Tour ‘Shawshank’ prison virtually
Check ins and outs of Mansfield’s prison for $5
MANSFIELD – For those people who live far away from the city, or those who are staying home due to the coronavirus, a new virtual tour of “The Shawshank Redemption” filmed at the Ohio State Reformatory in 1993 is available for $5.
The infamous prison-turned-museum at 100 Reformatory Road, operated by the Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society, catapulted to international fame as the backdrop to the “The Shawshank Redemption.”
The prison can now be experienced from any device, computer or smart TV any time, from anywhere in the world, according to a news release from Destination Mansfield.
The summer of 1993 is when Hollywood came to the Ohio State Reformatory and central Ohio to film, “The Shawshank Redemption,” starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman.
“The Shawshank Redemption,” written and directed by Frank Darabont, is based on the 1982 Stephen King novella “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.”
Virtual guests can glide through the warden’s office, down darkened hallways, into storied bedrooms and sinister cell blocks, through brutal basements and creepy attics and into historic movie and music video filming sets. Tours are booked at mrps.org/virtual-tours, with complete visitor information on this region of Ohio found at Destinationmansfield.com.
As part of community-wide efforts to slow the transmission of COVID-19 and to ensure the safety of visitors and staff, the Ohio State Reformatory limits the number of guests allowed inside.
While in-person tours are still offered, many potential guests may not yet be comfortable traveling or may be prohibited from visiting the United States. Thus, the virtual tour was cre
ated to allow “Shawshank Redemption” fans to experience the prison firsthand — no matter where they’re located.
This online experience gives fans around the globe a one-of-a-kind backstage pass to the set of the No. 1 film of all time, as ranked by IMDB.COM. Virtual visitors hear tales of the paranormal from the historic prison, which ghost hunters report is one of the most haunted sites in the United States, according to the news release.
For the $5 fee, guests receive a 24hour, all-access code. Audiences enjoy 360-degree views of the entire 250,000-square-foot prison and two museums — with the same perspective as if they were visiting in person. Along with the tour, guests enjoy stunning
views of the prison’s amazing architecture, do time in “The Hole,” step inside maximum-security cells and wander former prison residences.
Actual former reformatory inmates share what life was like on the inside. And guests can travel the tunnel Stephen King’s fictional inmate Andy Dufresne used to escape Shawshank and its evil Warden Norton. By joining the Mansfield Prison Preservation Society, which works to preserve the dramatic gothic architecture of this 100-year-old structure, members receive unlimited virtual tours, among other perks, according to the news release. lwhitmir@gannett.com 419-521-7223
Twitter: @Lwhitimir