First time going to The Ohio State Reformatory. I would recommend it to anyone who likes history and of course Shawshank Redemption.The building has a very ominous feeling to it. Its definitely a spooky walkthrough especially near Halloween!

We eneded up doing the self guided tours and it was okay. The wands they hand out is used as basically like a phone so it is only 1 wand per person. There were a bunch of trash laying around, pop bottles, candy wrappers, alcohol bottles, etc.. The prison ITSELF is interesting to learn about, BUT I did not want to learn about the movie they shot there. Granted it is cool that there was a movie made there, but leave out the props and the cutouts of the movie. I came to learn about the prison and how things were ran back then. Maybe have cutouts of guards or prisoners instead. There were also a lot of parts where we could not go. So I wish they opened up the tour a little bit. I probably wouldnt recommend coming back for a tour.

This was an awesome time. The history, and the structure of the building was so intriguing. When you think of what was involved in building this in the 1890’s. Then living under the conditions that they had. I recommend everyone who has the opportunity, make a visit.

My family went at around noon on a Friday and spent around 2 hours here. I highly recommend the guide sticks that they have because they provide really interesting information! They require you to wear a mask but other than that you are free to roam around as you please! My family had an excellent time here and will definitely recommend to others!

Great piece of history. Intriguing mix of decay and renovation. Has insights into times long ago and new takes on the past through the lens of modern movies. Our son is in a wheelchair and while access to the first floor is handicapped accessible, the upper floors are somewhat limited. Our son was able to get up the stairs on his own, others may not. An employee named Kyle was super helpful and made our trip memorable and informative. A big thumbs up for this place.

This place was incredible! I went there with my family and best friend, this place is so incredibly put together! The wait is decent, the actors outside definitely put on a show, I was shaking and screaming the whole time. I was absolutely terrified and that’s great! They even got my dad and best friend a couple of times and are both not easily scared at all. I am definitely coming back for their Christmas event and next Halloween! Please check this place out if you get the chance I 100% recommend it.

This was a very interesting place to visit. We did the self guided tour but ran into one of the people working there who showed us some very interesting things. We will be back again.

This place BLEW ME AWAY!! I am a movie buff, so the fact that they filmed The Shawshank Redemption was a huge draw. But the sheer amount of history and information here! If you like museums, DEFINITELY stop here! It is a fantastic, amazing place!*NOTE* If you have asthma issues... it is very damp here, and it may cause some breathing issues. Still worth the risk, in my opinion.... AWESOME STOP!!!

An amazing place to visit, the building itself is indescribable and the stories attached add perfectly to the mystique. Lots to learn from both the film and prison histories. The tour is open to almost all areas and allows you to move at your own pace. So much to see, allow for at least two hours to walk the full tour route.

The self-guided tour was wonderful, looking forward to going back when there are guided tours. If you do the self-guided, be sure to pay the extra $5 and get the wands, so much information is missed without them.

Pretty cool experience. During the day the atmosphere doesn’t seem all too scary. I suggest if you’re wanting to feel that ghostly experience to go later in the day. Rooms were very empty and i guess i just expected a littlemore. Kinda felt like wandering at some points. Neat place but there’s no reason to go a second time in my opinion. Beautiful scenery though! Love the pics i got! Interesting but at the same time not as spooky as i expected

Blood prison it can be a scary place for young people they are flashing lights and a lot of dark hallways a good place to go if you like to get scared the line can be long from my understanding you need to be there before 11:00 p.m. no photos are allowed to be taken once you are in the prison and you are not too loud to take water or pop inside either there is no charge for parking it takes about 45 minutes to an hour to go through plenty of security and staff and once youre inside if you get scared and want to leave they will escort you to the nearest exit with a flashlight and tell them not to scare you anymore other than that it was a very safe placeand the haunted person is seasonal so it should be winding down by the time Halloween October 31st is done they do have historical tours that can also be taken after the 31st.

6 tiers of cells. An east and a west wing that tower over you, making you dizzy. Office administration buildings with gorgeous floors and a history. The chapel. The hospital. The library. (Solitary was closed due to their halloween haunted house which is set up down there)We stood where the wardens wife was accidentally shot and later died from her wound.We sat on the floor of the cell of an inmate, James Lockhart, who was so distraught from being denied parole, he lit himself on fire and killed himself.We walked where two inmates killed a guard who was in his 70s and no threat to any inmate.I touched the pulpit in the chapel where an attempted prison escape was thwarted.We gazed up the stairs towards the tuberculosis ward, where inmates who tested positive went to die. They left that room in body bags.We marveled of Schofields architectural genius, as we stood at the x, the true center of this enormous castle like structure.For those who havent gone and like things dark and unusual, i highly recommend it. This place is beautiful and dark and haunted.They are always adding to the tour, trying to open up more areas.

What an amazing place to stop and spend half of the day, we arrived right at opening time and there was only a small line during the week. We did the self guided tour without audio guide, If I could turn back time I probably would have payed the extra five dollars and listened to the extra information about the site. The space is large, and I was surprised by how much your able to walk around and experience.

A great museum. Built-in the 1890s, is a great architectural masterpiece on the outside and A grim remembrance of how prisoners lived during that time period very depressing on the inside.Was the filming location of several movies including the Shawshank redemption film.

This place is so cool and completely lived up to the stories and hype! Loved the movie Shawshank Redemption so it was neat to see where it was filmed and some of the other features associated with the movie that I didnt previously know. They do a great job at giving you information and history of the prison. The self guided tour is so fun! You have the freedom to go at your own pace and the speaker wand is worth the $5 to get more info. My son and I had a blast and Id love to go back for a ghost hunt!

Been wanting to visit for a long time. Finally did and Im glad I did. It was a good experience. My family enjoyed the history of the prison itself as well as the hollywood location history.

This place is Majestic from top to bottom. Really hard to believe this place was an active prison back in the day. The people who have saved this place have done a great job of preservation and education. Everyone is really nice and willing to help make your experience great. The top level of the prison is amazing. A must do. As stated on the Haunt Hunters App, make sure your batteries are fully charged. 3 cameras failed with full charge...take the ghost tour and see what happens.

Beautiful area, the building is full of hot and cold spots, youre able to walk through 90% of the prison. Great place to take children! The only issue is that if you need assistance walking or wheelchair youre limited to where you go. A lot of walking and cramped areas that are crowded.

One of the most fascinating places in Ohio history. Everything from the Civil War through 1990s and memorabilia from the many movies that were filmed on location. The history is unbelievable, lots of artifacts and beautiful architecture. Definitely a place you could take your family.

It was really interesting to walk around and look at the build, however there is more than one tour you can buy tickets to depending on what tour you buy depends on where you get to go and see.

I bought a groupon, so I got a good deal for our friends and I. Didnt get a guided tour because i think its better and you can take your time looking around. I enjoyed it so much. Theres plenty of plaques hanging around explaining some of the history and any background info. Its a beautiful building with so much character. I enjoyed coming here and would recommend anyone else to come.

What an incredible place! Full of history, oddities and even some uplifting things...during Oct, they make part of it into a haunted house. In the summer it IS hot, so dress accordingly.

Great place to visit, but wouldnt want to live there.

This place is so beautiful and unique. If you are in Mansfield, this is a place you should visit. I highly recommend the tours. Keep warm because is very cold!

Really unique experience. We took the self tour w masks and had a great 3 hours of exploration. Such an interesting piece of history.

Worth the visit. Ill be going back next year.

Great self guided tour very friendly staff some great history and movie props was a fun day

I absolutely loved the self guided tour of this building. There is so much history and so much inside that is left untouched. If you happen to have an interest in the paranormal then this is a MUST visit site. You get to walk into cells. See how solitary confinement worked and see the old hospital inside. Make this part of your Ohio trip.

Amazingly historic and unreal place to visit. A must see. Amazing staff. Be sure to take the tour. Its well worth it.

Such an interesting place - this is a MUST stop in the area. Youll need about 2 hours to see it all. Beautiful & creepy at the same time!

Interesting place to explore if you are ghost hunter, movie fan or just a history buff.

Great amazing place had a really great time will definitely recommend to everyone

Extremely crowded for the haunt. People in front of us got to go in without masks. They would send you in in large groups with people you didnt come with. Ended up being rushed by the employees. I was very disappointed with blood prison. Will be going for the tours but never again for the haunt.

Architecture was amazing, A lot of information and helpful staff.renovations are taking place, it will enhance the experience when completed .Private donations is what keeps this place going, so please help.

You have got to see this place in person pictures dont do it justice. It is basically a mansion with a prison inside. Amazing

We rent-to-own self-guided tour definitely a good trip.

We did the DIY tour and had a blast. The history is interesting and painful. The cellblocks are wild to see and feel. I don’t know how someone can go through here and not feel the pain and sorrow left behind. We definitely want to visit again and try one of the guided tours.

A must visit to this historic site when youre in Ohio. Only about an hour drive from Columbus and Cleveland. Bring a mask and dont touch anything. It will change your perspective about those who spent their life here and never came back out.

Really fun time walking around here inside and out. Definitely recommend checking it out if you can! Theres a cool gift shop at the end with some reformatory merchandise to bring home as well.

We did a self guided tour to go at our own pace, and the reformatory did a great job juggling history and Hollywood!

I Love My Historic Mansfield Ohio State Reformatory Haunted Prison Museum InMansfield,Ohio State In The UnitedStates

Today my girlfriend & I took the History meets Hollywood tour. We had a blast! Kyle, our guide was super friendly, very knowledgeable and you could tell, he loved answering our questions. I will highly recommend you visit this historic landmark and take a guided tour.

Non guided tour allows one to take your time and see everything. Shawshawn Redemption was partially filmed here.

I love taking the tour. We bought tickets on Groupon. There were six adults and 8 kids. It was great to enjoy the history with the whole family. It is a beautiful place.

Great place to spend an afternoon. Our guided tour was very informative. Make sure to bring a jacket if you come in the winter, as it can be very cold inside (cell blocks).

Seriously spooky. Shawshank Redemption was filmed here. And you can feel all of the ghosts of all of the men who lingered and suffered here in cages. So sad. But worth the trip!

Best. Day. Ever. I loved this place. The history, the scenery, the movie backgrounds. The chills you get walking through the cell block is unbelievable. Ill be back, 100 more times if I can!

We went in December. You can walk most of the building and there are some pretty cool areas to see. If you go when it is cold make sure to dress warm. Pretty icy in there. They have a little shop area and I bought a few items. Went with another couple and had a great time reading about all of the history and about Shawshank Redemption.

It was a good 1st visit for us, way too many people tho.

Ghost hunts..Tours..Haunted maze..Inkcarceration fest..Historic location.....

It is cool because it’s an old prison. It is cooler because they filmed the Shawshank Redemption here. Used a Groupon to get a reduced rate and explored for about 2 hours with the unguided tour. There are movie props from Air Force One and Shawshank still in place.

Cool spot, a lot of goose poop. Lol

Ive been through this prison several times on the self guided tour. I believe they offer the self guided from May through September and it can last as long or as short as youd like. Its at your OWN PACE so it can be long as you want it to be. I seen another reviewer complain that it only lasted 20 minutes which is complete BS as she much of went through the tour with the quickness. Almost the entire prison is open to you for exploring and that includes The Hole. There are alot of references to the movie Shawshank Redemption here for you to see. If youve seen the movie, the actual cell blocks in the movie were NOT filmed at this prison. They rented out some building in Mansfield and built a set there for those scenes. Anyways, this is a huge building and there is alot to see. They also have a gift shop here.

I went on the self guided tour. It was awesome! The feel of the place is very overwhelming and ominous. Dont know what it must have been like to serve time here! Even though I was by myself most of the time, I never felt alone. I highly recommend going. Hope to return soon.

This place is cool & theres a lot of history here, but it really is SCARY. Dont expect to see ghosts, but expect to be spooked out. Totally worth the effort. (Go with a friend)

I toured OSR with Haunted Hamilton. We got to do the overnight paranormal investigation. Lights out. I got a lot of photos! Aside from a few questionable orb photos (singular orb) I didnt see anything concrete. However, there were a few areas that I had a very distinct, sudden, and inexplicable fear of. I find it difficult to do a proper investigation when you are with a group that large that gets free roam. Sound carries. People talk when nervous or laugh, etc. Not a fault on OSR end. Historically it was just awesome to have been to this place. The gift shop was neat and I love the little museum they have on site. Our tour guide was informative and nice. I think I would do it again for sure.

Creepy and Cool! This is a great day trip from anywhere in Ohio. It really gives insight into how tough prisoners had it before modern jails and penitentiaries. Well worth the trip and price of admission. It took us about 2 hours to tour the prison. During Haloween season the have a haunted house and other Haloween themed events.If you like my photos or found my review informative or helpful please click the like button below

Absolutely beautiful and very informative

Did the guided tour, and it was well worth it, and being a huge Shawshank Redemption fan it was huge thrill to be there. I highly recommend it if youre a Shawshank Redemption fan. Its was worth the trip from Michigan.

We were here for the Halloween attraction, Escape from Blood Prison. This is a great attraction! I’ve never been in the prison for a regular tour, but I imagine it would be well worth it! It’s an amazing place!

We did he self tour with audio guide. There was a lot of information not only about the Shawshank Redemption movie but also facts about the prison when it was in operation. I wish they would’ve made a deal with movie makers get more of the props used in the movies especially Shawshank but I guess they didn’t know at the time that it would have such a following. I am glad we took the tour and recommended it if you like looking in old places.

Must go back for the night time tour. I didnt pay much attention to the Hollywood stuff but the rest of the history was exciting and haunting. Very much recommended!

Super interesting even without the guided tours. You get to see an amazing amount of the jail. Sadly, there is a decent amount of graffiti. Worth the $12 (unguided tour) cost per person.

Highly recommended for fans of The Shawshank redemption, with many locations from the movie. Recommended for non-Shawshankers to see the historical prison cell structures.

If you love Urban Decay, taking pictures, or ghost hunting this place is a dream come true! Huge old jailhouse that is slowly falling apart. I love exploring this place and taking pictures! You can see areas where parts of the movie Shawshank Redemption were filmed. This is just a spot you need to experience at least once if you have a passion for urban decay. They also host regular overnight ghost hunts and in July they have a big tattoo and music festival. In October they have a haunted house to walk through.

The only prison youll call beautiful. Tom Clark is an amazing tour guide.

Michael & JD, former inmates, were amazing tour guides. The facility is incredible to witness and experience. A must do!

A lot of fun, if youre into history and or haunts

So fun to walk around the old jail. Museum was interesting and informative. We Did the self guided tour with a audio device.

Went here on Nov 22nd, great tour and great staff. The only problem I had was the tour wand you get in order to tour by yourself. The volume buttons didnt work and it was hard to hear, but that didnt stop me and my family from seeing the awesome sights.

Awesome ghost tour, Although I would have liked more time to take pictures.

Great place alot of history and little Hollywood

What a great museum! The restoration gets better every time I go there

Love the building. Will visit again and again.

Awesome place to visit! A must see if close to Mansfield.

This was the first time we went and we did the self- guided tour. It was pretty cool. It has a cool history. Definitely would like to go back to do the behind bars tour.

So we stopped in, and did the self guided tour. Its nice having free range and being able to take your time and see things at your own pace. (Within limits, from my understanding you get to see more with the guide) my only meh is not getting to know certain facts. the audio wands, are great and all, sound was loud and clear with some really great information ranging from Hollywood, to historical to paranormal, but there are so many things I saw throughout the tour and had questions! And on a self guided tour, you cant get them answered. It was definitely nice though, right now they are doing renovations. But alot of it also looks like its original, which makes it that much more worth it to see in my opinion.Definitely has a paranormal vibe/feel to it.Id recommend it. Id do it again, as much as a self guided tour sounds intriguing, I probably would do a guided if given the option.

Awesome place to visit well worth the drive!

This place was HUGE! We started out with about 40 people, most of which this was their first time ghost hunting, altho this was supposed to b for experienced ghost hunters. But it was big enough that you can conduct your investigation without too much ado! After many pictures and videos, I have posted the BEST ones on my FB I SPI Ghosts group page! Put this place on your ghost hunting bucket list and take a GOOD pair of walking/hiking shoes!

Terrible, 48+ to get in for a unguided tour, most areas closed off but they still charging full rate

Great and horrifying place to visit. I like how they entertained movie history and the real history of the reformatory.

OMG!!! So amazing. I want to move nextdoor to it so I can visit everyday. Thanks for keeping it open to the public, the small fee is definitely worth it. Wish I could have seen more.

What an interesting experience. 10/10 would accidently close box and scare other patrons again.

THIS PLACE IS AMAZING. WOW!

This place is so creepy but oh what a beautiful building! Lots of history and my favorite movie was filmed here The Shawshank Redemption.

I drove 3 hours round trip for a tour that lasted all of 20 minutes. The tour doesn’t even include any of the “haunted” sites in the prison. I paid extra for an audio wand to at least learn about the history, but the audio wand didn’t work. The worker in the museum shop was too busy on her cell phone to offer a refund when I returned the audio wand. The whole tour was about Shawshank and I couldn’t care less. Very disappointed.

We did the self guided tour. Very interesting! Cant wait to go back.

Really cool historical place to see. Nice staff, crazy place full of crazy stuff. To my memory handicap accessibility is minimal.

Amazing Place. So much history. Did the self guided tour with the wands so we could explore at our own pace.

The most haunting experience ive had by far. The energies in this place are unparallel to anything ive ever witnessed.The grounds are beautiful, the prison is spectacular and the staff is amazing. It truly is a gem frozen in time

Went for the Escape from Blood Prison experience and loved it. The staff is great and the building was amazing. Ill definitely be back both for the Halloween event and the general tour. Highly recommend the touch pass.

It was awesome. I liked that we could tour it on our own

Tour was informative and interesting. Worth the trip!

Had the most amazing time and the money is very well spent!! Good place to get a jump scar and a great sideshow!! Will be returning.

Awesome historic location. A must see

Great place with lots of history and the staff are knowledgeable and nice more than happy to answer any questions even from an annoying tourist like me

The self-guided tour is amazing! Rich in history and super fun! A must see!!

Cool tour very enlightening and informative and creepy at the same time

Ten stars!! This is a must see. I cant get enough of OSR! The history of the building and the people that lived and worked there is amazing. Wear comfortable shoes! The building is very large and there are a lot of steps. If you have not been here yet, add it to your list of things to do!