Here's an idea for your next vacation: Why not visit the first penitentiary in America? Sure, you've always wanted to see where Al Caponehttp://www.fbi.gov/libref/historic/famcases/capone/capone.htm and Willie Suttonhttp://www.fbi.gov/libref/historic/famcases/sutton/sutton.htm were locked up. And you can't resist the idea that there might be a ghost or two hanging around, even if Charles Dickenshttp://www.online-literature.com/dickens/americannotes/ didn't see any when it was a working prison. So you've got to know how to visit Eastern State Penitentiary.

Eastern State Penitentiary is located on Fairmount Avenue in Philadelphia, so it's easy to combine your penological sightseeing with a trip around the Birthplace of Liberty. Lots to see and do--and there are even a couple of first-class restaurants right across the street from this massive stone horror. You can't miss it--it was the largest building in the United States when it went up in the 1820s. There are tours--they'll lend you a hard hat--and the inside is as full of atmosphere as the outside is imposing. Depending on the time of year, you can take a history tour, see performance art, or wait until dark and hope the ghosts come out.

Before you make your way to the City of Brotherly Love, though, you ought to take the time to read up on the history of America's first experiment in prison reform. You'll find the background an eye-opener on the ideas--good and bad--of our forefathers.

Way back when the United States was young, people worried about prison reform. Most of the jails, like Walnut Street Prison in Philadelphia, were dangerous, dirty, crowded places where the prisoners often died of diseases. Besides, nobody got better--they just got out and went back to crime. So the good people of Philadelphia built Eastern State Penitentiaryhttp://www.easternstate.org/history/, the first of its kind, a huge stone fortress where all the prisoners were kept in solitary. The idea was for them to meditate in solitude and repent--that's where the word "penitentiary" comes from. The corridors were built like the spokes of a wheel--guards could see in, but they couldn't see out. This was based on the idea of the Panopticonhttp://cartome.org/panopticon1.htm--meaning "all-seeing'--of the English philosopher Jeremy Bentham. It was a good intention that went horribly wrong--instead of becoming good and enlightened, the prisoners just went insane from the isolation.http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/A4292255

The English writer Charles Dickens visited Eastern State when it was new. He was horrified--prisoners were being moved around wearing hoods. It was torture.http://missioncreep.com/mw/estate.html

Eastern State was used for 140 years. After awhile, they abandoned the solitary confinement idea. Some famous criminals were housed there, including Al Capone and Willie Sutton.

These days, Eastern Statehttp://arkinetblog.wordpress.com/2010/03/02/eastern-state-penitentiary/ is a museum and venue for Halloween tours, performance art, and seasonal events. The big house is also used for movie-making: Terry Gilliam's science-fiction film Twelve Monkeys was shot there.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114746/

You can soak in some atmosphere, learn something about the country's history, and reflect on how good intentions (trying to get people to reform) could go so horribly wrong.

Oh, and you can look for the ghosts.

If Ghost Huntershttp://www.easternstate.org/halloween/sightings/ aren't filming in Eastern State Penitentiary (they claim it's one of the "most haunted" places in America), then you can take a daily tour.http://www.easternstate.org/

At Halloween, there are special evening tours, so you can see if the Ghost Hunters were right. Maybe you will even run into Al Capone.http://philadelphia.about.com/od/halloween/a/eastern_state_a.-dwY.htm Whether or not "real" ghosts rattle the chains in the vast, echoing halls (they were designed that way, it was supposed to intimidate, and it does). To get yourself in the Halloween mood, take the virtual tour first.http://www.ushistory.org/tour/tour_easternstate.htm

From time to time, Eastern State Penitentiary hosts performance art, such as the one in 2005 by Timothy Nohe called 142 Ways to Mark Time.http://www.easternstate.org/exhibits/nohe.php You can check with the tour office for dates and times. The site certainly stirs the imagination, so be on the lookout for poetry readings, play performances, and art exhibits. An art exhibit that requires a hard-hat is a rare and interesting thing.

If you're lucky enough to be in Philly on July 14th, and if you like French cuisine, you're in for a treat as Eastern State Penitentiary celebrates Bastille Day with the help of Rembrandt's and the Belgian Cafe, both local French restaurants.http://www.easternstate.org/specialevents/bastille.php Highlights include the appearance of Marie Antoinette, who famously said, "Let them eat cake." Because this is Philadelphia, she then throws Tasty Cakes at the assembled crowd. Soldiers from nearby Fort Mifflin usually show up to demonstrate musket firing.http://www.fortmifflin.us/ (Hint: Fort Mifflin is another great site to visit, while you're there.) The whole thing is topped off with a ritual beheading on the guillotine--don't worry, only watermelons are hurt in the making of this epic adventure. Celebrating the French Revolution is thirsty work, so everybody usually adjourns to a local restaurant for refreshment, and to talk over the significance of it all.

No matter what your taste is--history, social improvement, ghost-hunting--you'll find this looming monstrosity hard to resist.

Philadelphia is hard to beat for a vacation site. There are so many things to see--the Liberty Bell, Carpenters' Hall, Elfreth's Alley, the Betsy Ross House--that you can get lost in history. Philly is also a modern city, a mecca for sports fans, music lovers, even skateboard afficionados (see Love Park and fall in love). Unless you've got relatives in town, Center City accommodations can be pricey. For those determined to get the full-body colonial experience, we recommend a bed and breakfast in the historic old city.http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/philadelphia-pennsylvania.html Surrounded by all that atmosphere, you can easily believe you'll see Ben Franklin walk by at any minute. In fact, you may well see Ben Franklin--there's a professional impersonator, and he's usually on duty at Franklin's home on Market Street.http://www.theben.com/

Less atmospheric, but probably cheaper, are the usual suspects in the hotel trade.http://www.theben.com/ Whatever your accommodation, you'll find Philadelphia a comfortable place--walkable, easy to get around in (those smart colonials laid the streets out in straight lines, bless 'em), with trolleys, subway, and high-speed trains.http://www.septa.org/

To get to Eastern State Penitentiary from Center City, Philadelphia:

Take the I-676/Vine St. Expressway to Benjamin Franklin Parkway exit and turn north onto 22nd St.. Go past the Museum of Art on the left and continue five blocks north to Fairmount Ave. Eastern State is at 2124 Fairmount Ave., Philadelphia,PA. http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/United_States_of_America/Pennsylvania/Philadelphia-860659/Off_the_Beaten_Path-Philadelphia-Eastern_State_Penitentiary-BR-1.html