Visit the Missouri State Penitentiary (Jefferson City)
The Missouri State Penitentiary (Jefferson City) ranks 5th on the list of the best things to do in Missouri. The Missouri State Penitentiary was a prison in Jefferson City, Missouri, that operated from 1836 to 2004. Part of the Missouri Department of Corrections, it served as the state of Missouri's primary maximum security institution. Before it closed, it was the oldest operating penal facility west of the Mississippi River. It was replaced by the Jefferson City Correctional Center, which opened on September 15, 2004. Another of Jefferson City's top tourist attractions is the Missouri State Penitentiary, which is just down the road from its charming state capitol building. Visitors to the imposing prison complex can learn about its notorious inmates, explore its artifact and exhibit-filled museum, and tour its creepy cell blocks, gas chamber, and courtyards.
Missouri's main maximum security institution, a century older than Alcatraz, operated from 1836 to 2004, with thousands of hardened convicts passing through over the years. You'll learn about exciting escape attempts, chaotic riots, and the dozens of Death Row prisoners who were executed at the facility during informative and entertaining tours. The penitentiary, once known as the "bloodiest 47 acres in America" due to the hundreds of serious assaults that occurred in its cells, is now popular with keen photographers, ghosthunters, and history buffs.
Google rating: 4.7/5.0
Address: 115 Lafayette St, Jefferson City, MO 65101
Phone: +1 866-998-6998
Website: missouripentours.com
