Old Idaho Penitentiary, Idaho, United States
4.5 (1.001 reviews) Wednesday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM Spent Ranking #6 in Boise Historic Sites
Deep dive into prison history
In 1872 the Idaho Territorial Prison opened its doors to some of the most desperate and mean criminals the West could offer. In 1973 the Idaho State Penitentiary closed to inmates. Now our doors are open for visitors to explore over 100 years of Idaho's unique prison history. Open year-round, visitors of the Old Idaho Penitentiary can walk through solitary confinement, cell blocks, and the gallows. Visit today and relive the Old Pen's exciting past of daring escapes, scandals, and executions. Call for more details about special events, educational programs and guided tours.
Address
2445 E Old Penitentiary Rd, Boise, ID 83712-8254
Mobile
Website
http://history.idaho.gov/oldpen/
Working hours
Monday : 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday : 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday : 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday : 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday : 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday : 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday : 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Current local date and time now
Wednesday, May 08, 2024, 15:41
User Ratings
4.5 based on (1.001 reviews)
Reviews
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5Sarah T 5:00 PM Jun 27, 2022
A must visit!
Well worth a couple hours of your time. Pay the extra $2 for the guided tour. It is a very interesting, beautiful, yet sad place. Our guide (I wish I could remember his name) was very informative and had some very interesting stories about the prison. Seeing the execution room and “Siberia” was a strange feeling. The weapons exhibit was very cool. Our 13 year old enjoyed the whole visit, the 10 year old got hot and tired about half way through.
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4kedalion1 5:00 PM Jun 21, 2021
Its Not Every Day You Get to Hang Out in an Execution Room
Forgive for the terrible pun. I've travelled all over the US, and when you do, you start to see a repeating pattern of the same things in each town. The Penitentiary was an incredibly unique experience... felt like walking around Shawshank Prison. The prison grounds were beautiful in their austere, orderly sort of way. Even the ruins looked cool. The cell block buildings and solitary confinement helped tell the story of these men - some of whom made dumb mistakes, some of whom were truly wicked, and some of whom paid the ultimate price to be "square with the house again," to borrow the phrase from Green Mile. There was another sub-museum in the Penitentiary as a bonus - I don't know precisely why it was there, but it was a ton of weapons and other martial curiosities that helped break up the prison tour and keep you from misery overload. Neat place!
