Owner messaged this morning Sept 2nd 2023 and said the museum is reopening! So excited to get back up there for the tour! read more

We and at least two other groups attempted to visit this morning and found the museum was completely closed due to budget cuts two weeks ago. The officer let us explore around the porch and lawn which had some objects displayed outside. Hope this little museum can come back soon. read more

It wasn't open when we stopped by. Staffed by volunteers who hadn't arrived early Sunday afternoon.

Closed for over a year. Maybe reopen one day. They should update their website. Some cool stuff to see.

Learn a little more about Folsom Prison history, very small museum mostly history about the museum.

They have an amazing museum gift shop very interesting and the staff that run it very informative about Folsom prison as well as they have stuff that you can buy it it's really really worth it I encourage people from all over to go there and visit the museum and take a look at history and Jim Brown are used to run it I think he still does he's an absolutely smart man and a good person does a really good job with this museum thank you Folsom prison read more

INDEFINITELY CLOSED!!! Showed up yesterday and museum is closed due to death of owner. Guard kind enough to let us take photos outside. Cool to be at the prison, but know before you go. The museum itself is CLOSED. read more

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The museum has now re-opened! Being so close to the prison gates sets the mood for the displays inside the museum. As soon as we entered the building we were greeted by a guard who told us a few stories about working at the prison. Even though his job must be one of the toughest jobs in the world he was so positive. Although the museum is compact, there are so many items in this small space! I highly recommend a visit! read more

The museum is closed. The guards let you walk the outside of the premises. The only problem is you're there with people visiting family members. The grounds have a lot of history, but there is not much that is available to see. read more

Just when you think you've seen all the museums in the region, Folsom Prison Museum pops up. This small museum packs a lot of unique history into an old house just outside the gates of the old section of Folsom Prison. Follow the signs and park in the visitor area. Walk though the gate area and make sure to tell the guards you're heading to the museum which is on your right. The museum documents the history of the second oldest prison in California. There are a lot of things to see here. They combine many historic guns, Prison gear, and a few nooses with some rather intricate inmate art and lots of photos. The overall effect is a little grim, but they paint a fair history of the prison. There is also a large homage to Johnny Cash and his famous visits. Rick James was here too - behind bars. Speaking of cash, it's best to bring $2 for admission since they need a minimum purchase for credit cards. The latter come in handy when buying some unique Folsom Prison souvenirs. Prisons have a weird and unique place in our history. Some of the material in the Folsom Prison Museum is a bit macabre, but is helps paint a picture of our shared history. You can easily see the museum in less than an hour which is much shorter than most the the guests at the Prison! read more

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Loved it! They do have a limit of how many people can be in the building, so there's a bit of a wait, but nothing too crazy. For such a small building it was PACKED with stuff to check out. We plan on coming back with my dad soon too. read more

We discovered the museum unintentionally while trying to find something to do while visiting Folsom and decided to check it out, since we're all Johnny Cash fans. The museum was small but packed with interesting stuff! One of the rooms is entirely dedicated to Johnny Cash, the rest to the history of the prison and showcasing a lot of items made by the inmates. It was well worth the two dollars to get in. There's also some pretty cool souvenir merch at the front. read more

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I really enjoyed visiting the museum. First of all there's a $2 entry fee to see the museum but you can visit the outside for free. The museum is actually through the guard gate and took me a minute to figure this out. There is some neat stuff to see inside the tiny museum from articles about prisoners, history on the prison, Johnny Cash, and even weapons found on the prisoners and the grounds. read more

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Coming back from vacation at Lake Tahoe and wanted to take a picture of just the East Gate for memories of a past "vacation." Looked up Old Folsom and found out there was a museum. After you park the "Walmart Greeter" will tell you "Don't go past the big rock to take pictures and no pictures of corrections officers" The museum was pretty cool with the history of Old Folsom and you can buy stuff like shirts, belt buckles, hats, patches, pins, stickers, license plate covers, etc. There was nothing about the "Grey Stone Chapel" which is on the prison yard. But the best part about it was talking with retired CO "Little" who volunteers at the museum. And best of all, Old Folsom is still a General Population prison. read more

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Great museum with lots of information not just Johnny Cash but corrections history. The volunteers have been making improvements and making it look very nice. New carpet recently installed too. read more

This museum was small but very nice. The staff was very helpful and answered all questions in great detail. This museum caters to all levels of prior knowledge of the prison. All the California license plates are made at the prison. The only thing that was disappointing was that the animatronic prisoner was not working read more

Folsom Prison Museum - Lots of johnny cash memorabilia - Museums Near Me - Represa, California

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They have a lot of history here to check out along with being able to take pictures in front of the actual prison.

This place is a nice reminder of why crime doesn't pay. Unless you stuff some $20s in a cigar tube, shove it up your ass and use the money to gain power (or at least a pack of smokes). Yes, they had a detailed description of this process as well as various ass smuggled contraband on display. They also had numerous displays that showed the creative side of the prisoners at Folsom Prison. A noose made of toilet paper, a knife made of melted down plastic razors, a spear made of newspaper, a gun made of scrap metal and a ferris wheel made of toothpicks to name a few. I have no idea what the last one would do for your street cred but to each criminal his own I guess. Retired prison guards run this place and are more than happy to turn on the video that gives you a glimpse inside the walls of the prison, which is good, since the only way you will see inside otherwise is to turn to a life of crime or correction. You can, of course, gain a lot of information just reading the various articles on the wall and display placards in this tiny museum. What reading won't tell you is that there used to be a prisoner run craft store where you could buy arts and crafts made by prisoners..... until they started using the gift shop for illegal interaction with the visitors and got shut down. I guess reform is not as popular as wood shop on the inside. read more

This is a tiny museum, and the coolest prison on the west coast. See a ferris wheel of 1/4 million toothpicks, the collection of makeshift knives, the automated prisoner describing his cell, and best of all, pick up a copy of Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison CD. Be sure to ask for a receipt so you can proudly display where you bought it. Then get a snap of you in front of the East gate with you holding the CD with the photo of Johnny Cash in front of the East gate. How famous is it? Well, we met people from Canada in the carpark, and we came from Australia, so yep, pretty famous. Don't pick up any hitchhikers around this area. read more

Very beautiful drive once you hit the property of the prison. The museum is small but it has so many interesting things that will be so satisfying to see and learn about. I will definitely be taking more family/friends out there who come to visit. $2 entry and includes a video tour of the prison since you can't go in obviously. Informative and interesting read more

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Second time we've tried to come here and it's closed despite what has been stated. Don't waste your time

The museum is small, but worth a visit! Entry was only a couple of bucks, and they had some cool artifacts, like an old gatlin gun from one of the towers, and a variety of shivs and shanks. On the day they visited, they even had the old hangman's platform out on display in the front, though I don't think that's a regular thing. Of course, there's also a good amount of Johnny Cash included, and a gift shop. The guy working there told plenty of entertaining stories as we wandered around. There's a great spot to take your picture from too (free of charge). Stop by and check it out! read more

This museum is not amazing by any stretch of the imagination, but for $2 it is totally worth it!!! I went mainly for the Johnny Cash aspect of Folsom Prison and they had lots of good stuff about him at the museum. Go if u get a chance!!!!! read more

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A talking dummy in a prison cell. More like a bad wax museum. Hmmmm. And seriously, you don't expect me to believe that's what the prison cells look like inside today. That's a dungeon from 1908 dude! Too bad there was no tour guide to answer that question; and a host of many others that came to me. After having toured this so called 'Museum' and long before they'd closed down the gift shop, I asked the guy behind their counter "How do I get a tour of the actual Prison?" and he replies, very matter of factly "You get yourself a 1/5th of Jack Daniels and you go speeding down Hwy 50..." I'll never forget that gift shop, and wish I would have bought something made by the prisoners there. RIP gift shop. read more

Though I'm a hardcore museum geek, I must say there are not a lot of prison museums to choose from (Alcatraz being the AMAZING exception). My sister is super into Johnny Cash and thus when she came to visit, I knew this place would be for her. She really loved the museum. It was pretty easy to find and access. There is plenty of parking (with the prison visitors) and though the museum sits on the prison complex it is at least 200 feet from the prison gate. It costs $2 per person to enter. There are lots of t-shirts, hats, shot glasses, post cards etc for sale. The only employee/ docent basically runs the cash register and didn't interact with us elsewhere, but she was pretty young. I imagine other, more experienced docents/ employees might have a bit more to say. The museum is small and is not professionally done. Throughout the exhibits are ads hocking the museum wares, mostly the Johnny Cash related stuff (also- the VHS/DVD of California's Gold/ Huell Howser's visit). Some of the exhibits were completely out of place (the signed photographs of a football player and basketball player and their stories of visiting the museum- seriously, not even recognizable people) and just lots and lots of framed press coverage for the museum. Some of the items are interesting; there is a large collection of shivs and other contraband, some archaeologically finds, and prison made crafts (including a Ferris wheel made out of nearly one million toothpicks.) There is also a "cell" that has a moving manikin with a prerecorded story about the museum in its early years, though while it seems cool for 1995 standards is a bit slow for my tastes). Because the exhibits look mostly docent/ volunteer made, the scripting for them can be very long- too long to keep your attention. It avoids any discussion of controversial issues. It was interesting for those who were interested in the mythos of the prison and focused on famous people who spent time at the prison (including Cash's performance) and filming done at the prison. The museum was small and when it was full of people (we went on a Tuesday and there were at least 10 others there at the same time as us) it can feel pretty crowded. But for $2 you might as well see it for yourself! read more

Pretty cool museum ran by retired guards. Small but so many thinks to look at... like some of the shanks they have confiscated, art that the prisoners have created.... read more

I went today feb. 2016 the guy in the is soo nice & funny! Very good customer service!! Love the story behind it! Worth going if ur down there! Dont miss it! You will learn kool things!! read more

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For $2 per person, this is a great place to kill some time! It's a tiny little museum but it was packed with lots of interesting information and items to look at. The guy at the front was very informative, I could have listened to his stories all day long! We also picked up a license plate holder and a funny pen/stylus for my dad's birthday (he lives in Folsom but hasn't been to the museum yet) that says "Stolen from Folsom Prison"- haha! Cracked me up. I'm kind of bummed out that the group of friends I went with just kind of glanced at everything then went to sit outside and wait (they were probably there looking around for about 20 mins). My husband and I plan to go back without them! We didn't even have a chance to watch the 30 minute documentary about the history of the prison! read more

Don't wear blue jeans. Although I did not see any attire suggestions or requirements on the website I was told my a correctional officer that I should not wear jeans because the inmates wear jeans...I guess I look like an inmate. Museum was very small but I enjoyed it very much! Would recommend to anyone! read more

Took my kids there and they had a great time. Didn't know it existed until I yelped it lol.

if your ever in Folsom, it's a cool place to check out. it's really quick because it's small. some of the stuff the prisoners have made was amazing. read more

Only 2.00 to get in so that was a plus. It's a small 3/4 room building that has a lot of artifacts to look at along with the history behind them. It only takes a lot an hour and half to go thru the building, but there is a lot of information there. You get really close to the actual prison so that was really neat. Also the drive out was beautiful. read more

Fascinating. Based on some of these reviews, I came to the museum not expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised at how interesting it was. It's pretty small, but every bit of space is packed with something interesting to read or look at. The docent made my visit even better. She had many interesting stories to tell and she was able to answer most of the questions I asked. read more

Thank you Good Day Sacramento for introducing me to this local treasure. I had never known about this museum, but found myself engrossed for a couple of hours one afternoon. Fascinating--can't wait for the expansion. read more

This museum was extremely interesting and thought-provoking. The volunteer running in on the particular day that I went was very friendly, informative, and full of good conversation. He was clearly very passionate about his work and the field. The museum itself was full of artifacts, photographs, and a mock prison cell. I would for sure recommend this museum to anyone who has any interest in the field. read more

The museum is small but it's as close as you could get to a real prison, especially if you never been near one as I do. I was interested in Johnny Cash and my 9 yr old that is acting up at home with his homework. It was a wake up call for him especially when you are right there in front of the Folsom Prison entrance. Alcatraz tour did not put a scare on him but Folsom did. He was more cooperative once we got home. I cant wait for the bigger museum 2 years from now. read more

This is an awesome place to visit and very historically informative and a very kid friendly and enjoyable place to see and anyone with some spare time who's never been here should check it out read more

We thoroughly enjoyed being at the Folsom Prison Museum. The gentleman at the reception desk was very friendly and hospitable. There is a lot of interesting information including that related to Folsom's most famous "visitor," Johnny Cash. read more

This is a small museum with information on the prison. There is an entire room with Johnny Cash information which seemed excessive. There were some cool things though like the toothpick Ferris wheel, shivs and other guns and memorabilia. That mannequin display was pretty cheesy. The admission is only $2 so it's not too bad. It will probably take only 2o minutes to look at though. read more

My grandson and I enjoyed our visit. The guards and museum worker were very nice. A lot of history. Although I'd be interested in more information on current life in the prison. I understand they are going to build a new museum. We'll go back again when that is finished. read more