Reviews of Old Idaho Penitentiary Site. (Museum) in Boise City (Idaho).

Old Idaho Penitentiary Site

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399 Comments

Museum

History museum

2445 Old Penitentiary Rd, Boise, ID 83712, United States

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Information of Old Idaho Penitentiary Site, Museum in Boise City (Idaho)

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Reviews of Old Idaho Penitentiary Site

Jack Young

So awesome! So much history. Plus so much to explore. Best part is they let you your the prison by yourself, and have information plastered all over the place. Definitely worth the price. Gift shop is a tad speedy. But overall an amazing experience😁

Chelsea Allio

Awesome place to wander the grounds and learn a little history. The weapon museum on site is awesome as well! Dusty grounds and some stairs if you're feeling adventurous, so I don't recommend wearing sandles. Spent about an hour and a half here to see the main structure but there were more surrounding buildings we didn't get to.

Julie Stoltman

Wasn't open due to Halloween weekend evening events, but looked pretty cool from the outside. The Women's Ward was open & had very good historical information & stories. Only here for a day, but would've loved to get the guided tour!

Malcolm White

Very informative tour guide. Our guide was very animated with his stories about the prisoner life. Some of his stories have me goosebumps. After the tour when everyone left, we asked about if there have been any paranormal events. That's when it got really interesting. Highly recommended.

Tevin Hendess

A great historical site with plenty of interesting information. Inside the prison, there's also an extensive weapons collection on display for free. The $3 guided tour is 100% worth it. Our guide, Jack, was super knowledgeable and clearly cared about sharing information with us. The tour includes stories and background which you can't get from just the signs.

Kellie Fuquay

So fascinating! I personally could've spent a whole day here just exploring and reading the history. Great and helpful employees. Entry fee only $8. Fantastic photo ops!

Sarah Bender

So much fascinating history here! They have several detailed exhibits that help you picture how the buildings were used. For an extra $2, take a guided tour. The guide's stories really round out the experience. Note that some areas might be difficult to manage if someone needs assistance in walking .

Lenny Gardner

Excellent place to visit, well worth the time. If you're interested in this history I would say give yourself about 3 hours, wife and I. If you're bringing kids there is a whole bunch of reading on all the walls in the buildings, they might get bored easily. Maybe an hour or so for them. As it gives shop you can walk all the way around the US prison.

Wendy Crouse

We came to Boise from Texas for a family vacation. One of the things we did not want to miss out on seeing was the Old Idaho Penitentiary. We spent 2-3 hours there and loved it. The history of the penitentiary was well written out and our kiddos loved learning about the history as much as we did. It was definitely worth visiting!

Adam Miconi

Decided to visit here while in Idaho and weren’t sure what we would find. When we got there, we went on a guided tour. We got an amazing tour guide who told us about the rich history in a very exciting and interesting way. The tour has so much to see, hear, and learn about and when you wonder on your own afterward, you get even more. We ended up loving our tour and very happy we chose to go.

Nigel Chong

My wife and I really enjoyed the tour around the well-preserved historical site! Definitely take the guided tour; it helps one to better appreciate the history of the place. There's a weapons exhibit within the penitentiary as well - and the exhibit is fully air-conditioned, essential for the hot summer days!

caitlin hubble

It was interesting and something cool to do to waste some time waiting on a flight. There was a botanical garden too but didn't have time to do that. We enjoyed it:)

Robbie Johnson

SPEND THE EXTRA $2 ! The guided tour is only an hour and totally worth it. Some amazing history. Prisons are a dark place, but even this one has a happy story, aka "Dennis".

A me

Military are free to enter. We spent about 2 and 1/2 hours, and could have spent more time here. Staff was AMAZING and went above and beyond to tell us more stories about the prison! I had a blast!

Shaela Crosby

Our tour guide was so great and knowledgeable! I’m glad we did the guided tour because I learned so much that wasn’t available on the signs. I would recommend taking the tour but leaving time to continue looking around on your own (because the tour doesn’t go in every building). I would recommend at least two hours (more if you have kids).

Bill Elkins

Guided tour was awesome (thank you, Charlee)! We got there 90 minutes before they closed and could spend at least another 90 minutes just looking around. Interesting, thought provoking, and a little creepy; everything you want from a historical Old Pen tour.

Samantha Doust

I’m not a history nerd per se, but I am a nerd who thoroughly enjoyed her afternoon here! Very interesting experience - the solitary confinement and the gallows / death row was creepy but worthwhile learning about. It was wild to hear what imprisonable crimes were back then versus how, although it seems that some things haven’t changed. Beautiful grounds - roses were in bloom and informative staff members ! I’d suggest leaving 2-3 hours for your visit.

Jennifer Teu

We had to practically drag our teens to join us on the self tour, since the thought of visiting a historical site on a stifling hot afternoon didn’t sound appealing – but once we got started, the combination of creepiness and interesting info was enough to keep us there for more than an hour, with the kids leading the way and taking time to actually read all the placards. The air conditioning definitely helped.

Cristen Short

What a cool experience! Really fascinating history with tons of plaques with information about each item, cell & building. Loved reading the history of why each person was incarcerated. Great hands-on self-guided tour. Got to go into jail cells, solitary confinement cells & old washroom. Fantastic display of military memorabilia as well. A must-see when friends and family come to visit. Would love to go back for one of their guided tours or events!!

Z

Had a great time visiting during Halloween weekend. Lots of great history here. I would highly recommend going. You can have a guided tour or just free roam on your own too.

German Mercado

Awesome experience and great tour guide today. Darin was awesome and geve us lots of information and answered lots of our questions.. I recommend comí g to this site any time you are around.

Payton Parks

This is a very cool experience, it would be worth it to do a guided tour, but even walking around on your own is awesome!

Claudia Lindsey

My teenage Grandson was visiting and selected the Old Idaho Penitentiary as something for the family to do together. The experience did not disappoint. Historic and informative!

Simon Danthinne

This great historical site is fascinating to visit and learn about Idaho's rich history in the Treasure Valley. It is a great insight into 20th century prison life in the northwest, including stories of prisoners, riots, and politics involving the Old Penn. There are even comics of prison events to help kids learn more about this rich history. If you are not interested in the prison life, the buildings and gardens are beautiful to visit and were built out of sandstone cut from the quarry just up the hill. This is a great afternoon adventure with relatively cheap tickets to learn more about Idaho.

Kristyn Hansen

Very cool to see, kind of depressing-but what do you expect from a prison! Liked the story about the cat. Wished they had the comic panels in the air conditioned building because it was too hot to stay in there to read them all, but they were awesome. Go see the Botanical Garden next door after to cheer you up! The weapons museum was very cool as well.

Dianne Smith

It was really interesting. Great history. Great tour guide. Loved it!

Keleen Howell

I didn’t enter the penitentiary since it was closed. But just looking at the outside of the building was incredible. I recommend coming if you ever find yourself in Boise

Gavin Lantry

Fascinating place to learn about the history of our state prison. We'll worth the visit and splurge for the guided tour as it's totally worth the $2 upcharge...

Tami H

Such an interesting location! Did the self tour with my 16 year old daughter. We spent a couple hours here. Definitely worth it!!

Honeymooners Offroad Adventures

Great tour on Idaho's history of the state prison. Lots of buildings to explore with printed information describing everything. This is a must if you are in Boise.

Lori Gioso

Highly informative and interesting experience. This was a last minute decision to stop by here, but I'm glad we decided to make the trip.

Summer Hampton

It was interesting, although we totally missed out on the free part up front . It's cool though, there's other days, thanks Kidd♥️s fer taking me with y'all 💜mom!! …

Lauren S

This was a great experience! It was super affordable, well preserved, and the staff was friendly and knowledgeable. We really enjoyed the presentation from the history teacher on staff in the shirt factory! He was excellent in retelling some of the stories and the history of the penitentiary. Definitely would recommend for folks who are interested in learning more about the history of the site, as well as the experiences of the inmates and rehabilitation practices.

megan elizabeth

With both guided and unguided tours, it was very neat to see so much history! Would definitely dress for the weather, alot if it is exposed to the weather.

k6izna achu

Our first penitentiary visit, really enjoyed. Couples of buildings are closed. 4house and 4 house is open that two are must visit. And don’t miss the museums, they have great collection of guns, revolver, pistol… They stimulate a old war setup and audio visual is there to watch and under stand the old technology in war

Andy Gaunt

I loved it. Really cool place. Highly recommend a guided tour.

Cheri Sparks

I absolutely recommend getting the tour, yes it's 2 bucks more but it's like getting a backstage pass! I would make a return trip...

Paul Daniel

Took our three youngest granddaughters to visit, as they had been wanting to go. It has changed some since our last visit. Grounds could use some smoothing out for those who have to use canes or walkers.

Paula Hicks

The guided tour was great! Very knowledgeable and many stories to share.

Brenda Wise

Great place to visit. Self-guided tour, lots to read about, and very interesting to see everything. Highly recommend.

Curtis Graham

AAA Discounts accepted! The Idaho state penitentiary was in use for more than a century and has a fascinating history. There were no guided tours, but guest are free to walk the entire compound with most buildings open to tour at your leisure. There are public restrooms available in addition to paraplegic parking and wheelchair ramps. The have an extensive weapons exhibit inside the compound that we unexpectedly stumbled upon and could have easily spent an hour alone viewing. It's well worth visiting and we highly recommend this to anyone stopping through Boise.

Kaitlyn Malone

What a great spot to visit. Has some really cool history inside it’s walls. There’s definitely more than what’s written on the plaques though so get the tour to get the full experience. Have been here three times now and is enjoyable every single time.

Andrew Ream

We got there just before the next tour began and decided on a whim to tag along. To our surprise it was only $2 and it ended up being the most exciting and worthwhile tour I think is possible. Shout out to Sam, our tour guide. Besides the excellent tour, this place is generally awesome with lots of history and stories. Make sure to figure out who Denis was.

Bruce Green

My wife and I were surprised to learn that this prison was in use until 1973. It looks like it closed in the early 1900s. Walking through the cell blocks was an eye opener with inmate bios posted on many of the cells including the crime for which they were incarcerated. They had inmates as young as an 11 year old boy who killed his mother because she asked him to do the laundry. Their armory display is the finest I have ever seen with room after room full of World War l and ll weapons from US and foreign countries. They even have a room that gives a life-size interactive display of what it was like to live in the trenches of WWI. Well worth the visit.

Megan Pearson

This was such a fun experience. I love history and they had so much information and history into the prisoners lives and daily tasks. Super interesting! Loved the current exhibit about the different warfare techniques and weapons.

Bob Armintrout

This is one of the most wonderful places to visit in the Boise area. Beautiful gardens, well maintained buildings and fascinating, well presented history. You will experience the famous inmates as they were, and some as they died. Don't miss this amazing stop in Boise!

Jake Burgess

This is a very cool spot to visit if your going to Boise for the first time! Give yourself a few hours to explore the entire penitentiary site. The entrance fee was definitely worth it and I would for sure go back to see it again next time I visit Boise.

Carli Kitsch

I highly recommend going and visiting the Old Idaho Penitentiary! All the employees were very kind and knew their stuff! You'll be able to find plenty of reading about all the inmates but the guided tour(an extra 2$) really sealed the deal! Also, Leslie, the tour guide, was VERY informative and was a great story teller! I'll be back the next time I'm in Boise because I'm sure I missed a few things and was there for atleast 3 hours.

Jensen Stenquist

Such an awesome experience learning the history of the old penitentiary. Sam gave an amazing tour knowing each detail of each building and the true stories behind them. It was an incredible experience and so interesting to learn more about Idaho’s history.

Liesl Nielsen

This place is so cool. So much history here! Very cool that they keep it open for tours.

C Oversby

We went when it said it was closed but we were still able to go into the Women's ward and see some of the stories of those who lived there. It was a cool experience

Boise City Tours

The Old Idaho Penitentiary is a Boise attraction that must be experienced in person. Take a tour and you will be moved! The guides here are so knowledgeable and do an amazing job of humanizing the thousands of prisoners that resided here over its hundred year history. Amazing!

charles griswold

A historic shawshank like environment. Beautiful surroundings outside the wall of the prison.

Liz McHale

So much interesting history and lots to see. Even the kids loved it.

Robert Contreras

Excellent place to visit if you have any interest in history and/or penitentiaries in the US.

Liz D'Andrea

If your visiting Boise, it's a must to learn about the history.

Jacob Lambert

Had a great time learning about the old history of the building and things that took place here

Heather Baker

Went with friends for the Halloween tour. We had fun. We even had a paranormal experience in one of the buildings. It was cool. They had music playing on the second floor. We had just about completed our main floor your when all of a sudden the music was turned up full blast!! None of the staff or volunteers were on the second floor when it happened!! It was so freaking cool!!

rob herr

Very good tour, lots of info from knowledgeable guides

Kelly Riley

Very interesting experience! Don't miss the gun collection! It's excellent! We plan on coming back when we have more time.

Kettering

They held me for 1 hour. Luckily, they only charged me $6. Visitors get to freely roam nearly every section of the old penitentiary, including death row. There is a large weapons collection in one of the buildings. A very eerie feeling as you walk through the units. Great time!

Jake Millis

Such a cool piece of history! Always a super fun experience visiting and they have an awesome student discount.

Alyssa Hearn Designs

Inexpensive, informative and just really neat. There are nature trails right behind that go forEVER...well, about 300 miles. There is even a special grave on grounds.

Steven Paquin

Very cool old jail super creepy in some of the cells but great for kids, solitary is a place you don’t want to be and it was really interesting to see the gallows and how it worked. It is only about $6 for adults and $3 for kids they are doing their best with the covid thing. Cells are cool wish at least one in each building was open for a photo op but I am sure there is a reason check out some of the pics pretty cool and the houses on the drive in are amazing

John Klug

Was a kool place to visit. Sadly covid has been the reason there are no more guided tours but lots to see and very informative

Ryan Johnson

My wife and I decided to do a guided tour, although you can walk around by yourself, either way it was $6 bucks per person. Our tour guide was Tae, she was awesome provided some great stories at multiple stopping points around the facility. If you love history and you have about two hours. Would definitely recommend doing this.

Douglas Wirnowski

This was a surprisingly awesome stop in Boise. We have been to Alcatraz and other places like this, but really appreciated the openness of our experience, as well as an amazing arms museum donated by J Curtis Earl. This happens to be one of the nation’s largest collections of historic arms and military memorabilia, so WELL worth the visit!! Plan to spend 2hrs for a quick visit.. but we would recommend planning for a four (4) hour stop here. Plenty to see!!

Jayson Jones

Great history lesson to learn here. I thought we would check it out real quick why we were in town....we ended up walking the entire grounds, reading everything, and spending hours here! I would definitely recommend checking this historical site out.😎 RIP Dennis the cat!🐈 …

Nandagopan Pillai

Good piece of history. They had a good slide presentation as well which described from the construction in 1800's to its decommissioning in late 1900"s.

Jamie Morris

Loved this self guided tour. Walked around for three hours. Thinking wondering what 10 years would feel like in such a place. The sad life there day after day. Crazy sad. Put live in a different perspective for a few hours. The arms museum was awesome. Worth the moony even if your not interested in the prison. And stories.

Bill Sherman

Very interesting gem to visit.

Priscilla Jenkins

It was fun I had a good time they it's been a long time since I was there 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗😬😬😬🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯😁😁😁😁😁😁😆😆😆😋😋😋😋🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🤑🤑👽👽👽👽👻👻👻👻👻❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️💞💞💞💞💞. And my dad mom & sister all enjoyed their selves as well. Will definitely be going back.

Robert Pitt

Great place to visit and be glad you weren't locked up here. Especially when it's cold out. Self guided tour is only $6 per person which we found to be very reasonable.

Delbert George

Nice place to visit if you like history and past times great place to walk with the family site see and enjoy your time together

Jenny Hackworth

Learning about Idaho's history is exciting and there is a lot to learn here at the Old Penn. My kids and I have watched a scary movie there and done a self guided night tour. I recommend getting involved in their special events. I believe I captured an Orb while photographing the building destroyed in the prisons famous riot. Creepy stuff.

Schonie Lee

Went recently and did the cemetary tour with Nico as our guide. I absolutely love learning about the history and hearing all the stories. Nico is an awesome tour guide and adds so much to the experience, he's knowledgable, excited, and animated. Nico brings the history to life! I'd suggest a camera and some comfortable walking shoes. Portions of the tour are of course inside, but there's a fair amount of walking, in between buildings, up stairs, and to the cemetery. There's a lot more to see than what you'll see in a one hour tour, but your tour ticket gets you in anytime the day of your tour. I gave myself only about an hour before my tour and wish I'd have arrived a little earlier. They also do paranormal tours, I'm thinking about doing that next!

Dolly Zaharoni

Located in beautiful old town Boise. The staff was super friendly explaining the history then letting you go check it out on your own. Well maintained and beautifully exhibited! Highly recommend! Highly!

Orrin Anderson

Very neat place. Staff are friendly and you can walk around for self tour or take a tour. Everything seems fairly well preserved. Always amazing to see Idaho's history. Also, the gun collection is astonishing.

Amber Hawton-Hill

We went for a school tour. It was extremely interesting. The kids loved hearing about the inmate's cat and being locked in the cells. The tour guide was well informed and able to answer all of the kids great questions. The landscaping is immaculate and so strangely juxtaposed by dilapidated skeletons of buildings destroyed by the riot, fire, and time. My favorite part was learning about the hobby shop where inmates could buy paint to decorate their cells differently.

A.J. Weinhold

Great look into 101 years of prison history (1872-1973). I enjoyed the free hour long guided tour and spent another 2 hours reading the various exhibits throughout the property. Also on the property is a museum of weaponry.

JOEY !!!!!

Must see for being new to the area and learning some of the older history of the area , crazy to see and it reminds me of seeing alcatraz . Fun outing with the family and not to expensive 👍👍 and a awesome hike/trail right behind it that a must do but I'd do it after the jail in the same day hahaha …

Priscilla Sims

Very interesting, would definitely recommend spending the $2 extra for a guided tour. We were given information and facts that we would have missed.

Big Dad

This was an awesome experience my kids loved it not many people there so it's like we have the whole place to ourselves definitely recommended even though it's hot outside it's very cool inside the buildings might be cuz it's haunted😁 …

Kent Smith

If you are interested in Idaho's historic element, you must visit the penitentiary. Visiting in the winter may not be the best choice since most of the buildings are open to the elements, but it is still worth the time to check it out. Not too expensive as far as museum tours go and there is a great historic weapons collection inside the pen that is very worthwhile.

Nidal Najjar

Love my visit here. Really enjoyed the option of walking through myself instead of going through a tour. Took my time reading through the info panels and walking through the prison and it took about 2 hours. Highly recommend visiting the WW1&2 museum that is there too. Really intruiging, definitely worth putting this on your list.

Mardiray

This Open-air Museum is packed with history about the Old Idaho Penitentiary; incarceration in Idaho; prison life; famous prisoners; escapes, and much more. It's fascinating to walk into the cell blocks and see the actual living conditions. There is a 4-cell death row with a nearby execution chamber (hanging). The exhibits include signage in English, so you can walk about at your own pace. There is an entrance fee, with some discounts available. The grounds and buildings are not particularly wheelchair-friendly. Many doorways are narrow. There are many stairs and curbs and only a few ramps. There are also many spots with low headroom. Tall people might need to duck their heads! We were able to duck indoors and keep dry through the sporadic rain showers on the fine spring day we visited. Parking was on a muddy lot, and with the rain it was really sticking to your shoes.

Matt L.

Had a lot fun, Olivia was a great guide and very knowledgeable. A lot of good information, short enough tour to not get bored, but also left a lot to go explore and learn on your own.

Bernadette Wesolowski

This place was just incredible! It was super cheap and so much fun to see all the history behind everything. We did the tour and glad we did. There was a lot of interesting information you wouldn't of found out otherwise. My 12yr old daughter thought she was going to hate it and be totally bored but within 5 minutes of being there her eyes were lit up with wonder and interest. There is so much to see that it's hard to write about everything. You see what it was like for inmates back in the older days and how prison's have changed so much. You get to see death row and where they sent the inmates to die. It's a historical MUST DO in Boise. We want to go back because it was just so much fun. With it being so cheap, you can't pass this up!!!!

Rob M

Very cool experience, free tour at 1230 which helped to really capture what the prisoners, guards and wardens went through on a day to day basis. There was also a historic weapons museum on site included in the admission. If you have triple a it is a dollar off. Overall very interesting and they do paranormal events once a month.

Rickie Meeuwsen

I just wandered around the grounds and took a lot of pictures. It was about 55 degrees and it was a little creepy to realize just how uncomfortable a place like that can be on a cold day with that hard Stone or miserable in a different way on a hot hot summer day when it's a hundred degrees. In March even the Rose Garden was bare which to me shows how very unpleasant prison could be. There are walking trails right by the parking lot along with restrooms so you could bundle activities together

ThePUMPKIN2113

I've seen this place on the ghost adventure show.....so, I had to check it out for myself. Very interesting place and it's crazy why some people were locked up....Nowadays, it would be considered trivial matters (adultery, forgery) The third house & the maximum security building are definitely haunted. Make sure you hit the J. Curtis Earl exhibit they have some sweet Civil War rifles in there. $6. for an adult.....good times at the gallows.

Katie Santos

I love the Old Idaho State Penitentiary. I love exploring & learning more & more about this old prison. I hope to be able to help contribute more each year to help keep this place running! It's a beautiful piece of history we have & it's important to preserve our history.

Pinky Bee

Very historical site! I just wish I had time to do the guided tour.

J. Ciera Thompson

We were in Boise and the family wanted to visit the Old Pen. My grandmother wouldn't go - she remembers when it was still being used. I won't say it was a fun time, persay, but it was beyond fascinating. I was especially glad to share the experience with my nieces and nephews, it opened up a really fascinating dialogue on morality. The history of weaponry was the most interesting to us, this is probably where we spent a bulk of our time. It's really well put together. The staff was incredibly kind! They even let us lock the maximum security cells, since we were there at closing time.

Kenneth Clayton

While visiting Boise Idaho, on our quest for all 50 states, we visited the old penitentiary. A very interesting museum. The history of crime in Idaho is trekked out in detail. Some famous names, along with some unknown, but unusual and interesting characters.

John Carr

Good way to kill a few hours. Guided tour was definitely worth the purchase. Learned quite a bit about Boise's State Penitentiary.

Jason Weinel

So cool to step back in time and into a little what it was like for inmates in Idaho! Worth every dime to do the tour. Allow about 2 hours, worth every minute!

Ashley V.

An upgraded experience since the last time we went... and the gift shop has a lot of amazing things to purchase.

Jonathan Frost

I visited the Old Penitentiary with my daughter’s 4th grade class. The tour guide was outstanding and the tour was well worth it. I highly recommend this if you’d like to learn about some of Idaho’s history.

Jim Metzger

One of the more interesting locations I’ve had the privilege to visit. There’s different tours and the prices are very reasonable. Their Facebook page is well done and has lots of information on many of the annual events that take place at the penitentiary.

Amanda Ball

For a few bucks you get to tour yourself through. Pretty neat place and erie in some parts. Way cool place to stop and visit on our way through Idaho on our way home to California.

Josh Jones

Fun and interesting place for history buffs. Was interesting to see what conditions they had. The shanks they made. The stories of the inmates were the best. Be sure to check out the women's ward and read about the Black Widow!

Danielle Dees

We had a great time visiting the penitentiary! So much history to learn and you feel so many emotions walking around the place! Took the whole family: grandma in the scooter, pregnant sister-in-law, 15 year old teenage daughter, and our 5 year old son. There really is something for everyone and it was really fascinating!!

Mat Sull

We did a a actual tour. Jack led it. Fantastic. Took us on additional area not seen by others. Great history. Well preserved.

Katherine Dyke

Very cool family trip. Lots of history. Will have to return for a paranormal investigation date night.

LaCinda Moore

This place was a blast from the past! Reading the stories of what some of the inmates where imprisoned for was insane by todays standards.

Rick Bame

Very friendly staff! Neat historic site.

Todd “Toddtheplumber” Labus

For some reason I think prisons are neat. Maybe I’m weird but the older they are the creepier they are. Plus the outside tells a story of just the hard work put into creating such a beautiful building. The prisoners actually helped with construction of some.

Marcee C

This is one attraction you won't want to miss. We really enjoyed touring the grounds and learning some history.

greg burnfield

Came here to burn a little time while we were waiting. Pretty interesting old prison , at the time the were not doing any guided tours , so your on your own. There was a decent amount of information on signs around the prison but I feel a guided tour would definitely be more interesting , staff was walking around and they were friendly and answered any questions we had. Over all was a interesting way to burn some time.

Green Angel

Great history about the prisoners, great exhibitions, self guided walking tour. Specially, the cat in the jail for 16 years and died in the year 1968.

Mark Jones

The Old Idaho Penitentiary Site was the state Penitentiary for about a century. The massive walls and small, cramped cells insured those who spent time there were punished. The grounds are fascinating and there is also a comprehensive exhibit about small arms over the last 200 years.

Erich Meier

Awesome place to visit! The architecture is gorgeous and the faculties are well kept. One can see a time when inmates were treated far more harshly than they are treated today.

Michael Last name

I went for the late night Ghost Hunt with Big River Paranormal. Is it haunted? Check it out for yourself. There were certainly some spooky happenings on my visit. The history could truly be "alive" there.

Derek Ellington

Definitely worth the time to check this place out. Well preserved and interesting, and they don't shy away from the bad things that happened in their history. It's like a mini Shawshank meets Alcatraz. If you are a fan of Stephen King be sure to check out their Mangler!

Brian Princer

Take the tour. It was about 90 minutes and the guide, Mary Beth, was thorough and knew her stuff. The state historical society has done a nice job preserving this gem. Bring a bottle of water.

J N

Desk lady was super nice and very helpful. Be sure to get the explanation from the desk person about the map and the symbols and highlights if you can. Wear comfortable shoes, and bring water if it's hot. Don't steal items from the gift shop (which is super eclectic and interesting) or they might make you stay. The book "Images of Old Idaho Penitentiary" gives even more info. Keep a sharp eye out for "Dennis the Prison Cat" silhouettes in the cell buildings and headstone. The stories and photos of the prisoners on each cell were really good; more would be even better. The Trusty Dorm has even more of them, so go there too. One highlight was in the laundry - the missing sock pipe. We spent a couple hours there and had a 10 year old with us, who found enough to keep her interested. Younger kids might have trouble staying engaged. We did a self guided walking tour and also saw the Weapons exhibit (but I wasn't really into that too much)

Debbie Askins

We were fortunate to catch a well done presentation by The Historical Society; the information and buildings are well maintained, staff is super friendly/helpful. There is a video to watch on other side of gift shop be sure to catch.

Unholy Shade

I had a great time here with my fiencé! The staff was friendly and we'll informed. They told us all about the youngest ever inmate while we shopped in the gift shop. We definitely got eerie feelings in the drop room bellow the gallows and in Max security and death row. A lot of horrific mistreatments and cruelty were made extremely obvious without being directly pointed out. It reminds me of how awful the prison system is and always has been and how important it is to fight for reform. Prisoners and human beings, after all. The solitary cells are a great example so I'll put a picture of me in one to show how tiny they are. I learned a lot and just loved my trip!

M Fikes

This place was so cool!!! So glad we took the time to visit!! Kids all loved it.

Selena Maestas

I enjoyed this so much. My boyfriend and I came out to visit from colorado, we did the tour on Tuesday at I think 1:30 and we believe his name was Jack we can't remember but regardless whoever did our tour was SUPER informative kind hearted respectful of the history and gave some great back stories! The gift shop was the best as well. We didnt get to buy anything. We had to go with my sister in law to pick up her kids and then I got sick on our vacation and I wanted to go there Saturday to buy some things but they are closed Saturdays :(. Either way I enjoyed my time here so much

Rowan B

This was incredible. Loved all the history, and the comics in some of the rooms to teach the history without having to read 20 confusing paragraphs was awesome. Just be careful, it's mostly outside, dress for the weather

Jigish Shah

Historical place to visit, really was amazed to know all about it. Some points from its website for you all: Built in 1870, the Old Idaho Penitentiary is one of only four territorial prisons open to the public today. During its 101 years of operation, the site saw escapes, scandals and the effects of Boise’s transition from the “wild west” to a mid-20th century capital city. Step inside the four walls of the prison yard and imagine a life of confinement as steel doors close behind you.

Chris Davenport

Super cool place! I thought yeah it's cheap, maybe a 20 minute visit. 2 hours later lol

Claudia Cuccureddu

This is a great place to visit when in Boise. The gallows was scary, but it was so cool to get to see. A lot of information telling the history of the prison and its former occupants. No food or drinks or large backpacks allowed inside.

Staci Rhodes

Not what I expected for a prison built in the 1800's. Alot of interesting things went on 5here when it was open. I recommend you have a seat in front of the historian and hear what he has to say!

Domagoj Kerestes

The best 8$ ever spend for entrence to that prison , this is for me number 1 tourist attraction in Boise Idaho which must see ! , I spend 3 hours to see everything inside the walls of prison. Beautiful history ! If you just passing by with car for some road trip, you need stop here to see it....

Amanda Freeland

Its always a learning experience. If you didnt learn something, you did it wrong. If you go during this time of year you get to smell the beautiful roses all around. You get a creepy feeling in some of the buildings but thats all part of the fun.

Ryan Schumacher

An interesting look into a piece of history. Ask when the next guided tour is and participate if you can. It's no extra charge, lasts ~1.5 hours, and you'll see some areas and learn some facts that you'd otherwise have missed.

travis atkinson

If your in town and have time take the guided tour very fun and informative it's a very preserved peice of history. Definitely make it part of your to do list.

Bethany Day

Absolutely amazing! Very humble and knowledgeable staff! The family enjoyed our visit.

Rebecca Marchello

The tour is very worth the $2 extra and they have a bunch of fun merchandise afterwards. However I was a bit creeped out that the place house 13000 inmates, several died, and the whole place smells like blooming roses.

Mary K. Spears

Myplacesce.org visits here twice per year. I loved the new art history exhibit. Great place to go wander :)

TheCHIEF BIGFAITH

Pretty 🆒 cool 👍. Historic. 160 escapes from here over 100 years . 60 never caught. Definitely NOT Alcatraz but still ... Also the gallows is kind of ghastly. Don't miss Solitary confinement & extra-solitary & "the dungeon" . And there's a women's ward across the street. We pray 4 ALL prisoners everywhere today: #AcceptChrist2bSaved ✝️❤️🙏

Scott L

Super cool history and scenery. We were here July 2020 (covid crazy) and they were still super helpful. There were some terrible folks locked up here and they document these stories well.

Hannah Mann

I had so much fun!!! If you like things like this it's definitely worth a check out. My favorite part was the old weapon and war exhibit!! Would do that last because it has ac and its refreshing after being outside in the heat!!

Brian 88

We really enjoyed our visit. Parking is limited so be prepared to do a little walking. There's a free guided tour that I highly recommend. Taking part in the tour is the only way you'll actually be able to go inside a cell as well as other areas of the prison. Bring plenty of water because drinking fountains are very very few and far between. The gift shop has a nice little selection of souvenirs and also has cold water for $2 per bottle.

Karan Poddar

Nice place to visit especially with the tour. Our tour guide was fun and informative but kind of in a hurry. Overall, worth visiting

Tyler J. Adams

Plan on a couple hours here...pretty cool stop over that's out of the way from Downtown. While Idaho specific (obviously), this does give good perspective on what prisons were like for the time periods. © TIFA 2003

Carol Hutchinson

Went to the retro motorcycle show. Amazing venue.

Brian Jarvis

It was very interesting to tour the site and learn some early Idaho history. The buildings themselves tell an interesting story, but it was fascinating to take the self-guided tour and read the plaques with the stories of some of the people who were incarcerated there. The volunteers there were very friendly and helpful. We didn't buy tickets ahead of time, but with the recent changes to COVID guidelines, were able to buy them at the door.

Tinkerbell67

Love visiting the old penitentiary everytime I visit Boise & the Botanical gardens ! Alot of history & I remember first time seeing this was back In the 4th grade of the fun Boise field trip that every Idaho child has enjoyed since the 70s ! I also love the Victorian house & beautiful rose garden ! A must see this place when visiting Boise ! 🙌 👍💕😊

Red crown

Such a neat place with tons of history. Has a creepy vibe which I enjoyed haha. Definitely a great place to check out.

Johnny Marbles

If you like historic sites, this is the place for you. Fun tour and incredible stories about inmates who called this place home. If you like firearms the collection housed is incredible.

Kristen Rathbun

We had a wonderful experience learning of the past and what life was like as an inmate. The staff was friendly and helpful and very knowledgeable. Check this place out.

Jason M (The Happy Campers)

Enjoyed our tour through the Old Idaho Penitentiary. Our tour guide was great on recreating the atmosphere from the days that this prison was active. Follow our adventure (see more photos) via Facebook or Instagram @ Happy Campers 227 as we travel this beautiful country full time.

Zach Smith

I loved our tour guide and the stories that were told. It was amazing how open the place was and how you could explore the entire penetentiary and how intact it all still was.

Malissa Lecrone

Took the whole family and it was a great experience. We walked the whole property and let the 3 & 7 year old learn all about the history of the place. We took a self-paced walk and were able to get tons of history from the signage and great photo history throughout the buildings.

Hailey R.

Did the self guided tour which was super nice, going at our own pace. So many places to go which is also nice!

Rita Englund

Enjoyed walking around on self guided tour around well kept grounds. Great value packed historical stop.

Chantell Gergen

A great place to visit! Each tour guide gives unique and interesting information.

diane barone

Had visitors from out of state this is one of the places I always like to take people it is very interesting and has a lot of history

Rick Stull

Very interesting place. Good tour with lots of information. Our tour guide was well informed obviously quite interested in the details of it's history. The weapons museum is amazing. From ancient swords to Tommy guns and Gatling guns, they had more than you'd ever imagine. Our niece loved it.

slug king

Beyond worth the small price for admission. $8 for adults +$2 for guided tours (we chose to go through without a guide), and cheaper deals for seniors, families etc. We bought our tickets in advanced, but you dont have to. This piece of Boise, Idaho's history is the most interesting I've come across. I learned a lot about life inside the penitentiary (and even outside), the lives of many of the inmates and guards, and of human history as well. The architecture was awesome to see and learn about too. I'd recommend bringing water with you because there are only a couple buildings with AC, and a full exploration can take hours. They have a lovely gift shop, and a room dedicated to a museum of weapons history, as well. I really appreciate how much information was given (including the shocking and unflattering) about this penitentiary... Here's a photo of me in solitary confinement (Siberia). Yikes 😬!!!

Kevin Linson

I love the history here. Good info on the tour and a very friendly staff willing to give you more info and help

Doug Snow

Had a really great guided group tour! Our guide Charlee was very knowledgeable and made it a fun tour for us!

Benjamin Garcia

We went with the guided tour and I can say that it's worth it! Our guide was very funny and knowledgeable.

Brad Sharp

This place is such an exciting landmark of history than anyone passing through should take an hour or two to go see. Though it can be self-toured, my group went with a guided tour and it was fantastic. Our guide, Said, was an outstanding historian on anything and everything that happened within the walls of the penitentiary, lavishing on details and stories so thickly I half expected to brush up against one of the prisoners myself as we went from room to room. In particular I found the old dining facility and women’s ward the most interesting, but every building has the worn feel of a forgotten era. My only regret is that their prison tattoo exhibit, while insightful, seems to be fairly dated and in need of some new info/displays. Don’t miss out on a chance to see this relic of yesteryear. My group was so impressed we all plan to go back!

Keelly Marin

Fun adventure! We enjoyed our trip to the Old Idaho Penitentiary!

Tom Hamby

Such a cool piece of history. A must see for people from out of town!!

David Berkowitz

An interesting enough and unusual kind of attraction, the historical value and stories aren’t as striking as others like the one in Philadelphia.

Megan Z

I was last here when I was a child, maybe 35 years ago or so. I vividly remember certain parts of the penitentiary. So when I returned with my kids, it was kind of a surreal experience. My son was very intrigued, and though some of the cell blocks were a bit intimidating, after all it is a prison, he was interested in understanding how someone would get into a place like that. It was an interesting experience and maybe not for everyone, but I liked it . it was impressive to see how well maintained the facilities are after so many years.

Christine Dumasis

Visited this historic site when we went to Boise for a vacation. So much history. Definitely worth a visit

Vicky Leong

Great museum. Very cool to walk around and see where the women prisoners lived and read their stories.

Reimers Family

This place is so cool. Eerie vibes through some of the cell blocks. Awesome educational opportunity as well...

Luke Freeman

Great educational experience on history and the penitentiary system. Not costly and the staff is very helpful!

justin johnson

I would definitely make this apart of your trip to Boise! It took my friend and I about 2.5 hours to tour it and loved getting to hear all the wild, awful things that happened there! My favorite is the "hole" it's a 4x4x4 hole in the ground, for misbeahving inmates

Christi Rochel

So cool, but it is a smaller prison. Definitely pay the $2 extra for the guided tour.

Matt Reif

As you can tell from the reviews, make a point to go on the 1-hour guided walking tour. It's included with the price of general admission, so you only need to time your arrival with a tour time. The history is fascinating, going back to before Idaho was even a state. You'll hear stories of 10 year old prisoners, a 7-month treasured spoon, and a kill zone around the perimeter! It truly was interesting to learn about, and this is coming from a guy who has absolutely no background or interest in history. I brought my 3, 5, 7, and 8-year-old daughters. The older two were genuinely interested, but the younger two bored easily. The stinging cold of the winter is a great time to go to set the mood, but I've heard the rose gardens are breath taking in the spring. I'll definitely be bringing my out of state family here when they visit! Lastly, they also offer $1 off general admission to service members. Thank you, Old Pen!!

Andy

Leslie was our tour guide and was amazing and full of knowledge. Really enjoyed the tour, museum and time spent roaming around. Highly recommend!

Limitless

Informative, a bit quiet when we were there due to COVID which is perfect.

LLCC Always

Great place to explore the history with lot's of history to read mostly the stories told of the prison. Each area has something to see & explore.

Ryan Scroggins

Really cool museum. Takes about an hour or two to see everything. Right next to a botanic garden for hiking.

Waterboy

This place is awesome...well worth the $6 price of admission. Great little piece of history... and possibly haunted.👻 …

Patty Lou

It was so interesting about how the prisoners were housed & how they were treated. Nothing but buckets/no toilets in some of the oldest cells with no running water. Polygamist were incarcerated due to the Latter Day saints population in the region and they were taking up a large percentage of the prison. Young boys (a 11 year old killed mother) were also jailed in a separate section. There was also a small women's building with mostly homocide females. Hanging executions were the norm. The prison was closed down in 1974 after a riot due to living conditions.

Laura Perkins

Very interesting piece of Idaho history. Tour guide did an excellent job.

Jeannie Thompson

Romancing the pen was a fun way to experience the old Idaho penitentiary! A cold drizzly Valentines evening added to the effect! Will absolutely recommend and visit again :-) possibly next time in the daylight

Crystal Flasch Schimmels

I came to Boise for a work trip and had some time to sight see. I didn't expect to get much out of visiting this place, expecting it to be similar to any other historical site. But boy is this place incredible- so much history and so interesting. Also if you have the option to do the walking tour- spend the extra $2, it's so worth it. Our tour guide was amazing- energic and really got into the stories that he told about the inmates, from the opening of the penitentiary in the 1800s all the way to when it was closed in the 1970s. If I'm ever in the area again, I'll pay another visit!

John Gonzales

Great opportunity for some historic learning while doing plenty of walking in the process. This prison was built to its current state in several sections over the course of 70+ years. Each house has significant historical information and is spread around the entire grounds, encouraging you to explore. They provide guided tours for a very small amount above admission. However, given the free reign you have of the prison grounds that is a choice you have to make for yourself. A group of seven of us walked it on our own and felt just as informed as the guided tour option. Biggest recommendations are Building 3 for the sheer size and insight of the living conditions during that era. The Maximum Security Facility, which still houses all of the cells, the infirmary, death row cells and even the gallows used for executions. They also have a giant display of weaponry used by military forces throughout many generations housed in a separate area. This is available to all visitors of the prison. Bring water. Don't touch the peeling paint on the buildings as I'm positive it's lead paint. Wear appropriate shoes while walking the grounds. I saw several people tripping while wearing sandals. Not because of the sandals, but due to uneven surfaces of the walking paths.

Heather McDaniel

Really neat place to check out. Lots of history and stories! Guided tours are only $2 if available. The volunteers really know their history!

Charles Willis

Awesome place for a family outing my family enjoyed it

jon nielsen

Did a paranormal investigation with Big River Paranormal here. Really cool place! Well worth the visit even if you aren't looking for ghosts.

Taylor Hunt

One of my favorite things to show off to tourists. Never want to get stuck in a place like this. Lay off that whiskey, and let that cocaine be!

Sharon Marcantel

I loved the tour of the old prison. Very interesting & the staff were helpful, & told some good stories of the inmates, & their personal experiences.

Jeff Neighbors

What can you say about the Old Idaho State Penitentiary that has not already been said? It's spooky, old, Historic and a Boise thang! If you look real hard you might see the ol owl who haunts it still to this day!

Benjamin Thomas

Awesome place to visit, a must- see for sure, even if you're just passing through town.

Jon Damin

The tour was very good. Our guide, Jack was awesome. Will have to visit again on a cooler day.

Betty Lou Wyatt

The location and history is amazing. But I felt a bit rushed by our guide. The staff is fun and helpful and full of information.

D B

Great tour by Jessie! She made the whole experience even more interesting. Highly recommend checking out this place!

Traveling Shoshonie

Today was the memorial of the last man on site hung.. Mr. Raymond snowden!! Whoa crazy!!.. 😁 it was fun an exciting yet sad!..😳 Siberia was a cool seen too an odd!.. Worth it? I say yes!.. …

Onward 4x4

I really enjoyed the historical perspective in the way folks used to be imprisoned. Truly we have to make progress and shift from punishment as the purpose of prison to rehabilitation.

Jason Keller

An incredible place full of history awesome architectural they also have some Real cool rocks and other souvenirs you can buy great history

Christopher Bleily

Overall, had a good experience, I would like to see it more wheelchair and stroller accessible.

Karen Kukis

Take the tour... The stories are worth the 2.00 more than the self guided tour. The structure is in its original form.. even down to the burned chapel. The whole thing was thought provoking no matter what side of the prison system debate you sit on. Educational piece of history. You can go into a cell, Hear about prison life, living conditions, see home made weapons. You will also learn about capital punishment in that time period. Having a gift shop there seemed kind of odd... but there is one of you need a keepsake or two.

Robert N

the best attraction to visiting in Idaho, my favorite on my visit..cool buildings full history and very helpful hosts..I highly recommend this place.

Joey Leffel

How Shawshank! Totally worth the trip. Kids will love it.

A D

It was an amazing birthday experience I had a really good time

William Olson

We took a tour of this place of historic importance. My wife is not a museum buff but she loved this place. They have lots to see and read to understand how the old west prison system worked. This is worth the $6 entry fee.

tatortotpanda p

This place was somewhere we would go with my moms friends. You could see blood all over the walls from prisoners trying to escape. Thres a museum full of old weapons and even a little case full of inmate made daggers.

Penni Aufderheide Keck

Wonderful experience. There is wheelchair access although some of the sidewalks are hard to get over. And there's not access to any of the second floors. The exhibits are fascinating. The 30 minute presentation was interesting and the speaker was very knowledgeable. There's a cute little gift shop. There's a self guided tour out you can choose to go with a your guide. Great experience.

Jeff Denning

Missed the guided tour but it was no big deal; the lady up front was extremely helpful and just outlined the route that they go on! Great for history buffs or people who love sites with a creepy/dark undertone!

Sterling Toma

I spoke with someone who did time at this place. He is in his mid 70s and he won’t step foot in the direction of this museum. It’s a unique museum. I enjoy the trails around the museum and I love the rock shop.

amy shannon-holm

Took the guided tour with Eric as our guide. We could tell that he was very knowledgeable about the history of the place and he was excited to share that knowledge with us. One of the best tours I've ever been on. Truly a great experience

Frank Priest

It was very interesting! I enjoyed reading all the history of inside the walls! Death Row/The Gallows was a trip to me! Very cool place! Recommend visiting at least once!!

tx1 G

Very cool place to visit. You can easily spend a few hours here learning a lot about the history of this place, and the time period it was in use, including seeing the maximum security cells, a pretty extensive weapons exhibit, and the actual areas where executions took place. The brief history of many of the prisoners is displayed, and you will wonder why anyone would do anything to get themselves locked up in a place like this!

Chad Walker

One of my favorite places to take family. Halloween is awesome but you have to get your tickets early. Love the historic personage reenactment and the stories they tell.

Christopher King

Loved seeing this old prison! I'm glad they were able to keep it well maintained for future generations to come see it!

Run Teach

This is an incredible experience. For $2 more I highly recommend the guided tour The tour guide was very knowledgeable and, as there were children present, made sure what he shared was age appropriate.

Remained Anonymous

This place is fascinating and I am so happy that they have detailed explanation of who stayed there and for the crimes they committed! I did the scavenger hunt in July and it will be a returning experience

Michael

If you're a history buff, then the Old Idaho Penitentiary is definitely for you! What my wife and I thought would be a quick walk-through turned into a 2 1/2 hour tour of the faculity, with plenty of stories to go along. Our tour guide, David, was great. This is well worth your time and money (only $6 for adults).

Heidi Bragg

Have to say been out here for 5 years. But we are sorry we waited so long to go had an amazing time. Loved it.

sara lee

Great place for a short tour...or browse on your own. We paid $16 for tour and browsing around.

Michael Mcgraw

Great experience! Enjoyed walking around and reading all the placards about the prisoners who once called this place home! Definitely worth the family outing if old places with fun history interest you.

patgoert

Skye was an excellent tour guide. She spoke loudly and had a wealth of information!

Cynthiya Manikavasagam

Intriguing place of history. The staffs are very helpful and friendly. The washrooms are clean.

Tommy Boy

Interesting, great WWII weapons museum, decent signage for self tour

Derrick Psaros

Cooler than you'd think. A lot of great innate stories. Make sure to visit Denis.

Muse Love

This place had a little of everything. We had a blast visiting. The fact that you can self tour and wander is super cool! Some areas were restricted. I think it was really neat that you can pay to take part in paranormal investigations at night. They had quite a few tour guides available. There were a couple spots were wished we could have gone in. We couldn't find the prison graveyard, and didn't get to the botanical gardens yet because after seeing the mining and geology museum, weapons exhibit, the women's ward, and touring everything in the prison walls, our feet were pretty sore. There were a lot of neat articles to read. We appreciate this place and want to come back. Thanks

Joaquin Diaz

Creepy but fun. A lot of history is shared at the Old Idaho Penitentiary. It is a couple of hours to walk through and absorb the history of the place. Stop by, bring water, wear comfortable shoes, and a hat.

Carsten White

Great place to learn some Boise history and enjoy our city!

Ankit Patel

Naturally all of Boise’s top attractions are minutes from Garden City, and there are a few that need to be in your plans. For history the best place to begin is this state prison that operated from 1872 to 1973. The Old Idaho Penitentiary was established a full two decades before Idaho gained statehood, and is made up of a series of Romanesque Revival sandstone buildings enclosed by a 17-foot stone wall. The material for these structures was quarried from the Boise Range by inmates. Included in the 13,000 people to pass through these gates are some prominent figures, like Harry Orchard (1866-1954) who assassinated Idaho Governor Frank Steunenburg in 1905. You can uncover Orchard’s story and more at the preserved cell blocks, solitary cells and gallows. There are more than 30 historic buildings on the site, along with numerous exhibits including the permanent J. Curtis Earl Memorial Exhibit, featuring historic arms and military memorabilia.

Ava beal

It was awesome nice and friendly tour guide. We were there for a little over 2 and a half hours. I like it you should come take a look!!!

Patrick G. Stokes

Cool place. Fun. Worth an investment of time.

Johanna Huber

A great historical site. You can do a self guided tour or a guided tour. Plenty to see. Inexpensive fee.

Carina H

It was pretty cool but watch the prices online it charges you more

Kasey

Went on second Paranormal Investigation with Big River Paranormal. The old Penn has a lot of history and is always fascinating. I've eben to this place on a normal visit numerous times and it always is fascinating.

Bellingham Window And Gutter Cleaning (Gutter & Roof Cleaning)

Some of the places were being redone but still had a great time. A lot of pics and info to look at.

Jose Ybarra

This is definitely a great experience! You can easily spend a few hours here learning about the history of the area and the penitentiary itself. Not very expensive as museums go, and there is a lot to see and learn about. The best part is there is a historical weapons exhibit that has hundreds of old machine guns, rifles, pistols and even muzzleloaders from as far back as pre World War I.

Rose Lewin

We took a haunted trolly ride on Halloween to the Penn. Never went in but it is beautiful.

Gary Graham

Other than having to wear a mask, this was a great experience.

B E

It was awesome on the private tour a little cold

Sandra S

Great self-tour. Very interesting. Entrance fee very reasonable.

Ashlie Nelson

This is a really cool tour. Need an appointment but worth it!

Lynn Lessa

Amazing! I was surprised by how many children were housed there.....the youngest was 11.

Ivana Moroz

A piece of history in Boise, Idaho. Self guided walk through of different buildings in the old prison including solitary confinement and the children's ward. A must see for anyone who enjoys history and museums. Entrance is only $6.

cade liechty

Me and my family really liked this trip to the old prison. Its a cool look into how things was..

Leanne Shaw

Had a great time visiting with my husband. Used the necrophonic app on my phone and Definitely heard some ghosts.

Anthony Stewart

Loved this history and employees were very friendly and helpful

Michael Leazer

Very interesting to see. Great way to kill a few hours. Not too expensive, tons of info posted throughout.

Nev Kharda

Awesome place with lots of information about the prison, it's guards and prisoners. You can either go on a self guided tour or explore it by yourself.

Michael Lanham

We have toured the Old Penitentiary with Samuel Anderson as our tour guide. He is without question the best tour guide we've ever had (for both children and adults). When (not if) you visit the Old Penitentiary, make sure you go when Samuel is your guide.

Y. Salinas Flores

Interesting place. Amazing view at the top of the table rock trail. So worth the hike.

Isaac Fenison

Amazing to see. Definitely recommend coming here if you're seeing this!!

Vince Reynolds

Interesting place, good photography. The staff know the history and stories of the place well.

Bella A

Super unique and fun place to go. Some sensitive material for children but overall its family friendly and educational. If you're interesting in ghost hunting go here

Eryn Snider

Great place to take the family. The exhibits in the buildings are well done and packed full of interesting information. Each building is labeled and the areas also have facts and details that you would normally only get on a tour. We did not do the tour so I am not including it in my review, we only did self guided. The information was not only about the actual prison but also about many of the inmates that had been there. It was really interesting to see the different types of cells and stories of things that happened there as well as all over the country in other prisons. My kids really enjoyed the laundry and being able to see all of the ok’d equipment. We also really enjoyed the weapons display. Overall a job well done and a great place to bring the kids for a lesson on “staying out of jail”. There is quite a bit of walking involved and stairs are not a must but beneficial to be able to climb some.

Kylie Hemmert

Worth a visit for history buffs. Tour is recommended for full experience and details!

Michael Hanson

Very interesting place. Lots of scared kids running around. I guess I shouldn't have been slamming doors and making ghost noises though.

Paul Nottingham

An interesting piece of Idaho history. With limited federal funding post civil war, the warden utilized inmate labor to build, cloth and feed the inmates themselves. Only one hanging and because of the outcome executions in Idaho were forever changed. Seeing the architecture, and realizing the difficulty in securing the sandstone and transporting it and then crafting it adds to the amazement in how it was made(the prison itself). Good way to spend several hours and be sure to check hours for the guided tours, as these provide the most information and interesting factoids at no additional charge.

Cristi Ady

This is always a good tour. I especially like the Idaho museum of mining and geology as well. Lots of Idaho history. They have a new exhibit...worth the trip.

Shanien Singley

Rich in history and creepiness. My family and I loved it. Would definitely recommend visiting this place.

Hi Fly Player

I had an amazing time walking through a prison and seeing history or my Uncle Larry Trujillo on the walls

Sara Teixeira Figueiredo

This is a must see if you’re in Boise.

Tommy Mc

Lots of Idaho history there! Very interesting place and how hard times looked in that era! I just did a job for a prom the other day so I was in the basketball court setting up a tent for a prom this year. Go check it out if your new to the state.

Town Traveller

Great staff, well maintained buildings and garden

Curtis Nixon

Excellent historical and interpretive site! Anthony is a gem to the historical society and has been a good friend and great source of information for personal research. I have been to the Old Montana Prison site, Alcatraz, and the Wyoming Frontier Prison. They could each take a leaf out of the Old Idaho Penitentiary's book!

Anna Garnett

We loved this!! They did an outstanding job of making it fun, informative, and age appropriate for myself and our 13-year-old. The staff was friendly enthusiastic and very knowledgeable about the history and paranormal activity there at the Pen.

Roxane Meier

Really interesting to see how the prisoners lived...and experience some paranormal activity! The overnight events are AWESOME!

Courtney Dayley

Such a cool place to visit! Fascinating history and well-preserved.

Gene

Very cool place for an afternoon visit.

Bonnie Smith

Very interesting and historical. Polite and knowledgeable staff.

Rick Bynum

Great self guided tour to check out the history of bad guys!

craig giebel

It was interesting, but had a hard shaking the depressing air of the place

Joshua Wizard

The Idaho Penitentiary site is an exciting place to visit. I wanted to make a side note for people interested in old signs, typography, and old design though. There's a wealth of classic signs and hand lettering types to be found throughout the prison, even where you don't expect to find them. Being one of these people myself, I couldn't help but be thrilled to find a nearly-unreadable "Troy Laundry Machine" stamped metal plate. An old "By Order of Captin" notice about clean laundry. A classic "No Loafing". The entirety of the prison is worth a visit for younger and older guests. I spent an entire day loafing around and still feel as though I likely missed a couple of spots. Worth making a second trip if you live in the area!

JW E

Really cool place! Lots of history! It's interesting to see how the jail cells have changed over the years.

Scott Sanderson

Interesting and fun. Plan on spending min an hour if you rush through. If you interested in reading all the history bios, you can spend 3 plus hours. There is an amazing world collection of weapons which I didn't even know about before coming. It was awesome. Staff is really nice.

Eric Z

Great local history. Self guided tour. Interesting to see how the level of crime to years served varies from the early years of this penitentiary.

Linda Bird

When we 1st walked in it felt a little eary, with the bars and the high cement walls. But the history was amazing. I have never stepped foot in a jail, much less a penitentiary!! The only complaint was when I'd ask a question, he would say that he would answer in the next building... he never did!! We want to come back n hike around

Debra Hunt

It was a very interesting and sad place of history. It had lovely flowers and stonework from the nearby old quarry too.

Will Oestreich

Sure glad it is closed. I'm not soft on crime, but this place was borderline torture. Great tour with interesting stories.

Matthew McCain

Fun little sight seeing trip. I say little but I spent over 2.5 hours looking and reading all the plaques and didn't remember till after I was in the van that I could take pictures.

Michell Fahrmeyer

My 9 year old Great Niece had this on her Birthday List of things she REALLY NEEDED TO DO when she came to visit this summer💜. I have been a few times in the last 3 years it never fails to surprise me with something new or mysterious.

Kerry Gilfillan

Fascinating place to visit. Entry fee very reasonable. Really takes you back in time.

Simplygiz1

This experience was totally awesome! A bit spooky but awesome

Teresa Johnson

We toured here on our own. It was really nice to take our time at the exhibits we were interested in. (Like the weapons Exhibit). I've been here several times with my kids on field trips but really enjoyed it more on this self tour.

L D Smith

A must visit place for Boise natives and visitors. Took 9 grandkids, ages 26 to 5 and they all had a great time.

Spencer Hazard

I love history this place is Great to take your kids to to see the history of Idaho

Kevin Stanfill

Very cold in January. Button up.

vicky scanlon

Great visit, if your a Gun aficionado the weapons exhibit there is AMAZING. Weapons from the Revolutionary War to now are on display. They also have a vehicle exhibit. Visit the prison cells and see what happened in the 70s riot. Beautiful houses to tour on the grounds and if you love to hike there is a great trail up the mountain that lots of people walk,children on up. The museum staff was incredibly helpful and friendly. This trip was just us two but when we came home and showed our family the pictures, we'll we are going again and this time with them.

susan michael

Great place to visit or bring friends who come to town.

Richard Strean

Go for the tour but also leave yourself time to explore on your own. It's unusual to have the opportunity to learn prison history on-site.

ladybug lover girl

Amazing place to see and very inexpensive for the amount of exploring

Michelle Changpertitum

Very interesting. Opted out of a guided tour because there were so many children but the info provided on the plaques and in each building were plentiful.

Chris Gay

Great stop, very neat place. Lots of history. My 12 year old girls found it very fascinating.

Heather B

Interesting place! Staff were great, both helpful and knowledgeable. The grounds are well kept and the signs were awesome with all kinds of information. We learned a lot and had fun. The presentation was engaging and well worth the time.

thepagano

Great way to spend a few hours with the kids. Enjoyed the history and learning about the prisoners. Beautiful flowers, to boot.

Diane Nelson

Fascinating, great tour. Amazing history

Scott Henrichs

This was a special "behind the scenes" event allowing you to visit parts that are normally closed to the public. Informative guides gave insight into this piece of Idaho history. Highly recommend the guided tour.

Nick

Fun and cheap. Nice historical site.

Chris Minor

Loved it fun place to visit.

Richard Williamson

I have a family member that works here and we got a private tour. I loved it. Equal parts beautiful, educational, terrifying, and haunting. Definitely some spooky stuff but I highly recommend it if you're in the area and looking for something unique to do.

Anthony Moreno

This place is soooo cool!Great history Great tour guides awesome gift shop I would definitely recommend!Kinda spooky so I wouldn't recommend toddlers or younger children but it's definitely a must see!

Certified Appraiser

The highlight of this venue is an amazing weapons collection...it's a chance to see some unusual class III items and some truly iconic early carbines and Colt pistols. The grounds are quite interesting and the vignettes of the former prisoners are quite interesting when viewed through a 21st century lens.

Dmitry Feldman

Museum is maintained by knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and friendly people that made our visit memorable and educational despite of the summer heat. This dark historic site is a reminder of the bygone era and people who lived then. Makes us appreciate time we live in now. We like the firearm exhibition displaying world wars firearms used by different countries. I was pleasantly surprised by a stand dedicated to the Soviet women fighting for their land together with men during WWII as snipers, tankers, aviators, and medics.

Dio Ruiz

It was a great learning experience

Craig Kiyonaga

My daughter has a fascination with closed prisons... old Idaho is her favorite.... ok maybe a tie with Alcatraz. There is something deceiving here... the peaceful gardens beside the ruins of a riot almost 50 years ago.... the quiet in the echo of the violence, and the small marker of a inmate named Dennis.. spend the afternoon walking through the cells of Idaho's worst and learn what life was in the pen.

Jennifer George

So much history inside those walls. My friend and I came on a hot day so the guides were unable to give us a tour. But, we had a nice time experiencing it on our own. I appreciated all the information posted throughout.

Everett Black

Very historic, be sure to pay the extra $2 for the guided tour, she was PASSIONATE about history and took the tour from "interesting" to a completely higher level.

paul bush

Been here quite a few times awsome place to visit and staff is great

Mark Esparza

For $6 it was an awesome experience. Definitely recommend it.

Jason Smith

This place is so awesome! Super glad to have found such a fun place in Boise. It's really cool if you hike up above and look down below on it because you can really get a feel for how large it was.

Jason Brown

Great tour! Such great and interesting stories and things to see here. Our tour guide Leslie was awesome!! Very informative and quick witted. Highly recommend! Just make sure if you small children (or if you’re sensitive) make sure you don’t mind them hearing about murders and executions.

Ben L

Jack was a phenomenal tour guide! Incredibly knowledgeable and very friendly.

Conner “Sickawicked”

If was great!! Wish they had the the new cell unlocked to see inside

Jenn E

Amazing! Great energetic, informative and friendly employees. Interesting to hear and see the history. Easy self-tour and ask questions if you want. Loved the story about Dennis the 🐈. …

Joyce & Jim Obland

Very informative. Great tour guide

Shauna White

A must see in Boise! So much history here. I hope they bring back the tour guides (they had them before covid) because the stories really heighten the experience. I recommend taking your time to read all of the signs they have displayed to fully appreciate this historical gem.

eursla wolfe

Omg I love history this place was so interesting and informative and just all around Great treasure to visit. Tour guide and everyone very polite and very helpful

Todd Scott

It was a neat tour but IMHO the state hasn't done very well maintaining it. So much more could be done with it but they seem to lack imagination. Simple things really like clear foot paths that would keep people from breaking their ankles and such. The laundry was neat but it would be amazing if at least the main drive shaft that powers all of the machines was turning. Not the machines themselves. Maybe the historians roaming the park could be dressed up the way a C.O. would have dressed in 1910. Heck maybe you could get a food truck to come on Saturday mornings during the summer or even one Saturday during the summer and have them serve "eggs, 'meat' and mush". I for one would definitely bring my kids for that! Maybe you print up tickets which have names and crimes on them that are given to the people and they have to go find out where that person did time and what happened to them. There are just so many more engaging ways to "do" history than the way it's being done.

Matthew Waltz

Went here for the night tour in November and the guide was very good and loved the history. The private gun collection is pretty neat! Would highly recommend.

azjuly25

Our second visit in 5 years and it's as always : Worth every penny. You can spend the whole day there, plenty of opportunities for great photos as some of the jail cells are open. Informative and nice staff too!

Katt Bush

Amazing site to go and visit in Boise, ID. Recommended to do the guided tour with the employee. You see amazing places please get some good info too. Just beautiful there and amazing history in it as well.

Justin Maltos

Super fun!! Amazing gun collection!!

A Lil' Bit of Texas

Absolutely amazing! Haunted definitely! The girl working there is delightful and has a lot of knowledge about the old pen. Leslie gave wonderful insight on things when asked.

Eat Drink World

Great look into Idaho history with great stories from former prisoners. I highly recommend.

Stephan Saxton

Great place. Since Covid there aren't guided tours, but they give a map and answer any questions needed. Only reason it isn't rated 5 stars for me, is because when I went there, a couple parents wouldn't keep their kids under control and when my gf and I were trying to visit they kept yelling loudly, and the cell blocks already have a loud echo even when whispering. Cheap place, great attraction, the Historical Society keep it in great shape and make it a fun learning experience. Also definitely get some weird vibes from the laundry area. This place is also known for being a popular attraction for those searching for the paranormal, being cited by multiple people over many years as a haunted location.

Zach Cogswell

My Wife and I did the guided tour here and it was Awesome! So much history for Boise and so many stories we got to hear. The architecture within the walls was amazing and to hear the back story made the tour all come together. If you are looking for a fun and informative activity go check out The Old State Pen.

sue o

We were on a road trip from California to Idaho and heard about this place and it sounded interesting, so we stopped. We weren’t sure if we wanted to go on the guided tour or go around ourselves but the lovely lady at the cash register strongly suggested taking the tour and we’re very happy we did,.Jack was our guide and he was wonderful, we were able to have a small group so we could all ask questions, And it was very informative and interesting. We highly recommend it

Alyssa Esbensen

So cool seeing this part of Idaho's history.

Dianne Payton

My sister and I went on a tour 2 days ago. Our experience was amazing. Jack, not only gave us factual information, but also interesting stories. We will recommend this tour to many of our friends. Thanks again. Dianne & Sandy

Steven Fleming

Wonderful museum like presentation. Recommend entire family visit. Well done with very helpful staff.

Rose B

Definitely an interesting, fun, unique place to visit while in Boise!!

T K

Totally loved this. Great exhibition.

Kevin Flinton

We loved this! Our kids were all intrigued ages 15-7. The history is incredible and the site is very well maintained.

World traveler

Nice place to walk around and learn a little history. Great photo ops here

Mare Bear

Great Experience. We went on the guided tour, which you can choose to do or you can walk through and check things out on your own. The buildings designs, structures were awesome. The courtyards were beautiful. We were there at the end of July and it was 101°! Next time will visit in the cooler months.

Bryan Hood

Pretty cool. Great visit for what you pay for. The gun and sword collection was impressive.

Michael hall

If you're not a history buff, not for you. Great place, cool stories and insight into the past moral compass.

A I Ci

Took a friend this weekend who was in town for my birthday. She loved it. I’ve been several times but it’s so fun to experience it with different people. Great piece of history and puts you in that time of life.

Brandon der Blätter

really cool place to see! it's good to get an understanding of what the prison system used to look like and learn about what changed and what's still the same today. the buildings are cool and you can go inside lots of them and see what it was like to be a prisoner

Penelope Heaton

This is a very informative and interesting museum. I found it very sad, but it is pretty cool to see how differently prisoners were treated, and how much our current prisons have improved. It is a great place to take people of all ages, if a place is for older people, they will advise you against bring kids there. The staff is very responsible. My over all favorite part of this was seeing Dennis the Cat's grave. It is so sweet that there was a cat for people to love! I would definitely go here again!

Milessa I.

Very interesting! Worth visiting.

Nancy Boatman

This is a must see if you like history. I highly recommend.

Andrew

Great place to visit if you enjoy history and the stories of those who made poor decisions in centuries past. It also highlights the evolution of law and justice over time. The grounds are beautiful maintained the the exhibits are intriguing.

Brat L

They have preserved things very well and have so much information and history posted throughout the Pen for you to read. They also have a very extensive weapons museum in the back of the lot that was extremely informative and very cool to look at. I came here with children and adults and everyone thought it was all very interesting. There are obviously adult themes being discussed on the placards so if you aren’t wanting to be exposed to that, be aware.

Brynlee McKague

Loved the history, and loved the exhibits. We were a little frustrated with our tour since the guide didn't want to share all the details of the tour since children were present. The tour is recommended for children ages 10 years or older due to content.

fromFirst toLast

This place has a lot of stories to go with the visual appeal.. Nothing super exciting, but a good piece of Idahoan history. Our tour guide on our first visit was entertaining, but somewhat unprofessional and felt out of place, not that it was a bad thing. You can learn a lot of the history and stories in the entrance lobby and surrounding rooms, and wander around solo, although attending the limited tours enables you to a few extra perks... annndddd the Botanical garden next door is always awesome.

Dean Ward

I would give it 5 stars. But one of their younger employee needs to chill out, why are you all spooled up? Why so aggressive with people? We get the whole Covid rules and you can only allow so many people in, talk to us as normal humans. But we loved it. Well worth going to and would love to go back.

Lyndall Canter

Very cool historical site.

Danielle Buettner

You can do a self tour, but we came in about 15 minutes before they were starting a giuded tour so we decided to join. The price is only $6 and it doesn't cost extra for the guided. We really enjoyed the tour, there was a lot of good information and great stories that you don't get on your own. The place is beautiful in a kind of somber way.

Eileen Thoreson

LOVED IT!!! The 1st time I've ever been.

Micah Piersall

This was pretty neat. Scary place

Geoffrey LeLong

Awesome experience! Definitely get the tour for only $2 more and check out the gun exhibit too.

D.M. Hubble

Delayed at the airport and mosied over. What a pleasant little gem. It was a cool experience and even surreal at times.

Gary Whitener

Kind of a scary place Fun and very informative history

Shawn Rose

Super cool historical site. Plan for a few hours there is a lot of information!

Brad Duncan

Awesome historical site! Definitely worth the time for a visit. Make time for a guided tour if possible, but explore the areas outside the tour too! It was neat to see the records and information that have been kept to preserve this site as it is, and to learn about the lives of the people kept in this penitentiary.

A Plaizier

Very interesting historic place to visit!! I hear it's fun to go through around Halloween as well. It would be interesting to do some paranormal searching here, if they allow that. It was fascinating and creepy all in one. 😊😊 The price was super reasonable as well!! It was a spur-of-the-moment stop on our trip and I'm glad we did. 😊 …

Jesse Ramirez

Really creepy, smells like old buildings and educational about it's history. Only drawback that it's small, short and not much to do besides explore. You come here for the creepyness it's not Disney world lol.

Stephanie Lilly

We lucked out and hot to take a guided tour which gets you into sone off limit areas. Our tour guide was awesome. We learned a lot and got lots of pictures I would recommend this to anyone who loves going to historical sites.

Shelby Thibodeau

Great place to visit while in Boise! Wonderful price for what you get. Not for young children; some immature content and not a safe place for running around. We came at the end of the day and had a great time, but make sure you block out an hour at least if you want to get a good look at everything!

Andrea Bonadiman

Love love this place. Was here to drop art for a show I'm participating in. Come see!

K A Shauger

A must see.

Cherie Delaney

Very interesting & informative, but the weather was horribly hot for the huge amount of walking between buildings. Very limited air conditioners as was only tobe expected. No seating available.

Sadie Ismay

Super rad! Me and my boyfriend spent about 2.5 hours here and had an awesome time. Super cool and informative, and interesting to read all the signs they have.

Gary Mccall

Cell 32 until this Wednesday. Worth seeing the history and the worthwhile stories.

A. Messerli

Awesome historical site.. Friendly workers and a great price

Tony Cervantes

Interesting place to visit with lots to look at. They have guides that tell you all about the history of the buildings and their inhabitants. At the time of writing there was an exhibition of different weapons throughout history which made it that much more fun. Would definitely recommend paying a visit if you're in the area.

Desert Doberman

Nice look back into local and state history. Fun day outing with easy, paved walking trails

John Reamer

Cool place for a quick stop. Lots of interesting info about past inmates etc. The weapons exhibit is interesting as well.

Shauna Schumann

Ok... We've visited twice. History is kinda our thing, if it's your thing you'll love it. If it's not, you'll still find it interesting. The tour guides (ours was Leslie) are entertaining and knowledgeable. The tour comes with the admission price, but you don't have to go on the guided tour, you can wander on your own too. If you go in the summer, it's very hot, so take water with you. The prison is full of 101 years of history and stories.

Samantha Szesciorka

Went for an after-hours self-guided tour. It was super cold, but a blast! Very cool facility. The docents were very nice and knowledgable. Definitely want to go back again (during daylight) for a more thorough tour.

Daniel Sierra

Always a cool place to visit.. they added more information about the past inmates and put them all over the prison..

Chuck Mendoza

What a great experience. Leslie was our guide and she was personable and knowledgeable. She may the experience for our family. I would highly recommend a visit.

Garry Benton

The gardens, the museums, and the prison itself, always entertaining.

Lord-Commander

This is a really, really neat place to visit. It's sort of a piece of "odd" history, because it shows how the jail system improved, but it's also a last thing you think of when visiting Idaho. The fact that it is there, extremely intact, and well maintained provides a wonderful learning and historic experience I highly recommend waiting for the tour guides though. Our tour guide specializes in learning about all of the escapes and escape attempts and knew all sorts of fascinating stories that truly made this a great tour.

DAVID GLIDDEN

Very interesting Go in the spring, on a warm day. Most of the tour is outside. Lots of photo opps but you can't bring a camera bag or tripod. There are some adult level issues & descriptions on the tour, so be aware if you have children.

Les Eric Lewis

Scarry as hell...just the sounds alone send chills down your spine...

LeeAnn McQuade

A beautiful & somber experience. So glad we stopped to tour there.

Christie Carroll

After reading the background on the former penitentiary, and being someone who enjoys history, I really wanted to visit this place for a tour of this facility which was in service for 101 years. The guide (I wish I could remembered his name, he was a local teacher) for our tour was excellent, extremely knowledgeable, well versed, and had the perfect personality to conduct a tour. The place gave me a slightly uneasy eerie feeling as our guide wove the story of this place, the inmates, guards and wardens who served here over the years. Detailed stories about a resident cat, executions, riots, fires, and a couple of unscrupulous wardens over the years added to the intrigue.

Dave (AffectionateScar)

This is one very interesting and historically informative location. My wife and I spent hours exploring the different building and reading all the placards about the inmates, warden, women's prison. The entrance fee is very reasonable. Make sure you check out the massive weapons collection that was donated; it is exceptional! This place is a must see for history buffs.

Savannah Rucker

FUN! This place is so interesting and unique. Lots of history and individual stories about inmates. Its crazy to see how the prison system has changed in less than 100 years. Note: be sure you go on a day they offer tours, you get so much more history and interesting facts not listed on the pamphlets.

Dylan Okada

Interesting historic site. Lots of wonderful information and statistics. The two times I've gone I skipped the tour and walked around at my own pace. The provided map makes it super simple to find places of interest.

Philip Heins

Fun place to check out; a good spot to take friends and family to as well. The museum can take a while to go through with all the different periods and variety of firearms that are on display. It's interesting seeing the belongings that were left behind and show a little glimpse of how inmates kept busy day to day. Too bad that some of the buildings were burned down in a riot.

Kasey W

This place was awesome . I had a field trip in the fourth grade to here and that was 28 years ago. Now I just took my 12 year old. Great piece of history.

MT

Totally cool (but sombering/creepy) historical place to check out! Felt very heavy around the death row cells. Well worth the visit. Beautiful rose garden too! Freindly staff! Thanks guys!

Nick Brown

Neat to see a piece of history. Traveling exhibit of weapons when we went was really neat to see all in one place. Would have received more stars if more access to buildings was available. But what was open to the public was fun to see!

Shitsville101

I love the Old Penn so much! They do all kinds of amazing events here: paranormal tours, cemetery tours, behind the scenes tours. We went to a fundraiser where you could bring food and drive through the Sally port into the yard with your own car! (Really hope they do that again, even though it was mostly because of covid, I would love to see it become a recurring event.) Sometimes they even host events where you can stay the night in the prison. The history is fascinating and they are working on new exhibits currently so soon there should be new stuff to see even if you've already been. The gift shop is super cute and sometimes there are short movies you can watch about the history of the place. There's also a podcast called Behind Gray Walls that talks about the inmates and their stories. It's really cool. Go check it out!

Ryan Schaff

My wife and I went to a Halloweenparty here. The party was a 21 plus and was amazing. One super cool thing about the event was a scavenger hunt where you learned about the history of the museum. Best part of the whole thing was that our group won the best out fit for the night also.

Max Wenneker

Very interesting museum. Lots of good info on prisoners and prison. Takes about an hour.

Holly Joyner

This place is so neat! Tour guides are friendly and knowledgeable, place is full of history and it's fun to walk around and explore on your own. Enjoyed my visit and would definitely return.

Heidi Quast

Very interesting historical buildings. The history of the prison is laid out well in each and the weapons museum is very cool to look through. If you're into haunted places check out the cooler. Very creepy vibes in there!!

James Lohr

When I was there it was closed. Bad timing on my part. If I had been able to go in and tour I am sure it would rate more then 3*.

Richard Killey

Lots of history and very cool to walk through the historic buildings. Also learning about the inmates (both men and women) who were housed there. Really great place to spend time walking the grounds and going through the museum.

Marina Gentle

Recommend this historic site for everyone. Very informative and interesting place to visit.

Richard Buckham

If you are going to take the tour make sure you are dressed for an extensive amount of walking. This is also an excellent opportunity for education about some of the colorful characters that were housed there over the years. You will also learn a lot about how inmates are treated now and then

SheerLuck

The tour guide was very knowledgeable about the events that occurred at the Penitentiary. Would definitely recommend doing that!”, well worth the money!

Fran Stevens

Great self guided tour! The curator we spoke to answered questions and shared stories. We were interested in paranormal activity and he was a plethora of knowledge! Highly recommend!

Bethany

Very interesting self guided tour, the site is both harsh and intriguing. Both the penitentiary itself and the surrounding neighborhoods were worth the trip out. I wish I had planned more time, it was right next to the botanical gardens.

Scott Valenkamph

I’m a history buff, with a bachelors in history, so I may be a little biased here. This was on the top of my list of things to see in Boise. I’ll be honest, I was a little underwhelmed when I pulled up. I thought it would be bigger. I have to say I was completely wrong. This is worth the price of $6 for admission, I’m surprised it’s even that low. It was impressive to get to walk around the whole complex and really get a feel for how the inmates lived. The exhibits on the women and prison tattoos were very informative. The military weapon museum inside the complex was an added surprise.

Darla Rohrs

We were there yesterday Sept 4, 19 for the 2:30 tour. Our tour guide, Jack was awesome. He was really informative and kept us interested.

Raelyn

Very interesting! Learned a lot even on the self guided tour. Tickets were cheap. Highly recommend!

Betty Black

This is certainly one of the better walking tours I have been on. Our tour guide Shawn was very knowledgable and he made the tour very interesting. I found the prison "dark" but also amazingly beautiful with the rose and flower gardens. The combination provided an extra sense of the turbulent history that happened there so many years ago. Well worth seeing.

Sarah Johnson

Really interesting place! The tour guide was extremely nice and very informative.

jerrett porter

This is a fun historical place to take the family. it is full of interesting information about the old prison and the people that spent time there and what they were in there for. it very neat to see the old cell blocks and how the inmates lived. great place for a weekend adventure.

J D

This was so neat to visit. I love the history and appreciate this place has been preserve.

Jessica Lapp

I really enjoyed the old prison. We took the guided tour and it was very interesting. I enjoyed getting to learn stories of the past prisoners. The youngest prisoner that was housed there was 10 but he was released after his trial and not being found guilty. So the next youngest was 11 who shot his mom over not doing his laundry! I was amazed at how old the prison looked for still being operational in the 1970s. A fun place to visit if you are nearby.

Eliza Connor

Most of the buildings are in decent condition, some of the cells are maintained to look as they would have, and the gardens in between the walls were almost as impressive as the ones next door. A tour was included with admission, and the guide was great.

Mario Alcala

We have been wanting to visit over the past three years and my wife jumped at the chance to get tickets for Halloween this year. It felt like one big costume party and while I did have a fantastic time, I was expecting it to be a bit more scary and creepy similar to the Lowe Files episode. I would recommend to everyone to check it out for themselves to come to their own conclusions.

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