Each small group (limited to 25 people) will be paired with an expert Eastern State tour guide. The tours consist of a one-hour guided walk through the empty penitentiary complex, and include a free cup of Hot Chocolate in the center surveillance hub! There are even photographs of the inmates' Christmas celebrations on view.


The tour route may change to accommodate the weather, but will generally include the cellblocks, center surveillance hub, baseball diamond, Al Capone's Cell and Death Row.


Visitors must stay with the tour guide at all times. The historic site's art installations, audio tour, and history exhibits are not available during Winter Adventure Tours. Tickets can be reserved by phone: (215) 236-3300, or purchased at the door, subject to availability.


Eastern State Penitentiary is beautiful in the stark, cold months of winter. But as striking as the unheated building is, it's also very cold. It has therefore never been open the public in December, January, February or March.


But as visitors continue to ask for winter tours, and the historic site attendance is up by record numbers, Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site is expanding its hours into the cold winter months. The site will launch new Winter Adventure Tours on Saturday, December 1, effectively ending the "off season" when the site used to close.


The penitentiary is located at 22nd Street and Fairmount Avenue, just five blocks from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. More information is available on the historic site website at www.EasternState.org.