Historic Philadelphia isn't just about documents and cracked bells - the city's past is full of spooks, thrills and ghosts, too.
In celebration of Halloween, some of the city's oldest institutions are offering a variety of events showcasing Philadelphia's frightening past.
The Eastern State Penitentiary - built in the early 19th century and located at North 22nd Street and Fairmount Avenue - gives visitors a glimpse into the horrors that faced anyone locked up inside.
The prison's "Terror Behind the Walls" program has five different attractions, each one featuring a different aspect of prison life, including the arrival experience and maximum security detention, said penitentiary program director Sean Kelley.
As they wander around the dark prison - which closed in 1971 - visitors encounter zombie-like prisoners, intimidating guards, bugs, objects camouflaged on the prison's crumbling walls and various other "roving surprises," Kelley said.
He added that the exterior of the prison - which once housed notorious criminals like gangster Al Capone - is meant to be frightening as well, with thick stone walls and arrow-slit windows.
The event goes on every night until Halloween, with tickets ranging from $20 to $30, depending on the day.
Another option is Laurel Hill Cemetery's Halloween tour. This 170-year-old graveyard - located at 3822 Ridge Ave. - is the final resting place of a number of famed Philadelphians with unsettling pasts.
As visitors are led around the cemetery, spirits appear and tell their life stories, said Gwen Kaminski, Laurel Hill's manager of education and outreach.
The five figures making appearances this year all led "very interesting and scandalous lives," she said. They include a War of 1812 naval commander and an Arctic explorer.
Tours begin every half hour between 7 and 9:30 tonight and tomorrow night. Tickets are $20.
Also this weekend is the Haunted Express, a bus tour of 15 chilling sites, including Edgar Allen Poe's home and a filming site for the movie The Sixth Sense, according to the Haunted Express' Web site. Passengers encounter the ghosts of Ben Franklin and Betsy Ross and receive a bag of Halloween candy.
The $24 tour begins at Fifth and Market streets.
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