As local travel experts, we know what travelers are looking for when it comes to finding the perfect accommodations for their next trip. To compile our lists, we scour the internet to find properties with excellent ratings and reviews, desirable amenities, nearby attractions, and that something special that makes a destination worthy of traveling for.

Missouri boats plenty of unique overnight accommodations, but none can quite compare to a night inside Missouri’s single most haunted location. Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City is marked by its complicated, dark, and extensive history serving as a maximum security facility for a series of notorious inmates. Sign up for this exclusive tour with Ghost Tours USA and you’ll experience firsthand why the Missouri State Penitentiary has gained such a disturbing reputation. A night exploring this abandoned property isn’t for the faint of heart, but promises plenty of unforgettable thrills.

Even if you didn't know the extensive history of Missouri State Penitentiary, one of the oldest operating facilities east of the Mississippi, you'd probably guess at this institution's ominous past.
Ghost Hunts USA
Built in Jefferson City along the banks of the Missouri River in the early 1830s, the penitentiary served as the main correctional facility for the state of Missouri.
Schlueter Photography/Ghost Hunts USA
The facility was decommissioned in 2004, yet curious tourists can still visit the abandoned facility. What allures visitors isn't so much history but the prison's dark and shadowy past.
Schlueter Photography/Ghost Hunts USA

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It was 1967 when TIME named the Missouri State Penitentiary "the bloodiest 47 acres in America." This was in part due to the violent riots, but mostly because of the implementation of the death penalty.
Ghost Hunts USA
In 1937, a gas chamber was constructed in a small separate building. A total of 40 prisoners were killed in this oppressive space, which still stands today.
Schlueter Photography/Ghost Hunts USA
Sign up for a tour with Ghost Hunts USA and you'll experience an exclusive overnight tour of the property during the most harrowing hours. Tours last well into the early morning hours, when paranormal activity tends to be at its strongest.
Clifford F/TripAdvisor
Even in broad daylight, this historic space is undeniably disturbing. Visitors report feeling the deep despair and isolation that prisoners must have felt in the facility's 150 years of operation.
Christine M./TripAdvisor

Ghost Hunts USA has various tour dates available, which you can check by visiting their website. Think you have what it takes to brave this one-of-a-kind ghost tour? You can click here to purchase your tickets!

Missouri State Penitentiary is located at 115 Lafayette St., Jefferson City, MO 65101.

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