-
February 2024 by Alice Jensen
Wonderful experience!
-
January 2024 by 304
My grandma was born here in the prison in May of 1932
-
December 2023 by Nicholas
Cool place! Really neat history. Highly recommend a visit ?
-
December 2023 by Matthew Bell
Bjorn was awesome! Tour was very interesting and informative.
-
December 2023 by T. Lee
Excellent your. The guide was very knowledgeable and answered all questions.Would have liked more history regarding past inmates, their story and life while incarcerated.
-
December 2023 by Heather Hackson
Calvin was great! Interesting tour and he kept fun! Definitely recommend. Also picked up one of the escape card games from the gift shop, very challenging and super fun!
-
December 2023 by Deedee
Went on a Sunday afternoon in early June. I was always interested in taking the tour of this place. Bought the tickets online, we were a large group of 9 people and picked a time that would be suitable for us all.We did the standard tour of 1.5 hour at $41 per ticket. A bit on the pricier side for the ticket and a relative lived in Kingston and bought our tickets since Kingston residence gets a minor discount which slightly helped.There was no wait which was nice and we were all ushered into this small room, and having to sign paperwork.The tour itself was fun, we had a tour guide that used to work there and he provided a bit of history as well as pretty interesting stories that were experienced while in there along with high profile media prisoners. We went around a lot of the areas, lots of cool pictures to be taken and also other guides that talked about them. There were also some places that were cordoned off as well. It felt too short the tour as time flew with the questions and history lessons.I would be interested in the longer tour but the price for the ticket is steep at $80. I would recommend as it's a fascinating site and if interested if what jail looks like in the inside.
-
November 2023 by Jacob Conkin
The Kingston Penitentiary tour has 3 main tours: short, standard, extended. We went on the standard tour which took about 45 mins to 1 hour. We got to see the cell that former base commander Russel Williams was in as well as the cell of Paul Bernardo. It is a lot of walking but it is 100% wheelchair accessible on the standard tour. The extended tour is not wheelchair accessible. They offer wheelchairs that you can reserve when you book your ticket. You are required to sign a Liability Waiver prior to entry that basically says if you die or get hurt there you can't sue them. Our tour guide Austin was really friendly and engaging.
-
November 2023 by Shruthi Venkatesh
Definitely worth the visit !! Please buy tickets in advance. Dress warm for winters as there is some outdoor walking. Greatly planned guided tour especially with some previous staff members sharing their stories from their time at KP. Our guide was Justin , he was extremely thorough, answered a bunch of questions, and kept the whole tour interesting even when telling the story of the riot. Booked standard tour, well worth the time and money.
-
October 2023 by Cheyanne W
We did the standard tour (1.5 hours) and wished we had had the time for the extended tour! Our tour guide, Mike, was funny, knowledgeable, and a GREAT public speaker. He spoke loudly and enunciated clearly, which I really appreciate as someone with auditory processing disorder. The buildings were beautiful and the history was interesting. I also really appreciated that Mike was careful not to glorify either the crimes the prisoners committed or the horrible treatment they received at the hands of the guards. It was educational, enjoyable, and thought-provoking.
-
October 2023 by Angelica B
Went to Kingston on a weekend trip and this is the one of the go-to places that you have to explore when here. It is a stop on the trolley tours as wellTickets have to be purchased in advance and they fill up pretty quickly for the weekend.Took the 1.5 hour Extended tour. It was interesting to see the inner workings of the prison and there was a variety of speakers during each station. To hear the stories from the knowledgeable staff that have worked there and to be able to look inside the jail makes this experience worthwhile. It is a lot of walking but they do have seating in some stations. They do allow time for you to take lots of pictures as wellOverall, highly recommend
-
October 2023 by Jamielynn Byford
FANTASTIC! After 10 years of living in Kingston, I finally made it here to enjoy the 1.5 hour tour. I loved the history, the insider stories from guards that use to work there and the architecture of the buildings. Our tour guide, Griffin was superb! I even purchased the Ty Conn book because of the story he told of his escape. My only regret....I didn't get here sooner. Next time, I'd like to do the extended tour.
-
September 2023 by Elain
We would highly recommend a visit to Kingston Penitentiary. We booked the 1.5hr tour and wished we'd booked the 2.5hr tour. Our guide, Mike (the ex school teacher), was brilliant and very knowledgeable. His enthusiasm and the way he told the stories made for a really interesting visit, along with the ex-staff who told us about life in the prison.If we ever get to Kingston again we would allow more time for the longer tour and time to go round the museum.It looks like the special Halloween evenings will be really good - they were setting things up when we were there.
-
September 2023 by Felix Mongeon
What an incredible tour of Canadian history. 178 year old Kingston Pen, one of Canada's oldest and most notorious prison. Closed in 2013, it's erie how this place was still in use not to long ago. Some cells still filled with the previous prisoners contents from when they got closed. Took the extended tour, 2 and a half hours of walking the grounds and hearing the stories of previous employees. It was worth it. Being a military member, the tickets where 50% off the regular price. There's three tiers of tours to choose from. Short, normal and extended. I would definitely go for the entended tour and would recommend it for everyone. Thank you Grace, our tour guide for this great experience.
-
September 2023 by Jeannine Wellings
Amazing tour!! We did the extended (2.5 hour) tour and was well worth it! Hearing the stories from retired staff really makes this monster come to life. Our tour guide Kaelin (spelling ?) was great! Lots of energy, super knowledgeable and fun. Don’t forget to visit the Wardens House Museum across the street too.Just one more reason to love Kingston and it’s amazing history.
