This rich, stereo soundscape mixes dozens of voices – including three former wardens and 25 guards and prisoners – creating an intimate walking tour of Eastern State’s cellblocks and yards.
When you visit Eastern State Penitentiary, you'll get an mp3 player and headphones that will guide you through the penitentiary complex and explain the prison's history. This audio guide contains a main audio tour route (available below), plus additional stops for subjects like escapes, sports, sexuality, race, and more.
First, we recommend that you listen to our main audio tour (audio stops 1-10), which lasts about 40 minutes. The main audio tour ends at The Big Graph and its climate-controlled companion exhibit Prisons Today. From there, you can explore freely and tour at your own pace, listening to (or skipping) stops based on your interests.
"The Voices of Eastern State" Audio Tour is included with admission. Narrated by actor Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire, Fargo, Armageddon, Ghost World).
Do you want a more personal, in-depth look at the history of Eastern State and criminal justice reform past and present? You may want to consider our 45-minute Guide-Led Tour and Discussion. Click here for more information.
Visiting Eastern State with 15 or more people? Click here to learn more about our group rates.
Click here for a PDF transcript of all audio stops.
Need a translated version? PDF translations of the audio tour are available in German, Italian, Chinese (Mandarin), Spanish, French, Japanese, and Portuguese.
Need another language that is not listed above? Click here to access a webpage with the full text of Eastern State's audio tour, and use your browser's translation feature to translate it from English to other languages.
Audio Stop 1: Introduction Audio Stop 2: Prisons Before Eastern Audio Stop 3: First Modern Building Audio Stop 4: A Prisoner's Life Audio Stop 5: Effects of Isolation Audio Stop 6: The Results Audio Stop 7: Reactions to Eastern Audio Stop 8: End of Isolation Audio Stop 9: 20th Century Audio Stop 10: Prisons Today
