has is deserved. Sloppy drunks fighting on the dance floor. Predatory guys with a chip on their shoulder and a bone to pick. The kicker though was the gross cat calls from the bouncer and cop stationed in front. Sadly even such a potentially cool space when down town it's definitely worth skipping out on their cheep drinks for a better night elsewhere.

Its a good place but I'd have to say watch out for some of the female bartenders. They will overcharge the FUCK out of you if you open a tab. I had 80 bucks to spend I got 6 pitchers of rum n coke. Thats 42 bucks plus 5mix drinks at $4 a pop that was 20. Last I checked 42 plus 20 is 62 not 75. Don't open a tab here EVER. Pay with cash or for each individual drink or you might get ripped off.

Despite the fact that I am the oldest person in the club at the tender age of 26, I can't hate because I spent $12 on 4 beers and 4 shots. YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE AFTER ALL

Great times! Great space! Affordable drinks and the best dance spot in Williamsport. Go get locked up at The Cell Block!

I've been going to school in Williamsport for four years and have pretty much been here every night for the last two. Tuesday nights they have quarter drafts, Wednesday nights they have dollar well drink, Thursday night (18+) they have two dollar mixed drinks, Friday nights they have five dollar captain and coke pitchers and dollar fifty coors bottles, and Saturday nights they have quarter drafts, dollar well drinks, and two dollar 16 oz. bud lights. So, on a college budget, its awesome. There are three levels with at least one bar on each level and are all themed completely different. The basement usually has a live band usually playing rock music, the main level plays rap with a dance floor and lights everywhere, and the third floor is more of a lounge area with a live acoustic musician in the corner. There is also a like an atrium type deal so you can look down on the dance floor and be creepy. Oh yea...it's an old jail!

For the love of God get more bartenders. You host giant events and then have 2 bartenders while your customers wait 30+ minutes for 1 drink. Also... bathrooms...... please clean them.

I have to agree with Ryan S. in a higher rating for the cell block. It's the best bar in this town. The specials are as he listed, however, he forgot to mention that sometimes when college kids are at home the crowd can be a little sketchy and skeezy. The bartenders are usually pretty cool so make sure to tip them right! The three different levels will satisfy basically anything your in the mood for.. I usually like the basement with the live bands on Saturday night.. that is when the most people are there. During the week it's nice to just drink and not go crazy so the "up-upstairs" is nice for a good time and great drink specials! For those of you who love to dance then you will be glad to see that they have a nice lil dance floor on the middle floor and play pretty good music--decent DJs! Make sure to check up on up-coming events.. they have some pretty fun stuff like beer-pong tourneys and things like that. The crowd is usually people 21-30 (mostly 21-25)? Occasionally you find the creepy old man wandering around trying to shake it with the young ladies but it gets to be entertaining! But yes, it's fun, good specials, cool atmosphere!! Williamsport has the best Cell block (there is also State College & Erie) because it is in the original jail of the town--hence "Cell Block"! I'd recommend hitting it up if you are in the area and haven't yet!

Beggars can't be choosers when clubbing in Williamsport. It's good for what it is, and this history behind the building is very cool. They decorate for the holidays, and the specials are usually decent. The biggest concern at the Cell Block is safety, especially as a woman. You need to watch your drinks always. On one occasion, I witnessed a man with malicious intent trying to enter the women's bathroom and security got to him just in time. Sometimes they have the lower section opened for Country Night or to feature local bands. Definitely some drawbacks and it's pretty dirty and gross, but I still go every weekend.

Yeah, the crowd is young. And kinda skeevy. The indoor areas are uncomfortably smoky and the music ain't nothin' special. But the Cell Block is one badass behemoth of a place. It's hard not to have a good time exploring all of the floors, stairways, and courtyards in this giant prison-turned-night venue. For that reason alone, the Cell Block gets 4 stars. Oh, and word on the street is that Snoop Dogg/Lion came through here some time back. And the kids went crazy.

The building is the coolest thing about this place. I visited this place during my stay in Williamsport, and please note that I am only 23, but the crowd made my feel old. I'm certain that everyone around me was still in college and pre-gamed coming to the place even though they have $1 drinks on Wednesday (the night I went). The bartender that night was kind of a douche, but one of the bouncers was amazing and gave me a full tour of the building, the highlight of my venture there. Other than to see the inside or get cheap liquor on Wednesday nights, there's no real incentive to go, or in my case return. But thank you to the awesome bouncer who gave me the tour.

Walking back to my hotel I became too intrigued to not go in and check out this place. Earlier in the evening I was checking out the exterior architecture before I headed to the Bullfrog for dinner and several more drinks at the Brickyard. The Cell Block interior is pretty roomy on a Early June Wednesday Night. The place and all its party rooms are large. Since I was the only one over 25 in the place I felt a bit awkward. But my goal was to see the interior. Several bouncers were real cool to me and answered all my questions about the place and its history. They were also real accommodating and showed me all the rooms, even the off-limit areas. VIP tour!! I guess the usual customer here isn't all that interested in the history, architecture or business model. My favorite room is the live-music area and I'm sure some badass shows are performed there. Fellow Yelpers did a fantastic job of describing this club so other reviews should be read.

The crowd's young. Really young. The door staff trends on racist (veiling it in dress-codes that are seemingly selectively observed depending on skin color). The music's meh, and the overall environment, while entertaining with the jailhouse motif, leans more towards skeevy. I'd only go here if you're DESPERATE to dance. Or if you're white and in the 18-23 year old range and you don't mind a meat market.

The venue is both quite nice and very cool, a very large bar and club housed in an 1876 vintage jail which was the doorman told me was still an active jail until the 1990s. Some customers actually had been in jail there before! The big downer at 10 pm on a Thursday in June was the male- female ratio, counted about 30 young guys who were clearly mostly oil and gas industry workers and all of 2 (two) women. I guess the women were going to have an eventful evening if they wanted to. I left quickly. I assume when the local colleges are in session this situation improves, or maybe I was there the wrong night of the week

Great for a cheap, fun night, ive been here plenty of times and have never had a boring night. They have some great live bands upstairs sometimes and a live dj on saturdays. This is the perfect place for people when they are having a boring weekend to spice it up a bit. Extremely cheap drink prices, cant beat it

This place pours cheap liquor into their top shelf liquor bottles. I won't name brands as I have worked in the liquor industry for a handful of years but know when bottles have been re-used like this. Taste was wayyyyy off from what I drink 6 nights a week. illegal!!! I had high expectations for this place as I was told by numerous locals this was the place to be on a Saturday night. Upon first arriving, building was beautiful and the venue is setup in a respectable manor that provokes fun. I wish the Dj was closer to the crowd as 50% of a djs job is crowd interaction. Speaking of the Dj......wow! One of the worst I have seen/heard in a long long time. He did not know how to use his serato Dj software at all and had a hard time transitioning between songs. Literally would just end one and start another. Switching from sisqo thong song to spice girls and then the Hansen brother. Terrible music selection. I guess my standards are high coming from Los Angeles and I'm spoiled with great night life but I would not recommend this place to anyone who knows what liquor is in their glass by the taste or appreciates the art of a good Dj. I wish I had videos of the people dancing. Lol. Great venue though. Bar rescue needed!!

My last experience was likely my worst, a girl from a upper balcony spilled her drink on a friend, when I talked to a bouncer about it a different bouncer was seen throwing a cup over the balcony to the crowd. (I was later lied too and given an expiation that it was just a piece of ice that the bouncer threw why was he throwing anything becomes my thought process at this point) when I asked to talk to management Anthony the head manager told me that I was in the wrong and none of his staff would do such things and no one ever spills drinks over the balcony. I was dismissed from the Club after one drink for being drunk and irrational) I believe it was because they would like to continue the reputation of being a night club with poor customer service. There are far better clubs in the city of Williamsport that are more then happy to provide a great experience in a clean safe friendly environment and even have stellar customer service something the cell block lacks.

First of All,.....They named it correctly. The place is an old Prison. They did a heck of a great job converting it into a Night Club. The prices for drinks and food are very affordable for everyone.....especially college students. Drinks range from 25 cents to 3.00. Ages of customers range from 21 to 26....with a few college students parents roaming around on some weekends. During the weekends, it is mostly college students unwinding and getting stupid drunk on their cheap happy hour prices. I was amazed with the building and how well they kept everything in tact from the prison. The Cell blocks, holding cells, tunnels, court yard, and even the look out balcony that oversee's the dance floor were pretty fasinating. Too bad I didn't have a camera along to take pictures of this magnificent piece of architecture. I enjoyed celebrating with my daughter and family at her favorite College hangout. Since she just Graduated with a Biology Degree from Lycoming College. Thank You for giving her a safe place to unwind on weekends.

Best night club! Such a cool place to walk around in, staff is so nice, drinks are cheap and tasty! Definitely going back.

The Cell Block is a decent place to go, granted it's one of only TWO real Dance Clubs in Williamsport. The people who go there is what brings the place down a notch from my viewpoint, especially on Thirsty thursday let's-see-all-the-immature-underages-act-like-idiots-and-try-to-sneak-drinks, 18 and up night. I wish the bouncers would do a little more to control the ignorant people on any given night. I've had beer spilled on me by ridiculously drunk teeny-bopper girls and it's annoying. I try to stay at the little bar upstairs with the live music or the lower level where there's usually a decent band playing. The pool tables are crappy but it's not like I go there to shoot pool. The other thing is the DJ there sucks. I've been DJing for almost 10 years, and my 8-year-old daughter could do what that guy is doing. Overall the Cell Block isn't that bad, juts could be a lot better. Kudos to them for doing the summer fest Service Industry Appreciation Night. went very well and was a good time had by all.

The cell block has the worst music selection!!! If you have gone to dollar drinks on Wednesday twice you can easily memorize the entire track list. It's a pathetic line up from the 2000s with little to NO recent music. I have attempted to request newer music from the DJ and each time he either doesn't know the music or says it's "too hood". He isn't even a DJ he pretty much hits the play button and the same lame music plays.