Kingston Penitentiary

Did the 1.5 hour tour. I enjoyed it though would have loved to learn more about prisoners day to day life, seen more photos and seen more of the old part of the prison. My favourite part was the props they set up in the original cells and hearing from a past CO. Tour guide Anne was wonderful, very informative and articulate. The architecture was amazing! I love history so I enjoyed this a lot. I felt it was a bit expensive given the tour itself was a tad underwhelming. I’d recommend it but personally probably wouldn’t go again.

Took the 2.5 hour extended tour and it was well worth it. Maude was our tour guide and she was amazing. She was approachable and friendly and had a wealth of knowledge to share. The retired COs were great too, sharing their experiences and answering all of our questions. Can't recommend this enough for those who enjoy Canadian history. Keep in mind that they can't disclose info on some of the high profile former prisoners, their info is protected by privacy laws. The extended tours have smaller groups, so if you can afford it, splurge for that one. Lots of opportunity for questions and extra info.

We took the extended tour. It was an interesting tour. Would have liked to see more of the old parts of the prison. Not very interested in the newer areas Like the library and classrooms . For they are just empty rooms . Same with the work areas . They where all empty rooms .. there are just a few cells that have been set up to look like someone just left them that way Would have been nice to see some props and more photos throughout the tour. Maybe a few more stories and show what prison life was like for these prisoners throughout the years and how things had changed . Maybe have some contraband, hand made tools or weapons for display Our tour guide was very well informed and well rehearsed. Very Friendly Definitely had some interesting facts But you can definitely tell it's a federal prison. They didn't want to tell you to much or show you to much...lol The architecture is stunning though . So much hard labour went into these buildings . Those would be interesting stories. They touch on this. But that's about it The museum is across the road and was closed at four . So we missed that. Kinda thought that it should have been in the main prison. But that's our fault for not checking into that. Gift shop had a few interesting novels . That was a plus. But t-shirts , hats and other trinkets where all low quality for a not so low quality price. I would have gladly bought a ball cap but they were low quality hats for $25 . Would I take the tour again ? Probably not But I am glad that I did take it. It was fairly interesting . And hey.. it was a nice day out with my wife 💕

Savannah our tour guide was awesome! When we found out she's been doing the job for two months we were blown away. Would have known, professional, funny, and informative. She made the extended tour worth the money and time spend. We learned more than we expected

I will start my review saying that I am a big fan of the Prison Break television series. Now you know why I chose to visit Kingston Penitentiary. We booked a 1.5-hour standard tour of the penitentiary in advance. We got to learn about the Kingston Penitentiary history, life of inmates, stories from the Correctional Services Officers, and some really interesting escape stories. Our tour guide Dave is awesome. He narrated the stories so well that I wished the tour lasted forever. He has a good sense of humor too. It was one of the best tours I have ever had. It's definitely worth visiting. But yes, as interesting as it sounds from my review, some stories were dark to listen to. Some areas in the penitentiary had dark stories tied to as well.

Probably the best tour I have attended of a historical site. Why? Because the guides are former workers: prison guards, a hairdresser and a mental health support worker who shared their personal experiences. Their stories are told with raw emotion and it captures your imagination.

I took the extended tour. It didn't feel like 2.5 hrs. It was very interesting. I really liked that they had former guards tell stories about their time working there. The guide was very informative.

I enjoyed the tour very much. Very interesting history and informative. The tour guide was amazing. Not only did he do a great job, he came in on his day off. I recommend the tours to everyone.