Old Joliet Prison

This old prisoner in Joliet was a very enjoyable experience. The tour is self guided. There are spots of the prison that you have to be careful not to trip because there are several hazards scattered throughout. There’s a ton of history on this property. I would recommend this to any history buff or for anyone looking wanting a unique experience. We took our time and it took about 90 minutes to walk through the property.

Very cool to be taken back in time. The experience was very worth the 1 hrs drive. Ironically, the west cell house was open, which was the gallery I worked. The 1 gallery in the house was open for viewing. I worked that gallery on many assignments. Thank you for the fulfilling experience! I enjoyed it, the chaperones were in contact with us most the way through and we're very helpful.

This is my second visit to the Old Joliet Prison, and every visit feels special. I learn something new each time. This time, I brought my family along. The experience is like taking a walk back in time—the transformation and renovations are well documented. The employees are always very helpful, knowledgeable, and clearly passionate about their work. Austin was the one who helped us, and he was awesome. Keep it up, Austin—you’re wonderful!

It’s a beautiful historical site to explore. They have self guided tour (easy) as well as guided tour (available certain months). You can definitely feel the vibe of the inmates lifestyle

Very interesting tour. We did the self guided tour, which took about 1 1/2 hours to complete. They also have a flashlight tour at night and guided tours on weekends. We booked our tour online for 11am. When we arrived, there was no line and not a lot of people. You get the full run of the prison yard, and stuff that is closed off to the public is well marked. You can not go to the hospital because the structure is not stable. If you were interested in seeing where John Wayne Gacy was held this was the only place he was and he was at Joliet for less than 24 hours. He had a stomach issue and Joliet was the only prision in the area that had an x-ray machine. This is also where part of the movie The Blues Brothers was filmed. You enter/exit through the same gate that John Belushi exited at the start of the movie. Lots of movie memorabilia around the prision. They also filmed a lot of the show Prison Break here. In the North Seg building is a hole in the concrete floor which simulated the tunnel that was dug in the show. Also, there are 2 pay phones in the exercise yard that were used a lot during the filming of the show. You can not go to the higher floors of the cell blocks as the structure is old. We spent about $45 for the tour tickets. They have a small gift shop with the normal tourist fare (T-shirts, magnets, etc). You can also take "mug shots" and take photos with mannequins of the Blues Brothers in the gift shop.

Very cool experience. We did a self guided tour, but they also offer night flashlight tours and twilight tours. Now that would be cool. The staff was knowledgeable and friendly, would definitely recommend!

If you are local (and even if not), you MUST check Old Joliet Prison out!! This was an incredible historic location to spend a few hours learning about life in the prison. It is a pretty heavy place for sure standing in the buildings, cellblocks etc that are dripping with history, heavy feelings and frankly creepiness all around. So much to see here. Being in the solitary cell block where prisoners were kept before they were put to death just steps away was a very sobering experience for sure. The entire place looks like it's straight out of a Hollywood movie, except it's real, not a set. Great value too as it was only like $22 bucks per adult as I recall and like $11 for kids. The staff that drive around on their golf carts are very helpful and a great source of knowledge for you to ask questions of! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! We will go back for sure.

This place is crazy cool, especially for all the prison break fans. I took the self guided tour but asked a few questions to some of the guides, who were very friendly and knowledgeable. Even if you’re not a prison break fan, this place is a must see if you’re in the Joliet/Chicago area.

Calling all Prison Break fans! If you're in the area, this place is a must-visit. We did the self-guided tour, which was perfect because it gave us the freedom to wander around at our own pace and find all the specific spots from the show that we wanted to see. We found the hole in the guard room and even got to stand in the yard where Michael first spots Lincoln--talk about a surreal experience! There's also a guided tour available, and I'd definitely be interested in coming back for that to dive deeper into the history behind the old prison. Whether you're a fan of the show or just into cool historic sites, this place is worth checking out!

Really cool. I recently did the evening tour which ends when the sun is almost gone for the day. The guided tour itself is really informative, you get 90 minutes of history and walk a total of about a mile inside the old prison grounds. You get to walk inside the West cellblock and a few other buildings. Sadly, several of them were burned by morons during the period between 2003-2017 when this was totally vacant and unused. But funding comes in little by little to make repairs. The old portion of the prison was designed by the same architect who designed the famous Chicago water tower. There are some newer elements as renovations were done in the 1950s and 1990s. The docents are very knowledgeable and have good stories to tell about the infamous former inhabitants of the prison. If you want to save a little money you can do a self guided tour as well.

Wow! This place is so great! Joliet has a rich history with this jail. What makes this place unique is it was a functioning prison until around 2002-ish. Meaning this is a newer facility for tours. Now the buildings are still rich with history and it's fantastic! Pros: So much history and you do get to enjoy a lot of unique areas. This place is massive! For being built in the 1800s, this place will show its age and history. Cons: Since there is a lot of renovations happening, there are also a lot of places that are off limits. Eventually more places will be open. However if you're wanting to see specific places, you won't know if they are open until you arrive. Overall this is a phenomenal experience. It will show you the history of the jail and even talk about the movies that were filmed here while it was still a jail. When we came here, we had to park in the main lot and then walk to the east gate. Keep in mind there is a lot of construction going on. So that entrance will probably change at some point. However after you enter the main entrance to check in for your tour, they will be able to help you find your way around. Overall this place is incredible and I'm excited to revisit again when all the renovations are done.

This Prison is very old and its worth the price for a self guided walk through. My wife and I came here because we enjoyed the TV Series "Prison Break: They filmed the first season here and this is the reason we came. Unfortunately, inside the walls of this Prison doesn't look anything like the Tv Series. If you watch the first season you will see the rooms and the court yard where the movie was filmed. You can't even access the Prison cell where the main actor was locked up, or the hospital office where the nurse treated him. The people who work here told us the film producers wont even respond to them about selling souvenirs to the fans of the TV Series. I am giving the Prison a 3 star because most of the prison you can't even tour which really sucks. If the producers read these comments. I am giving you a 1 star because you should get in touch with the Prison about selling souvenirs. You are losing a $h..t load of money by not doing it.

This was on our bucket list so we took the General History Tour, we are so glad we did! There are signs everywhere for the self guided tour but you get into some of the other areas through the tour so I highly recommend it! From start to finish, our tour guide was amazing! He was so full of information and was genuinely interested in the history of the prison and all the operations of it. It didn't seem like just a job to him, he was very knowledgeable about every aspect. We toured the grounds, several of the cell blocks, two different solitary confinements, the cafeteria and the chapel. Getting to go into the areas and really feel the history made a big difference rather than just walking around. You can see into everything though so if you don't have time for a guided tour, definitely do a self guided one. The gift shop has very minimal offerings, mostly Route 66 and Blue's Brothers items but we managed to find a giant brass key souvenir to add to our collection as we tour the country!

What a cool experience! They offer a variety of tours from self guided, to haunted history, to paranormal investigations (upon special request!). This place has not been fancied up. A lot of it is in shambles still so the entry fee is going to help make more areas safe for visiting. They explained that when it closed down they just locked up and left. There are old artifacts everywhere here, definitely showing that! But unfortunately being abandoned for a while also led to a lot of theft and graffiti. We paid for the haunted history tour and got to check out a bunch of different spots in the jail. I would say the area that felt most unusual to me was the chapel- the air was so thick and still in there. Nothing crazy happened to me during the tour but some other people claimed to have heard voices. Our tour guide was funny but knowledgeable and is confident this place is extremely haunted. The prison now hosts events on the grounds as well to raise money. It's worth a stop to check out this historic and haunted location!

First time coming here. I'm a person that loves history and nostalgia. This place offers alot when it comes to tours from daytime tours, flashlight tours and I suppose a ghost tour. For only $28 we got the flashlight tour and you only have access to a few buildings because alot of them are too dangerous to enter.... It is an abandoned building after all and it definitely looks beaten up.... I hope my money here and all the other local events featured here go toward fixing this place up. Please wear some heavy shoes because you might step into broken glass or a Puddle of water. Staff here doesn't bother you but there are plenty of things to read to get information. It's a shame that when this place got abandoned, it had plenty of graffiti.

We took our 17 year old granddaughter there. WOW! The tour was amazing. The guides were incredibly informative. we had a wonderful time and learned a lot. Our granddaughter talks about it all the time.

On our ventures of the city we were informed of this fine prison tour, unfortunately there were no guided tours this day. I really enjoyed the prison, we were able to check out several of the buildings. "The buildings smelled like history." Cindy Urzua.

Had the first tour of the season - staff was incredibly friendly and super informed. While the surrounding are certainly hard to see - definitely worth the time to spend understanding the history.

Still beyond cool. You have total freedom to walk the entire outer areas, around all buildings and walls. Going inside depends on your tour and the time of that tour. A little damp inside the prison with standing water, so dress accordingly. Not accessible for those who need level ground. I took about 2 hours wandering the huge prison. Make sure to switch to B and W for some old school vibes. Free parking btw. Check in at the Visitor Center at the end of the parking lot (it has the only inside plumbing!)

$20 admission to this old prison We walk around Taking pictures & videos My only complain is they don't have sm or lrg sizes on the blues brothers shirts

For us the top thing to do in Joliet is the Old Joliet Prison. It's worth the ticket price of $20 for a self-guided tour/roam around the entire prison. You can pretty much go in and explore all of the old buildings and jail cells. And they have some interesting signs posted with the history and information so you know what you're looking at. This prison held inmates from 1858 to 2002. It was also the filming location for the prison where Jake was released at the beginning of the The Blues Brothers!

I'm a big history buff, anything and everything about history I love to see. Illinois has a rich history and this place is a big part of it. This was the second prison opened in Illinois and has a rich history. The prison opened for tours in 2018 and it is a must see. This place is in motion picture history. The cult classic movie, The Blues Brothers was filmed here. Other movies like, White Heat, Let's Go to Prison and Derailed were filmed here as well. Many television shows such as Prison Break, Bones and Ghost Adventures. I attended the Guided History Tour which was excellent. The tour is an hour and a half so make sure you have your walking shoes on. Bring a bottle of water, (no food). You are allowed to take pictures but not to record the tour itself. They have many other tours such as a Haunted History Tour, The Guard Tour, Photography Tour and many more. I gave four stars instead of 5 because although, you're allowed to go inside some of the buildings, you can't go in all of them. Some were damage because of fire vandals and weather but I really wanted to go across the street and visit the women's prison.

Well this was a bucket list to visit since I discovered they turned this into a museum. I discovered they opened it last year since the other part of the prison which historically was the women's side for Joliet prison was now turned into a walk through haunted house venue for Halloween. I was invited or had gotten free admission from my elite privileges that October 31st that I attended and discovered when parking on the other side of the building that they also was giving regular historical tours. Moving a almost see your forward I decide to make this a bucket list. Although not as big as the other prisons that I've been to such as Alcatraz or Eastern State penitentiary it was worth learning about. Especially if you're into the paranormal stuff. Zack and Christine really facilitated explaining about the prison history. A lot of emphasis on the old movie with Dan aykroyd and Jim Belushi The blues Brothers which was filmed there back in the 80s and they actually use prisoners as extras. it was built prior before the civil war and it was interesting how they got a cistern or well water to provide clean water if not potable water for prisoners in the early times of the prison. Certain prison cells that they mentioned did give me the willies or heebie jeebies but then again it was getting close to darkness outside. Another TV or movie series which they use this building was called prison break so if you're a big prison break fan this is a bucket list to go through. Otherwise a good historical tour I wouldn't want to be the guides doing this but then again I wouldn't be doing this in any prison in general that's been abandoned or not being used

A fundraiser and (one-year delayed) 40th anniversary of the Blues Brothers movie was held over the weekend at the Old Joliet Prison which was built in 1858. The facility gives tours and has been working to raise money to restore it as an historical place. The Blues Brothers was filmed there in 1980. Great to see Jim Belushi and the Sacred Heart Band along with Dan Ackroyd and two original band members - Steve Cropper and Tom "Bones" Malone. Around 6,000 people turned out.

I very much enjoyed this visit. We took the self-guided tour. I'm sure the guided tour was nice also, but we preferred walking around on our own. There are informational signs posted everywhere. The staff were so nice and informative about everything also. I Would for sure recommend stopping by here. You don't have to have a reservation. You can buy tickets at the gate.

A MUST in Joliet! Would highly recommend taking the guided tour, if you can coordinate it with your schedule. The self guided tour relies on the use of signs around the property, but the tour guides are SO knowledgeable and give more information and stories than a sign can. The city of Joliet has done a great job of getting this property cleaned up for exploration and has great plans for the years ahead. There is so much history here!

Guard tour -- 100% worth it. Learn a lot about the prison and what took place from the guards. Very interesting. Haunted tour - dont even waste your money. Not what was advertised, horrible tour guide, very boring.

Really creepy and eerie i loved it. Highly recommended if you like ghost hunting/abandoned places:)

Excellent tour and very knowledgeable tour guides! Definitely recommend this tour if you're in the area.

If you watch "prison break" you will needed to come here! This place is so amazingly pretty, and scary. The staffs all very friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommend!

Had a complete blast! The two guards Mike and Ron were so personal and friendly, with such amazing stories of their old prison guard jobs at joliet prison. We went with a whole group of family, 9 of us, and it was a wonderful time with all our questions being answered about prisoners and personal stories. Great time! Wonderful for friends and families.

Finally made it for one of the tours that they offer here now. They have a couple of different tours at various prices. We opted for the picture tour for fifty dollars per visitor. When you arrive at the prison, you meet in the parking, sign some waivers, and given the do's and don'ts. The picture tour lets you roam around the prison grounds to look around and take pictures for four hours. And the best part, you are on your own. Due to the fact that the prison is still in rough shape, you not allowed full access to some buildings. They have a couple of guides who are positioned around the place to keep an eye on things. They also tell you that if you break the rules, out you go! It is a primitive site, with no place to get food or drink and they have a couple of portable toilets out back. There is no electricity or water on the site, so buildings are dark. So if you are going to explore some of the open buildings, bring a flashlight. The guides that were working during our visit were very talkative. They have a lot of knowledge of the prison and know some good stories to tell. They do talk about the movie The Blues Brothers and will point out where some of the scenes were filmed. The other tours offered are a guided group tour, a ex guard tour, and a Halloween tour. If I d go back, it will be for the Halloween tour.

Gotta be quick like a jailbreak. Locked up tight but if I come away with a cool fact or two, I'm happy. We all know "Blues Brothers" filmed here. Signage indicates the other movies/tv that were. Cool fact: (and it was good that it was laid out there for me because I was thinking it HAD to be!) same architect as The Water Tower building downtown on Michigan Ave. Boyington is the name and he used the same material here too: limestone. It's worth a detour if you're in the area. What do you want for "free" anyway. Hopefully they create a new life for it. Property: "State of Illinois."

If you're a Blues Brothers fan, or have visiting friends who are, of course you are going to come check this place out at some point! Sadly, there's not a lot to see. The prison is shut down, and they surprisingly haven't done anything with tours etc. (though over in downtown Joliet I got a magnet with the prison on it at the Route 66 Museum). There are a few placards with information outside but that's it. The architecture is amazing, from the outside anyway, especially for something with such a utilitarian function. Wish there was more to see, but it gave a thrill to a few of my movie buff visitors that we could even stop by!

Zach made the Old Joliet Jail come alive with many facts, stories and his great knowledge of the area and jail. He was responsive to questions and very aware of our needs and safety. It's a shame so many of the buildings are in such bad shape and have been so heavily vandalized and weather damaged but take a tour to see this amazing place anyway. Highly recommend the tour and Zach as a guide. Maybe we can all help get the Old JCC on register of historic places and thus get grants to help the OJJ historic group do some restoration.

Recommend - you are given a lot of access during this 1.5hr tour! Guide was knowledgeable and took us through every building that was still "safe" to enter. Saw the cellblock, hospital, chapel, classrooms, and industrial/work buildings. Offered up anecdotes about the former inmates and administration as well. There is a lot of walking and some uneven surfaces - just look where you're going.

The Old Joliet Prison is an awesome historical building with Gothic architecture. It was built in 1858 and closed in 2002. It is located on Route 66. Just before you reach it, you will see a sign 'Get Locked Up... At the Old Joliet Prison'. Then you enter the parking lot under a 'Huge, Steel and Barbed Wire' sign. You can't go inside the prison, but you can read the 8 informational signs or walk all the way around the outside of the prison. The Prison was featured in 'The Blues Brothers' movie and in the first season of TV's 'Prison Break'. I now live in California, but visit family every year near Chicago. I love driving the Archer route through the forest preserve, and I always seem to end up at the Old Joliet Prison. It's such a cool building to experience in person!

After surfing Yelp for some things to do in the area we saw this interesting prison and decided to pay it a visit. When we showed up we were expecting the prison to be a bit more accessible, but it was nice to take a few minutes to read the information on the outer fence. While we were there we had the chance to watch a "sale" in the parking lot which added a layer of fun to the mix but overall we expected more. This prison would have received a 4 or 5 star rating if they had a tour or something along those lines.

We did the tour that was led by former guards and it was fantastic! Worth every penny! Mike and Ron are informative, funny, and engaging. I would recommend this to anyone, whether your interest is history, architecture, true crime, or you're just looking for a few hours of solid entertainment. Make sure to pick up something from the gift shop!

Came here with the family an we were super excited paid $60 for two adults an two kids we walked around peaking through windows most of what you see is the outside of the building an its a small part of the prison honestly for the money I didn't think it was worth it

We took the guard tour and it was fantastic! Mike and Ron were extremely knowledgeable and had plenty of inside info on daily life in the prison as well as details on the long history of both the main prison and the women's prison across the street. We were allowed inside only a few areas due to the state of disrepair from vandals, arson and mother nature. Wear comfortable shoes and bring a bottle of water. Lots of opportunities for pictures.

I'm more inclined to give a 3 because no one has started tours here, but I'm a huge Blues Brothers fan, so I'll give it the extra star. Please start doing tours! The parking lot has several signs giving some information about the prison and the surrounding area, but that's it. The historical museum offers books and post cards featuring the prison, so if you're interested in some souvenirs, check out the museum. It's really close, so you won't have to go too far out of the way. It's nice that the place isn't completely off limits to visitors considering it really is an interesting structure. I came here back in 2012 on my way to the city. I took some pictures of the exterior and went on my way stopping at Dellwood Park down the street. I'd love to come back if they make it more of a destination with tours and such.

Unfortunately our tour was pretty lame. We were given very dim flashlights by our tour guide but couldn't really see much at night. The tour guides themselves did not really provide too many interesting stories or facts so it was rather boring. We couldn't see much but I did expect the tour company to provide better lighting so that we could see more. (It was at night, too). There really is not much to see ,unfortunately, for safety reasons as the prison is always being vandalized and is falling apart.

Me and my son went on the guided tour this past weekend. Very knowledgeable staff and I was very pleased with the tour itself. Well worth paying the extra money to have a guided tour instead of one where you just walk around and read the signs.

Recently did the Haunted History Tour that if offered on Friday nights. A great way to spend an evening, learn about the history of the prison, and hear stories about the more famous prisoners. It was interesting being able to see and go into a few of the buildings too. I would definitely recommend visiting there.

A cool stop to see a prison of the past but also the very familiar sites of movies like The Blues Brothers and TV shows like Prison Break were shot here. Some detailed plaques give a great overview of the prison and its history. It was a fun stop on the book tour.

This is where I started a 27 years sentence for Capital Murder. I gave the State of Illinois 13 years 3 of my life, I've now been out 13 yrs 7 months. I'd like to wqalk that walk again.