Activity Overview
Folsom State Prison is the second-oldest prison in California. It opened on July 26, 1880, and has housed prisoners ever since. The prison is both a correctional facility and an important piece of history in the Sacramento area. It was the first prison in the United States to have electricity and one of the country's first maximum-security prisons.
The prison is famous for the horrific conditions suffered by its inmates during the Gold Rush. It no longer operates as a maximum-security prison and instead tends to deal with medium-security prisoners. The prison is known for the manufacturing of California's license plates, supplying granite to California's roads and the state capitol building.
In popular culture, Folsom State Prison is famous for being the venue of Johnny Cash's famous concerts. Two of the shows were recorded and made into Cash's "At Folsom Prison" album. Today you and your family can visit the Folsom Prison Museum for more information on this alternative landmark and historical facility in the Sacramento area.
Things to Do
- Learn more about the real history of the prison.
- Find out about the reasons behind Johnny Cash's famous concerts.
- Experience what life was really like when the prison first opened in a reproduction of a cell from the original cell block.
- Be sure to ask questions of the friendly and knowledgeable docents in the museum.
- Help to support the museum and their charitable donations by purchasing a souvenir of your visit in the museum's gift shop.
Folsom Prison Museum Insider Tips
- Have the kids been misbehaving? A visit to the Folsom Prison Museum will be both fascinating and educational for them.
