The Old Joliet Prison Is Offering Tours

After sitting vacant for several years the old Joliet prison will begin offering walking tours in August.

ABC7 shares that "in August the Joliet Area Historical Museum will begin hosting $20-a-head walking tours of the Old Joliet Prison."

This idea of revamping the prison for tourism began back in  December "when the city signed a five-year lease with the state. It wasn't long before a work crew of volunteers lined up to begin the dirty work: turning the stone and iron beast into the beauty it once was." (WGN)

Then this past "Tuesday night the city of Joliet set aside $50,000 in seed money for the prison tour effort."

It's kind of funny to think that a hard prison known for locking up the toughest of criminals for over 144 years is now going to be a place of tourism.

Sort of creepy, cool yet weird at the same time.

You'll be able to walk "where prisoners in striped garb once walked in lock-step, where some were placed in isolation. That cell house, today, has a painted message on the floor, thinned by time: "It's never too late - to mend."

That kind of gives me the chills. Just to think what people endured or saw when being imprisoned here.

Honestly, though I would take a tour of this. Wouldn't you?