- 90 mins Duration 90 mins
- All Ages Ages All Ages
This guided 90-minute tour walks you through this gothic-style structure and focuses on the main level of our facility.
Quick Details
Introducing West Virginia Penitentiary’s Photography Tour!
This is not a guided tour; you can roam at your own pace and leisure. The gate is opened approximately 15 minutes prior to the tour time for check-in. Each photographer is responsible for their own equipment and is required to sign a waiver/agreement upon check-in.
You do not have to be a professional photographer to take advantage of this opportunity. We welcome professionals, amateurs, artists, painters, and everyone in between!
During your photography tour, you are allowed access to areas that are not accessible to the public on a regular basis and the basic tour route. The areas that are available during a photography tour are as follows:
- The Sugar Shack
- The Boiler Room
- The Infirmary
- The Psych Ward
- North and South recreation yards
- North Hall and New Wall (cell blocks)
- Visitation
- Kitchen and cafeteria
- You will NOT have access to any part of the Administration Building (including the former warden’s quarters), the Warden’s Residence, the guard towers, the haunted house, or any area considered to be Department of Corrections property.
In June, July, and August, you will be sharing the facility with tour groups. We ask that you refrain from blocking doors and pathways, and keep the floor clear of equipment that may cause a hazard to guests.
You may bring drinks and snacks. NO ALCOHOL. Please pick up and dispose of your mess.
There is no heat or air conditioning throughout our facility. The building will be extremely HOT in the summer and extremely COLD in the winter. Please dress according to the weather! We will NOT postpone due to rain.
Tickets are non-refundable and MUST be purchased online. Online ticket sales end at 10:00 p.m. EST the evening before a scheduled photography tour to notify staff to be on hand.
IMPORTANT: Please print and complete the Photography License Agreement, and bring it with you along with your ticket. You will not be permitted to attend a photography tour without a signed agreement.
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- Parts of your tour may intertwine with regularly scheduled day tours. We ask that you do NOT block tour routes, and be respectful to others.
- We prefer that models and props are NOT used.
- We will not tolerate semi-nudity, nudity, or any other sexually explicit material.
- NEVER remove chains, locks, or blockades! If an area is not opened, it is deemed not safe for the general public, and access is STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
- It is against the law in our county to smoke inside the building or 15 feet from an entrance. Please use a designated smoking area.
- Please do NOT deface our facility in ANY WAY. West Virginia Penitentiary is a historical landmark and an important part of West Virginia History. You will be held liable for any damages you create.
- Special pricing for filming