West Virginia Penitentiary

Visit the dark side

Now this place is FREAKY. Not only is it home to Old Sparky, an electric chair that was in use from 1951 until 1959 and claimed nine souls, but the West Virginia Penitentiary also has a fantastic museum with loads of photos and artifacts including all manner of shivs and a letter written by Charles Manson to the warden there, requesting a transfer to the prison from California.

The ominous gothic structure, built in 1876, stopped being an active prison in 1995 and has since been a tourist attraction since. You get to explore all the cells at the West Virginia Penitentiary which are still covered in inmates’ graffiti, and you even get “locked up” to be able to really experience what life would have been like in the tiny rooms.

They offer daily tours, as well as ghosts hunts and overnight investigations. You can visit their website here.