Winter Adventure Tours
(December through March)
An hour-long tour of the beautiful, winter cellblocks with an expert guide and a free cup of hot chocolate!
Each small group (limited to 25 people) will be paired with an expert Eastern State tour guide. The tours consist of a one-hour guided walk through the empty penitentiary complex and include a cup of hot chocolate in the center surveillance hub! There are even photographs of the inmates' Christmas celebrations on view.
The tour route may change to accommodate the weather, but will generally include the cellblocks, center surveillance hub, baseball diamond, Al Capone's Cell and Death Row.
Visitors must stay with the tour guide at all times. The historic site's art installations, audio tour, and history exhibits are not available during Winter Adventure Tours. Reservations are strongly recommended for weekends. Tickets can be reserved online, by
phone: (215) 236-3300, or purchased at the door, subject to availability.
Eastern State Penitentiary is beautiful in the stark, cold months of winter. But as striking as the unheated building is, it's also very cold. It has therefore never been open the public in December, January, February or March.
But as visitors continue to ask for winter tours, and the historic site
attendance is up by record numbers, Eastern State Penitentiary Historic
Site decided to expand its hours into the cold winter months.
| Visitor Center Hours: |
Every day, 10 am to 5 pm, Free to the public. |
| Guided Tour Times: |
Weekdays: 10:00 am, 12:00 pm, 2:00 pm & 3:00 pm
Saturdays & Sundays: Every hour on the hour from 10 am to 4 pm
|
| Guided Tour Prices: |
Adults: $12, Seniors: $10, Students & Kids (7-12): $8 |
| Guided Tour Length: |
1 hour |
| Heating: |
The small ticketing office and center surveillance
hub (mid-point of the tours) are heated to about 60
degrees, and the rest of the property remains totally
unheated.
|
| Dress: |
We recommend dressing for the weather, minus ten degrees. Bundle up! |
| Tickets/Reservations: |
Reservations are strongly recommended for weekend tours. Tickets can be reserved online, by phone: (215) 236-3300, Or purchased at the door, subject to availability. |
| Photography: |
Photography is allowed (no tripods), as long as it does not distract or delay the group. |
| Group Tours: |
We recommend groups schedule between April 1 and November 30, but private tours can be scheduled during the winter months. Call (215) 236-5111 x10 |
| Lunch Packages: |
Several wonderful Fairmount restaurants, all just steps from ESP, offer special Winter Tour Lunch packages that include your Winter Adventure Tour ticket. Simply make your reservations by contacting the restaurant directly.
(215) 232-9000
(215)978-4545
(215)763-2228
|
