Old Joliet Prison opens visitors center

Visitors to Old Joliet Prison now have a place to stop and shop or pick up a self-guided tour pass if they want to spend some time inside.

The visitors center opened May 1 and is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week

The center is in the old guard house at the end of the main public parking lot, a location that makes it visible to travelers who stop by to see the former Joliet Correctional Center but have not signed up for a guided tour.

“The goal was to accommodate walk-up people,” said Greg Peerbolte, executive director of the Joliet Area Historical Museum. Museum staff manages tours and events at the prison.

The museum now allows for self-guided prison tours, and the visitors center provides a place for impromptu visitors to get an entry pass and go inside.

Self-guided tour tickets are $20 for the public, $15 for Joliet residents and museum members.

The visitors center has souvenirs and Old Joliet Prison merchandise.

The prison was opened in 1858, closed by the state in 2002 and reopened as a tour and event destination in 2018.

The visitors center has another feature, which is a first since the prison was opened to the public.

“We have working restrooms,” Peerbolte said. “That’s a big milestone.”