Joliet Prison Haunted House story by Frank Meccia

How many times when on the old Route 66 when you passed by the Joliet State Prison did you wonder, “What is it like in there”??

Well, you can now visit and experience what this old prison built back in 1858, (before the Chicago Fire )and was still operational till 2002 when closed. The only difference now is, “It’s Haunted” , as a former prison guard who was there said,” it always was haunted !!”

If you enjoy Halloween and visits to haunted houses, this is the place to go. This is designed for adults to enjoy, but you can bring your teenage kids. The Old Joliet Prison annex use to be the woman’s prison till 1920, then they built the newer prison across the highway. The architecture is similar to a lot of government structures of the era. Think of the Chicago Pumping stations on Michigan Ave, the old large granite and stone buildings. This was two years into the making. First, they had to bring the prison up to code, then they started the demolition to make it a haunted prison. Over 30 rooms each one different, with ghosts lurking everywhere. The cells in block C and D are each filled with different horrors. Imagine for a moment being a prisoner, the cells were brick walls with 2 small windows at one end, and two metal beds screwed into the walls, the cells measured 6×10 that’s it, for two people.

As you go through the maze of horrors, the screaming, the fog, the dead people hanging around, each turn you make you encounter another blotched medical experiment , then you are brought out to the courtyard of the prison, this area is called “THE FORSAKEN” here you are given a laser tag rifle, as you try and clear the courtyard of failed medical experiments that keep coming at you. Think Zombie Quest.

The great thing about this experience, is the great crowd control, you and your party get to go through together, without being bunched together with other people. Everything has been thought out to give you a great experience, but even when you make it out of the prison, they have more things to do.

New this year are the escape rooms. You and your group are given 5 minutes to figure out the clues to unlock the door before the room explodes. Trust me, it wasn’t easy, 4 college graduates one being a lawyer, and two medical professionals, and we were blown up.

There are concessions stands and gift shops, also those who buy VIP tickets get 10% off everything plus one free drink. To be honest, it was a great 90 minutes.

From the northern suburbs it took us about one hour to get there. Coming back after a great dinner in Joliet, using highway 55 we dropped off one friend in downtown Chicago in under 40 minutes.

Ticket prices start at $19.99 and go up a dollar everyday you get closer to Halloween. There are different tickets price add- ons , like a fast pass, VIP experience and the Premium package experience. Go to the web site to see all the packages, and please read up and all that you can do. WWW. Haunted Prison.com or 13th floor entertainment.com

The hours are from 7pm to 11pm, if you get to the parking area by 11pm you are guaranteed to get in. The Old Joliet Prison is located at 401 Woodruff Rd, Joliet Il.

Happy Halloween!