If you’re a fan of spooky experiences, you’ll absolutely LOVE Halloween in Philadelphia, especially a visit to the haunting Eastern State Penitentiary.
This year’s Halloween Nights runs from September 20 to November 9, and it’s designed to give you a good scare—while raising funds for a worthy cause!
Let me share what you can expect based on my visit a few years ago. (Keep in mind, I’m the kind of person who wanted to crawl under my seat during the first Jurassic Park movie…)
However, this event serves as the largest annual fundraiser for the historic prison, and I’m always keen for a good story, so we just had to go!
Our cab dropped us off in front of the imposing 30-foot-high walls of this former prison, which was built in 1829 and operated until 1971. It’s so eerie that it doesn’t need Halloween to be spooky. Yet that night, with dramatic flood lighting and horrifying sounds echoing from behind the walls, I couldn’t help but laugh nervously.
Designed as a “penitentiary,” the institution aimed for prisoners to experience solitary confinement throughout their sentences. Interestingly, the prison had indoor toilets before they were installed in the White House!
The prisoners would be escorted outdoors for exercise with covers over their heads, ensuring they never saw another soul. Whether they achieved penitence is uncertain, but the prison operated fully until the 1970s, after which it fell into disrepair.
As the sun faded on All Hallows Eve, we approached the ticket box situated before the ominous stone walls, watching ghouls glower down from the two-story-high gates.
We arrived a bit too early, so we heeded the advice of a jolly security guard, who was keeping wannabe visitors at bay while the actors inside prepared for their roles. We decided to cross the street, where I calmed my nerves with a beer and a bite to eat at Jack’s, located in an old fire station. (I highly recommend grabbing dinner at the bar!)
Then it was time.
The first step was to have our bags checked and then we signed a waiver acknowledging that we wouldn’t sue the organizers in the event we spontaneously died from fright.
They informed us that during the current month of this event, five people had to be taken away in ambulances. I managed a strained laugh and took an extra copy of the waiver so I could tell you what I had just signed.
Next, we had to decide if we wanted to wear the glow stick neckband. My husband insisted I take one. When lit, it signals that we are open to being touched, possibly separated from each other, shoved through random doors, or even dragged onto operating tables with terrifying sounds like chainsaws and dental drills, alongside hidden props in dark corners throughout the horror maze set in this shadowy prison.
I figured I could just remove it if I felt I was in danger.
There’s also a “tap out” phrase: “monster be good”, which you can use anytime. Two girls ahead of us held hands, sans glowing neckbands, and continuously screamed MONSTER BE GOOD.
Zombie hosts silently ushered us into the first room without uttering a word. The maze consists of five separate zones, each with its own storyline that you must unravel as you make your way through.
The atmosphere was dark, with strobe lights flashing, pistons hissing, and metal gates clanging in the distance. Dry ice billowed in front of us as our eyes adjusted to the gloom. Over 120 actors—who auditioned for their roles and, hopefully, know CPR—jumped out from corners or wandered past with wild expressions.
Some reached out to touch our heads or grab our ankles as we shuffled past, making strange noises or simply staring. If you wore the glowing neckband, you could be snatched at any moment.
I hunched my shoulders and clung tightly to my husband’s arm with one hand, my grip so firm I could feel his pulse. With my other hand, I held onto the back of his jacket as I crouched lower while we ventured through the dark corridors.
Screaming and terrified yelps echoed from the guests behind us.
While I could tolerate the silent ghouls—and admired their makeup—BOOM! A screamer leaped from the shadows, and an unearthly noise erupted from my throat that I never knew I could make.
We finished the first of the five buildings, taking deep breaths as we stepped outside, letting out strained laughter alongside our fellow guests.
As it turned out, my husband and I ended up at the front of our group, which made us prime targets for the monsters. I realized our mistake: we were going too slowly, which caused us to miss out on the horror experiences set up ahead.
If you tend to get nervous, a better strategy is to stay in the second or third position, where the folks in front will have already activated the fright features. However, you need to keep pace, which we failed to manage, thus ending up at the front of the next wave.
We rejoined the group, and I witnessed a girl being violently pulled from her partner’s grasp and shoved through a trapdoor. She screamed, and I ducked even lower.
Another man was restrained in a dentist’s chair, tools ominously displayed while he struggled to break free.
Air whooshed into my head in the dark, hands grazed my ankles. The halls echoed with screaming.
We squeezed through narrow inflatable tubes in near darkness, unsure of what lay at the other end. My hands were so sweaty that I almost lost my grip on my husband’s jacket.
Finally, we stumbled out into the night where staff greeted us with opportunities to purchase photos, and the ghouls happily posed for snapshots.
After gathering my composure, we roamed through a corridor of cells to see what the prison museum has to offer on a regular day, along with cocktails available at a bar set up in front of Al Capone’s cell.
The infamous gangster was held here in 1929 and was allowed to decorate his cell with carpets, a writing desk, lamps, and personal photographs on the walls. It remains a recreation of how he originally furnished it.
As our heart rates returned to normal, we chatted with the bartenders and learned that this frightful event has been running for nearly 30 years and generates enough revenue to help maintain the prison’s upkeep for another year.
Halloween Nights at Eastern State Penitentiary
Since 2021, Eastern State has introduced a brand-new immersive experience that transforms a ten-acre maze of winding hallways and courtyards into an expansive festival that includes five frightening themed areas, ranging from intensely terrifying to playful, and even educational.
Fortunately, you can attend with a group, and those who aren’t keen on the scares can avoid the attractions marked with a red “X” and enjoy beverages instead.
This remains one of the most significant fundraisers of the year, with all proceeds directed towards the preservation and operation of the Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site.
Once it’s over, chat with intriguing characters over a cocktail, soak in the eerie atmosphere, and choose your own adventure. For more details, visit www.HalloweenNights.org. This year, the event runs from September 20 to November 9, 2024.
Because one post is never enough
Another peculiar – and somewhat creepy – activity in Philadelphia is paying a visit to the Mutter Museum. Check out my post recounting our tour through the Mutter Museum, filled with medical curiosities and exhibits featuring the deceased!
If you have just one day in Philadelphia, here’s how I suggest you spend it. Spoiler alert: it involves diving into history with a European twist, fabulous food, and something for culture enthusiasts.
This post also highlights my choices for 6 things to do in Philadelphia, including where to find the best Philly cheesesteaks and a really interesting mural art tour.
If you find yourself in Los Angeles, you can watch a movie in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. We enjoyed a showing of Grease (complete with a picnic among gravestones), but they also feature horror films!
For those really looking to be unnerved, consider visiting the Death Museum in LA. I knew I shouldn’t have set foot in there from the moment we arrived.
However, I genuinely love wandering through cemeteries. Read my post about exploring the above-ground cemeteries of New Orleans…
If New York is your next destination, I have a plethora of fantastic content, including the best rooftop restaurants, trendy flea markets, tips for enjoying Christmas in the city, prime spots for New Year’s Eve fireworks, the best shopping locations, and much more. Check out all my New York posts here!
