I took the 6:00 PM, two-hour history tour on 20th June this year and had such a fascinating experience. I feel lucky to have had Michael Lear as our guide, he was absolutely brilliant and was a stellar storyteller! The prison itself is very interesting, has alot of history behind it and honestly a little chilling. Hearing about its dark history really makes you stop, think about life and human existence. The parts about solitary confinement and how tiny the cells were with several people stuffed in were especially shocking. Michael even took us down to the basement solitary area and turned off the lights for a full minute so we could feel what it was like. That part gave me chills. We also got to see the prison cells from the 1800s all the way up to more recent ones, and even the gas chamber. It was intense but very eye-opening. I highly recommend this tour 1000%! And if you are lucky enough to have Michael as your guide, you're in for something fascinating. He also has a Missouri murder history podcast which is definitely worth checking out and supporting - It is called Show Me Murder. To conclude, thanks MSP for such an unforgettable experience! read more

See all

The overnight paranormal investigation at the Missouri State Penitentiary was even cooler than it sounds and honestly felt like a once in a lifetime experience. I was lucky enough to do the full eight hour overnight investigation, which means about 40 to 50 people with near free rein over three massive prison buildings in the middle of the night. Most of the time was spent breaking into small groups and exploring the grounds looking for paranormal activity, and for me that meant just me and one friend wandering dark cell blocks and corridors that felt completely abandoned. This is absolutely not for the faint of heart because there are long stretches where you truly feel alone, surrounded by silence, shadows, and your own racing thoughts. There were plenty of spine chills, more than a few moments where I questioned my life choices, and by the end of the night I walked out a full believer. It was intense, unforgettable, and easily one of the most fascinating and highly recommended adventures I have ever done. read more

Missouri State Penitentiary Tours - Tours Near Me - Jefferson City, Missouri

Yesterday May 2025 we took the two hour of the prison. Larry was our tour guide, and he had worked maintenance for 20 years until the prison closed in 2004. Larry was very informative & shared many stories of his time working there. We toured two buildings. If you love history, it's a facinating tour. Please go to the restroom before you arrive, and there is no running water. However, they do have porta potties on site. read more

See all

It is an interesting experience for sure. Not sure how I feel about the ghost tour just ethically. I did it and it was okay. The history is the scariest part. Not the ghost element. I don't know that I recommend it just because it's not really my thing. Some people in my group and on our tour loved it. read more

Missouri State Penitentiary Tours - Cells - Tours Near Me - Jefferson City, Missouri

Randy and Dave were absolutely phenomenal on the 2 hour history tour! We had previously been on a paranormal tour, but learned so much new information this time! They were so knowledgeable and kept us constantly entertained for the entirety of the tour! read more

Missouri State Penitentiary Tours - Cell block four - Tours Near Me - Jefferson City, Missouri

Run-don't walk to a tour of the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City. Our tour guides, Larry (who worked at the prison for 20+ years) and Dave, were amazing. The personal stories and the history they shared with us was fascinating. read more

See all

Cool tour in a historic facility. Definitely worth the trip and price. I hope the place keeps up maintenance and keep history alive. read more

See all

We did a 2 hour ghost tour. It was a great experience! The guides were extremely knowledgeable and friendly. We were lucky to have a small group which allowed us to ask more questions. Would love to come back for a longer tour and a history tour! read more

I went on a tour on Friday evening and had the BEST time! This was such an interesting and fun experience that I would definitely do again! Highly recommend! read more

See all

Larry and Fred, our tour guides, were incredible hosts and had such an amazing wealth of knowledge and stories to share. Larry actually worked at the prison for over 20 years while it was still full of convicts, his first hand stories and lived experiences gave a personal touch to the tour you can't find anywhere else. My husband and I loved this tour even more than the time we toured Alcatraz. Highly recommend this tour. My 13 year old son and 17 & 13 year old nephews had so much fun and loved learning about the prison as well. read more

Very interesting to hear the history of the penitentiary. Tour guide Reese was awesome. Will be back to try the hunt!

Interesting and informative. Great tour and well worth the money. Make a stop for this tour. read more

Missouri State Penitentiary Tours - Tours Near Me - Jefferson City, Missouri

After touring Alcatraz years ago I figured nothing could come close to topping that but I was absolutely wrong on that one . We took the history tour and our tour director, Mike, was extremely knowledgeable about the history and was very passionate . Our favorite part of the tour was seeing the cells of James Earl Ray ( And learning of his prior escape from the prison ) and Boxing Champion Sonny Listins cell . My wife and I have taken 100s of tours of almost everything imaginable and I can honestly say this was our favorite hands down . Next time we are in Jefferson city we will definitely come back and tour it again ! read more

See all

My wife and I took the 3 hour guided tour today and absolutely loved it. Michael was an amazing tour guide and James, who was a previous employee there, added some amazing stories about the facility. We were bummed to find out the overnight experiences were booked for the rest of the year, but we will be scheduling as soon as the next season opens up. Hopefully we are lucky enough to have Michael as our guide... We highly recommend this experience! read more

See all

The bloodiest 47 acres in the USA is the legend of this ghostly prison which trapped inmates within it's chiseled stone walls for 160 years! Alcatraz had less murders within it's walls in it's entire existence, than the Missouri State Penitentiary experienced annually. Lots of famous prisoners checked in here. James Earl Ray escaped from here hiding in a bread box in 1967 and killed MLK in 1968. The visit to the gas chamber was ghastly! read more

See all

We went here for a 5 hour ghost hunting experience with equipment. Ghost Hunters was also here filming the same night. Because of them our tour got delayed about 2 hours and we never got a reimbursement for the time lost. Instead of being able to go off on our own we had to wait just to get our EMF readers and then had to wait to rotate. This is one of the least spiritually active places I have visited. None of the spirits communicated, no shadow figures, some orbs here and there but nothing significantly different. This place has potential but if only the group sizes were smaller than 55 and people weren't completely disrespectful it would have been a better experience. read more

See all

VERY SPOOOOOKYYY tourist's, Lisa and Patrick were very delightful. Had many details and information to spread. Did not see any ghost faces, however there were some noises...AHHHH but there definitely felt like there was some presence. Very awesome place, interesting to learn about all of the people that died in the gas chambers and what they did. Had plenty of time to walk around and look in the jail cells. Pretty cool, but scary. 5/5. read more

wow, this was a wounerful experienc! I took the three hour tour and it was quite the experience! I had went a few years ago and just saw a few parts of it, but seeing the hole thing was AMAZING! Also our tour guide michael was so nice and he didn't leave any details he really knew the place and it's history! Overall it really was a beautiful and unique experience! Michael, make Sure you read this! I am gonna listen to that podcast yours! JUST FOR YOU!!!!! -Addison Pierson P.S. I'll be back don't worry. But I'm gonna request michae!!! read more

Missouri State Penitentiary Tours - Tours Near Me - Jefferson City, Missouri

See all

Went on a tour today. Michael and Fred did an amazing job! I would recommend this experience!

We did the 3 hour - ghost tour. It was fun! Writing this review because it's what I wanted to see before I went. What do you wear? Tennis shoes and dress for the weather. There is no heat/air. We went August 19th and it was hot! Do they have EMF readers? Yes, take your ID with you they will keep it until you turn your meter back in. Flashlights? Take one or a headlamp. You can use your phone but who are we kidding, no one ever has a full charge. Fill out the waiver BEFORE you get there to make check in easy and quick. Gift shop is available, however, you will be able to buy things before the tour as it's not open afterwards. There is bottled water available for purchase in the gift shop. Okay, for the tour. Our tour started at 11. Your guide takes you around to the different buildings and tells you a little bit about the history and what each building was used for (i.e. gen pop, death row, women's ward, max security) after about 25 minutes of setting the ground rules you're free to wander about the property and enter each building when, how, where you want. You can sit in one place for a while and then slowly move to another. Or stay in one spot the whole time. There were about 40 people on the tour but you're not hardly in the same places as the others because you're all moving around. read more

See all

We did the 3 hour history tour. It was very informative and eye opening. Our tour guides could have talked way more than 3 hours about stories and documentation. Would definitely recommend! read more

Larry was a great tour guide through this unique experience. I learned a lot of history about America's bloodiest 47 acres. Top thing we did in Jefferson City. read more

Missouri State Penitentiary Tours - Cell block - Tours Near Me - Jefferson City, Missouri

Must see this in Jefferson City. Our guides knew information and stories on the prison and inmates from when the Penitentiary opened to close. Staff is great. We enjoyed our tour and highly recommend. read more

Highly recommended! We did the 9am tour and it was already hot when we started. The tour guide modified the tour to make sure we listened in the shade when he gave history. The tour was informative led by a previous staff of the prison. There's ample time for exploring the cells and taking pictures. We went through two buildings and ended at the gas chamber. The gas chamber is at the end so you could opt out if you wanted. It's a drive around the corner down the street. There's time to look and then leave as you're ready. I found it tasteless that people took pix seated on the two chairs in the chamber. People, including mentally ill, died there. Know before you go that there is a store to buy souvenirs and water. There's no regular bathroom- only portable toilets. read more

See all

This was my first time here so I wasn't sure what to expect. My sister-in-law talked me into going with friends. We booked the 8-hour overnight. Best decision ever! I'll first say this. Come prepared. Dress for the weather, comfy shoes, and water. You won't be outside much but the interior of the facilities is much like whatever the weather is outside. We started with HU1 (Housing Unit 1). The lights were on the entire time in this building and we were okay with that. All over the building we weren't getting much in terms of readings. We We're about to give up and decided to take the advice of the guide and try cell 10. Cell 10 has had documented sightings and activity. Sure enough, our meter finally showed action! It responded to questions we asked and accordingly. Sooo cool!! Next was HU4. We experienced the most activity in this building. We went in cell 40 and stayed for about 10 minutes. We weren't getting huge readings at first but remained patient. Once we started getting activity, we asked the entity to "tap on something, anything". Sure enough, there were three taps at a table where no one was standing. We all four screamed!!! Once we gathered ourselves, we went into the "dungeon". Our tour guide had something feeling her ankle, my friend had something touch her arm, and we heard a whistle. Even if we had no experience in the dungeon, it was the creepiest I've ever felt in my life!!! HU3 has arguably the most activity but we didn't really experience anything. Yes if feels creepy in HU3 and very uneasy especially in death row and in the mental ward but nothing extra paranormal happened for us. This place is a must if you're looking for a scare. Be patient! We noticed if we rushed through any rooms, we didn't get any activity. If you're looking for history, this place is for you. I definitely recommend the overnight. If you're not into hauntings or paranormal activity, do a short daytime tour. You won't be disappointed. read more

See all

My husband and I did the 2 hour ghost tour for our anniversary and it was well worth the money! We had a blast! The tour guides Tom and Mary-Ann were so nice and knowledgeable about the prisons history. We will definitely be coming back and for the longer ghost tour! read more

See all

You might think this sounds weird, creepy and haunted. Two out of three of those are wrong. We did the day tour, because I'm not about visiting haunted things and provoking the dead. Aside from that, I was amazed at what a great tour this was. There is so much history, crazy stories, and generally appalling scenes that people were forced to live through in what is now a peaceful, serene landscape. Our tour guide was a guard when the prison was open, and his stories made everything that much more interesting. I highly, strongly, fiercely recommend taking at least one tour of this place. read more

Missouri State Penitentiary Tours - Tours Near Me - Jefferson City, Missouri

Excellent tour. Well worth the drive from KC. Didn't realize some of the notable historical names that resided here like James Earl Ray and Sonny Liston. Not sure how many tour guides actually work here, but Michael & I believe her name was Gretchen were great and very knowledgeable. They also do a haunted/paranormal tour that would be awesome in a place like this. Especially with Halloween coming up. I recommend the longer tour to have more roaming around time. read more

See all

This was a very interesting tour. I would recommend for anyone visit going the area. The gas chamber was especially creepy.

On September 15, 2023 we went on a history tour. Our tour guide, Mike, was very knowledgeable and informative. He made the tour interactive and gave us a lot of facts. The 2 hours went very quickly. I would highly recommend for any history buff. He was even able to make a connection to our home area with 3 inmates making it even more interesting. read more

I happened upon this while looking for things to do during my trip out to Missouri while visiting family. My Mom and I took the 2hr History tour with Michael and had a really enjoyable time. Michael had a wealth of information about the location, complemented with humor and prison puns and lots of stories. I would highly recommend touring the prison but also walking through Jefferson City it is full of historic buildings and charm. read more

Missouri State Penitentiary Tours - Tours Near Me - Jefferson City, Missouri

The Missouri State Penitentiary is incredible. We did the two hour history tour. My 15 year old was engaged the whole time. The buildings are filled with an overwhelming amount of history. You really get a feel for what it was like to have been a prisoner back in the day here. You're allowed to wander through all the cells and walk the catwalks even 4 stories up! Visiting the gas chamber was very creepy and surreal to think that you are standing in a room that so many men were executed in. Well organized and a overall excellent tour, don't forget to check out the museum as well included with tour tickets. read more

See all

This tour is excellent! I had been wanting to go for a while finally made it with the family over spring break. We did the two hour hostorytour was worried the kids might get bored, they did not. They loved it! They've already asked to go back and do another read more

Our tour director was Dale and he did a great job. Having first hand experience and working knowledge of the prison system in the State, Dale was able to transport us back into time and journey along as the decades progressed and the prison did not. Our 10 year old who is usually bored easily, was very engaged and interested in the history of the prison and fingers crossed he found encounragement to stay out of trouble. The price is good for the value and in 2 weeks we visit the area again. This time my husband and 19 year old are doing the paranormal overnight tour. No thanks. read more

We have been wanting to tour the MSP for years. With this trip the opportunity finally presented itself. We would have liked to have gone on the ghost tour but our kids are too young. We went on the history tour and it was very good! We had what we considered paranormal experiences anyway like lights turning on by themselves and what we thought were orbs in the dungeon. Dale and Rick were excellent tour guides! They were both employees of the correctional system, working in and around MSP. Thanks guys! read more

See all

I have been on three different tours here! Every time I have a family member or friend visit who enjoys history this is one of my go to activities. All three times that I've done this the guide has given a few extra bits of info so it's still different and interesting for me each time. There are points during the tour where you are able to just wander on your own and take photos (including in a cell, in the dual electric chair chamber, the isolation confinement, etc.) The history here is incredible and not to be missed and I hope to take the haunted tour in the future! read more

Missouri State Penitentiary Tours - One of the cell blocks and our tour guide (who used to work there!) - Tours Near Me - Jefferson City, Missouri

See all

This was fantastic and very informative. We enjoyed it a great deal. The only things I would recommend is if they're going to request people be there a half hour early then it would be great to let the people inside a half hour early. Also there were areas mentioned on the tour that would have been amazing to see, such as the old swimming pool or bleachers. I'm sure once the areas were cleaned up, it would add a lot to the 'abandoned place' aspect that a lot of people love. Also more afternoon tour times would be appreciated. We had a choice of either 1pm or 6pm Friday one. Would have been great to get a late afternoon one. More visitor submitted ghost pictures on display would have been awesome. Overall it was a great place to explore and we were so glad we moved our trip up just to see it. Keep up the great work! read more

This was my second visit. I did the ghost tour several years ago, back again for the history tour this time. Fascinating history, right here in Missouri. The tour guides, Michael and Gretchen were great. The information shared was marveling the things that the prisoners and guards went through. I cannot begin to understand how this place was a functioning prison up to 2004. It seems so outdated and the conditions​ were deplorable. Wonderful history, I recommend​ this tour to anyone you will not be disappointed​. There were several books mentioned on the tour and I look forward to checking them out to learn even more history. read more

Missouri State Penitentiary Tours - Tours Near Me - Jefferson City, Missouri

If you're looking for a fun little day trip, this is a great place to check out. We have had this on our list for awhile and finally booked our tickets online and went. They only allow a certain number of guests on tours so booking online will guarantee you a spot. This tour went above and beyond. We got lucky that our tour guide was a former warden who really had a lot of stories to share. I wish there wasn't a time limit on the tours because there's so much to see and hear about that you need more than the allotted time, even for the longest tour. There's a small shop where you meet for the tours if you're needing to grab a poncho (you will get rained on if raining on tour), a souvenir or a photo op with their props. There are no regular bathrooms, only portable toilets, so keep that in mind before you visit. You are led around to each building so comfortable walking shoes are a must. There's a small walk down to the gas chambers as well and you don't want to miss out on anything. Your ticket will allow you into a museum as well however it was closed the day we went. They offer ghost tours and stars of a paranormal tv show have filmed here. So much history!! read more

Super cool! Two hour tour wasn't nearly long enough to soak in the whole place and all the information. I'd definitely go back to do a ghost tour. Our tour guides Micheal & Aloha were amazing! read more