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All 7 Mansfield Attractions »

Ohio State Reformatory

100 Reformatory Road, Mansfield, OH 44906-8625
419-522-2644
Ranked #2 of 5 attractions in Mansfield
4.5 of 5 stars 30 Reviews
Type: Historic Sites
Activities: Group tours/walking tour
Description: Built in 1886 for young offenders, this castle-like prison is now listed on the national register of historic places and offers guided tours.
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30 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    15
    12
    2
    0
    1
Date Rating
Mansfield, Ohio, United States
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 26, 2012 NEW

Beautiful for a prison. It is well kept and very clean. So glad it wasn't torn down when building the new one. More

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See 4 more reviews by Pat O for Mansfield
Columbus, Ohio
Top Contributor
74 reviews 74 reviews
Reviews in 26 cities Reviews in 26 cities
34 helpful votes 34 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 12, 2012

First, I would like to remind everyone who has written a bad review to remember that his place is staffed by VOLUNTEERS. Please keep that in mind when you want to rant and rave about lack of service. Second, I am reviewing the historical Sight NOT the cheesy haunted house. For those of you who are giving bad reviews based... More

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Hilliard, OH
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews 10 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
16 helpful votes 16 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed April 5, 2012

I took my twin t=boys and their 2 friends (all age 10) to the reformatoy. We had watch eht Shawshank Redemption before we went and looked for familiar things while we toured the building. Truly a fascinating place to visit! We all loved it. So much to see. More

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mansfield england
Senior Contributor
26 reviews 26 reviews
Reviews in 13 cities Reviews in 13 cities
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed February 29, 2012

Just a great experience, an enterprise run by volunteers and the Community. Terrific atmosphere More

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See 7 more reviews by mickeymansfield for Mansfield
Wonju, South Korea
Contributor
17 reviews 17 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed February 9, 2012

I have never been here outside of Halloween season, but I think you can do overnight stays and ghost hunt. Around Halloween they turn it into a massive haunted house that you can walk through. The price is kinda steep, but if you are looking for a good scare, I really recommend going. I would suggest you show up earlier... More

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wv
Top Contributor
51 reviews 51 reviews
Reviews in 24 cities Reviews in 24 cities
12 helpful votes 12 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed February 7, 2012

I have wanted to tour the reformatory since seeing the Shawshank Redemption and it looks like Dracula's castle in northern Ohio that houses the world's largest free-standing cell block six tiers high.I took 2 tours the Hollywood and the East cellblock tour and enjoyed them both well worth the money, More

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Annapolis, Maryland
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
16 helpful votes 16 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed February 5, 2012

This place was amazing. It was everything a haunted prison should be! While we didn't experience anything we had a really good time walking around doing the investigation. I would suggest that they reduce the size of the group to keep the noise levels down but other than that it was worth the money and the drive (we drove from... More

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Galion
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed January 18, 2012

Beautiful building outside. I took the tour inside some ten years ago with my son and it was scary during the day. They have halloween tours now at night and I'm too scared to go! More

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See 2 more reviews by YiaYiaGalion for Mansfield
Kristin
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed December 1, 2011

I have been here twice on overnight ghost hunts. Each time we experienced possible paranormal activity, but nothing really scary. The building is a fascinating place even if you don't contact any spirits. The architecture and the history make it a worthwhile destination - and the opportunity to spend a whole night exploring a prison looking for ghosts makes it... More

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Milford, Ohio
Contributor
17 reviews 17 reviews
Reviews in 16 cities Reviews in 16 cities
14 helpful votes 14 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed October 31, 2011
1
person found this review helpful

First time in the area and the reformatory. Fantastic Haunted Prison. Looking forward to coming back in the spring/summer to do one of the walking tours during the daylight. Too cool! More

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