Missouri State Penitentiary
Missouri State Penitentiary
4.8
Historic SitesGhost & Vampire ToursHistorical & Heritage Tours
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About
The Missouri State Penitentiary (MSP) opened in 1836 along the banks of the Missouri River in Jefferson City, Missouri. The prison housed inmates for 168 years and was the oldest continually operating prison west of the Mississippi until it decommissioned in 2004.The prison was already 100 years old when Alcatraz began taking inmates. The Jefferson City Convention & Visitors Bureau now offers tours at the site once named "The bloodiest 47 acres in America" by Time magazine. Visitors can choose to take a history or ghost Tour and will walk through three historic housing units, the vast upper yard of the property, and the gas chamber, where 40 men and women were executed. The tour also showcases cells of infamous inmates such as Sonny Liston, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Emma Goldman. Tour Season runs from March through November.
Jefferson City, Missouri
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.8
1,569 reviews
Excellent
1,362
Very good
150
Average
27
Poor
16
Terrible
14
Bernard W
Dallas, TX1,946 contributions
Oct 2021
I don’t often say this, but this site is worth going out of your way to see. Our over 2-hour tour by Kathy with her assistant Paul provided history, setting, and stories of the place, its inhabitants—inmates and guards—during its 168 year of active existence. Fascinating to hear how the penitentiary came to be, the development of Jefferson City, the riots of 1954, and even how it came to be a tour site. After seeing the location of the executions be sure to visit the nearby Missouri State Penitentiary Museum which is included in the ticket price. We took the history tour, not the ghost tour.
Written October 31, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Raven A
1 contribution
Aug 2022
Kathy and Mary Ann were very knowledgeable and made our 2-hour history tour so much fun. Kathy told many stories about the prison and her own experiences in corrections. I would highly recommend visiting MSP we will be back with family! Going in mid-August was nice weather, however, I wouldn't recommend going anytime earlier than that in the summer it can get pretty warm. Our group ranged from around ages 13-65+ and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves
Written August 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MidMOWineLovers
WARRENSBURG26 contributions
Nov 2022
We really enjoyed the 2 hour history tour. It was easy walking and restrooms were accessible when needed. At the end everyone drives to another area of the prison to see the gas chamber. Pretty creepy but cool! It was fun learning the history. Our tour group was about 35 people and we were able to hear and see everything with no problems. We enjoyed the museum next door as well, that's free with your tour. If you're going to a Sat. 2 p.m. tour, you'll want to see the museum first as it closes at 3:00. We were staying at the Parker House right across the street, and saw lots of cars coming at dusk so the night haunted/ghost tours must be popular!
Written November 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Miss Alston
3 contributions
Aug 2024 • Solo
I am SO glad I got to experience this! Randy and Fred were amazing. I did the three hour tour w/ a former inmate and I'm happy I chose this option. It definitely added to the experience to hear things from his point of view. Both guides were incredibly knowledgeable. It was very interesting to actually be inside of a prison and to see what things look like. I would do it again!
Written August 11, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
morganlily
Saint Louis, MO553 contributions
Apr 2021
1st: Masks not required or encouraged. The guide was not wearing a mask, and had no problem talking inches from your face. No social distancing.. most were not wearing masks.
2nd: NOT a historical tour. It was 2 hours of hearing rambling stories about being a prison guard in the 70s and 80s. If it had been "Stories from a Guard at the MO State Pen" then it would have been great, but we paid $20 for a historical tour, and we did not get that. The stories were also not cohesive or did not seem to go anywhere. When asked a specific questions, the guide would ramble onto another story, and the question would end up not being answered.
After a tour, I should want to get MORE information, and run to the gift shop to purchase a book for more information. After this tour, I was left with no information.. and needed to pull up a Wikipedia article to just get the basics (that should have been covered in the tour.
2nd: NOT a historical tour. It was 2 hours of hearing rambling stories about being a prison guard in the 70s and 80s. If it had been "Stories from a Guard at the MO State Pen" then it would have been great, but we paid $20 for a historical tour, and we did not get that. The stories were also not cohesive or did not seem to go anywhere. When asked a specific questions, the guide would ramble onto another story, and the question would end up not being answered.
After a tour, I should want to get MORE information, and run to the gift shop to purchase a book for more information. After this tour, I was left with no information.. and needed to pull up a Wikipedia article to just get the basics (that should have been covered in the tour.
Written April 25, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
nicole r
House Springs, MO1 contribution
Oct 2022 • Family
I highly recommend that anyone that visits Jefferson City, Mo definitely makes the time to tour The Missouri State Penitentiary! We were up there for a middle school football game so while in Jefferson City I took my brother and my niece on this tour. Our tour guides Ms. Nayden and Ms. Kathy were highly informative of the institution. I absolutely loved Ms. Nayden she was as sweet as they come and filled me in on little insights that she knew and learned about the prison. I was just on awe of the history of the institution.
Written October 10, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paige F
5 contributions
Jul 2022
This is a cool place for sure, I would just say there is not a ton of touring, but rather a ton of standing listening to the tour guide talk. I get talking and learning is important in a tour, but it was cumbersome and at times we zoned out completely. Especially if you have kids under 18, very slow for them. But environment is interesting with lots of history.
Written July 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cryptic_Tourist
Saint Louis, MO1,119 contributions
Mar 2021 • Friends
My friend and I love spooky/historical buildings so we were very much looking forward to this tour. I’ve heard that the overnight tour is the best, but, my friend and I wanted to try the basic tour first because it was so much cheaper (plus we have a two hour drive) and we didn’t know if we were going to like it or not. I’ll say this, I wouldn’t recommend the basic 2 hour ghost tour. Here’s my pros and cons:
Cons:
We had a very large group of people (about 45 is my guess) and it was very hard to hear the guide as they don’t use microphones and people would not shut up on our tour. I’d say about 30% of the people on our tour were wearing masks and no one was keeping their distance. Which, to be fair, it’s very cramped and crowded in the old prison so it seemed very hard to. It was also freezing cold so make sure you dress appropriately. I wish I would’ve worn a second coat. Our tour guide also seemed kind of out of it and uninterested, but it is the beginning of the season so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt.
Pros:
The building is pretty cool looking and we did learn some interesting things. The paranormal investigation was the most fun. We didn’t experience anything creepy, but I would love to come back and do the more in depth tour. After all, you get what you pay for!
Cons:
We had a very large group of people (about 45 is my guess) and it was very hard to hear the guide as they don’t use microphones and people would not shut up on our tour. I’d say about 30% of the people on our tour were wearing masks and no one was keeping their distance. Which, to be fair, it’s very cramped and crowded in the old prison so it seemed very hard to. It was also freezing cold so make sure you dress appropriately. I wish I would’ve worn a second coat. Our tour guide also seemed kind of out of it and uninterested, but it is the beginning of the season so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt.
Pros:
The building is pretty cool looking and we did learn some interesting things. The paranormal investigation was the most fun. We didn’t experience anything creepy, but I would love to come back and do the more in depth tour. After all, you get what you pay for!
Written March 22, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DL R
Saint Louis, MO2 contributions
Sep 2024 • Family
This tour was amazing! Michael was an outstanding tour guide who knows do much about the penitentiary and shared so many interesting stories. I brought my 9 year old and this was appropriate for him, not too scary, but still really spooky and engaging. This is a must-do!
Written September 14, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
loisbax
Jefferson City, MO4 contributions
Oct 2023 • Business
The Ghost Tour led by Jenny was a great experience. We learned so many stories and were able to ask questions about what life would have been like. None of the group knew that women were also inmates there at one time. It does give you a ghostly feeling as you walk through the halls and step into the cells. Awesome experience.
Written October 27, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kaitlin L
West Plains, Missouri
How strenuous are the tours? Specifically the 2-3 hour history or ghost tours? My grandma wants to go but she does have a hard time walking/standing long distances. How many flights of stairs, and are they all back to back? Would it be possibly to bring and carry a folding chair if she decides to go so that she can stop and rest when we stop if needed?
Written June 17, 2024
Reese65202
Columbia, Missouri
Hello! I’m a tour guide @ MSP. There are several flights of stairs, as the prison was built before ADA requirements. The tours can be strenuous, but there are places/time to sit. I would try to visit in the spring or fall, as there’s no heat or ac. We run tours March thru November.
Written March 2, 2025
I want more details if you don't mind. My father was in during 1982. He completed his life in 1986 when I was 9 years of age. He said he would end his life before returning to prison and had broken his parole and was headed back when he completed the act. I am trying to find out the conditions and etc during the years he was there.
Written February 12, 2021
We do not have access to any Inmate Records - you would have to contact the Archives Dept. with the Missouri Department of Corrections.
Written July 5, 2021
You can only enter the property during a scheduled guided tour. You may visit our website com and select either the 2-hour History Tour or the 2-Hour Ghost Tour and you will see the schedule of tours for the remainder of November.
Written November 7, 2019
ekroner613
Osage Beach, Missouri
I know there is a minimum age listed on the ticket page, but my husband and I are vacationing with a 15 month old. Can she be brought in a carrier?
Written August 9, 2017
No, the minimum age is 10 years old, these are rules put in place by the State of Missouri (who owns the property) and our insurance company. You are more than welcome to come next door to the Missouri State Penitentiary Museum and look around there (no age limits).
Written August 16, 2017
cryan72
Chicago, Illinois
Are there places to sit along the way throughout the tour, or is it all 2 or 3 hours on your feet walking?
Written July 23, 2017
There is seating available in the first two housing units you visit as well as outside between the two housing units. There is no seating in the third housing unit or the gas chamber.
Written July 28, 2017
Hi Dan. I was thinking about taking this tour on Saturday, July 23, but the weather forecast is for 100 degrees. Would the trip be miserable and maybe I should wait until the fall? Or do you think it would be okay w/the heat? Thanks so much, M
Written July 18, 2016
What is the cost of admission for a senior adult? What are the open hours?
Written February 17, 2016
The cost for the 2-Hour History Tour is $15.00/person and the 3-Hour In-Depth History Tour is $26.
Written February 17, 2016
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