The air is getting cooler, leaves are starting to change, and pumpkin spice is now in full force. Along with the change in the season also comes the start of spooky season, and what’s more spooky than an abandoned jail? This year, opening to the public on September 25, 2021, is Chicago’s first and only haunted house inside a real abandoned prison.
Originally built as a women’s prison in 1896, The Old Joliet Haunted Prison is located in the annex building at 401 Woodruff Road in Joliet, Illinois. The famed, long-abandoned prison has been referenced in numerous television, film, literature, and musical works. It is purportedly haunted and closed its doors for good in 2002. This fall, however, the doors will be open and the grounds and interior of the prison will be transformed into a breathtaking haunted house.
There are two main themes guests will get to walk through as part of their experience at the prison: The Forsaken and Ghost Chamber. The Forsaken features a queen of the damned ruling over infamous and violent prisoners in a “doomsday-like” atmosphere. Guests will wonder through the machine shop, laundry room, and other industrial spaces. The Ghost Chamber will bring guests into the center of a paranormal experiment on the afterlife and theory of spiritual existence. Sinister spirits will confront those who walk the hallways of this research gone wrong.
Tickets are on sale now starting at only $19.99 per person with the option to add on flex, fast pass, and skip the line additions. Although exact times changed based on date, the haunted house will generally be open weekends in September 7:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., expanding to weekdays and longer times in October leading up to Halloween.
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