Fall Festival

Eastern State Penitentiary is hosting its Fall Festival on Sunday, October 25, from 3 to 5 PM. The main draw is trick-or-treating inside the former prison, but the afternoon holds more than that: there's a scavenger hunt for kids ages 8 to 13 to complete with an adult, story time, hands-on activities, art making, and live music. It's free for kids in costume and their caregivers.

The festival is part of A Time for Liberty: Our Shared History, Our Shared Future, a yearlong slate of free, inclusive programs exploring the evolving meanings of liberty and justice in America. The trick-or-treating happens inside the penitentiary itself, which is America's first penitentiary and a National Historic Landmark. Its Gothic stone architecture and history of solitary confinement draw visitors from all over the world.

Walking through the site, you'll see the crumbling cellblocks and empty guard towers that still stand. The site runs tours year-round, and in the autumn it hosts Terror Behind the Walls, its popular haunted house. The Fall Festival takes place at the Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, 2027 Fairmount Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19130, on Sunday, October 25, from 3 to 5 PM, and it's free for kids in costume and their caregivers.