If you’re looking for someplace out of the ordinary to explore, consider investing the time in a few tours of the Mansfield Reformatory in Ohio — but be aware that this isn’t an experience for the faint of heart. While the exterior of the building may be hauntingly beautiful, the lonely cells and restless spirits roaming about inside are far from welcoming. If exploring haunted places and creepy museums is your thing, this is the one place in Ohio that has to go on your bucket list. It’s a historic treasure with a haunting backstory.

Take a look:

Formerly known as the Mansfield Reformatory, this historic prison first opened in 1886 and is nearly 130 years old.
Ohio State Reformatory MRPS/Facebook
It's a historic gem with one of a kind architecture. (As well as a dark, dark past.)
The facility officially closed in 1990. And despite its disturbing history, four major motion pictures were filmed at the reformatory, the most famous being the "The Shawshank Redemption" in 1993.
Fangirl Quest via Ohio State Reformatory MRPS/Facebook
During your visit, you'll likely be able to point out several sites that correspond with movie scenes.
Today, visitors can explore the reformatory via formal tours, ghost hunts and The Haunted Prison Experience in the fall.
Ohio State Reformatory MRPS/Facebook
Self guided tours are $25 per person. Tickets for seniors, college students and students ages 7 - 17 are $23 per person. Guided tours are $30 per person. Tickets for seniors, college students and students ages 7 -17 are $28 per person. (Children 6 and under are free.)

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The reformatory is known to house the state's most violent ghosts. Spirits of rioting inmates who often fought each other to the death in overcrowded isolation cells are said to haunt the halls and cells of this former prison.
Ohio State Reformatory MRPS/Facebook
No one could have anticipated the dark history to follow the facility, which was not even initially intended to function as a prison. Overtime, however, the reformatory officially transitioned into a high security prison—and with that transition brought more violent prisoners.
Walking through the halls of cells, many visitors can almost feel the frustration, rage and despair of former prisoners.
Ohio State Reformatory MRPS/Facebook
The most infamous tale of the prison involves "the hole," a small cell in which prisoners were held for three days when they were being punished. Several sources have reported that at one time there were two inmates held in "the hole"—and by the end of the three days one did not make it out alive.
Several guided tour options are available, depending on your interest in the museum: The History Meets Hollywood Tour, Behind the Scenes Tour and The Inmate Tour.
Ohio State Reformatory MRPS/Facebook
There are also ghost hunt programs (both public and private) you can take to explore the darker side of this historic site.

To learn more about the different tours of the Mansfield Reformatory in Ohio, click here. The Ohio State Reformatory is located at 100 Reformatory Rd., Mansfield, OH 44905. Have you ever been here before? What was your experience like?

Are you fascinated by old jails? Explore yesteryear when you dine at Olde Jaol Steakhouse, a quirky restaurant in a building that was once the Wayne County Jail.

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Tours Of The Mansfield Reformatory In Ohio

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The Ohio State Reformatory, 100 Reformatory Rd, Mansfield, OH 44905, USA