angola museum

Good museum on the prison's history and artifacts. If you work in corrections it is very interesting museum and you see things that are still around today in a prison setting.

Liked all the artifacts, and the gift shop. Had fun taking a photo in the cell. It was sad to see some of the conditions that past inmates had suffered in and the great lengths they would go to get out. It helps you realize the amazing transformation the prison and inmates have done with the power of the Lord. There was NOTHING that I disliked about this place!

As we drove to the end of the road and was confronted by the prison gates, we were immediately struck by the historical and political implications.....a plantation that was converted to a prison. We parked in the small parking lot that was reserved for the museum and noticed visitors arriving for the prisoners. My husband and I met 2 men who were ministering to the death row inmates and they had an interesting story to tell including one inmate of over 30 years. Once in the small museum, we were greeted by 2 friendly women and the gift shop filled with interesting items including jams, syrup and hot sauce made by the prisoners. We enjoyed all the memorabilia and artifacts but were also saddened by the grave experiences of the past inmates. There were also photos and information about the infamous and popular bi-annual rodeo. We snapped photos of several items including replicas of a jail cell and an old electric chair. As we left, we decided to buy some jam and returned back through the picturesque road to St. Francisville.

We drove here from Youngsville to see the prison museum. It's 2 o'clock, and they're supposed to be open daily. But, nooo...they just happened to take 4 days off for the holiday. SMH

The Angola Prison Museum is located outside of the main gate to the prison. It provides a history of both the prison and life on the farm as they call it, as well as information about the annual prison rodeo. It is free, although they do take donations. There are a few parking spaces in front of the museum; however there are a lot more additional spaces across the street. The museum is located about an hour from Baton Rouge and is easy to find. Just head north along US 61 to St. Francisville and turn left onto US 66 which will dead end at the prison. You will know when the turn comes up when you see the rodeo sign at the intersection between the two highways.When I visited there were a couple of volunteers and a prisoner working at the museum. They showed a short 15 minute film about the prison and life on the farm. The prison got its nickname of “The Farm” as it grows a lot of its own produce, with most of it consumed internally with the rest shipped to other facilities. While the film was somewhat dated, it still provided a lot of useful information on prison life. They had other videos about education and the rodeo, but I didn’t watch them. Once done with the videos you begin walking through the museum with a description about the annual prison rodeo. The rodeo is held every Sunday during October and once in the spring. I would highly recommend going if you are in the area, it is a riot. All of the rodeo participants except the female barrel racers are prisoners who have no rodeo experiences. The museum gives a nice history through different panels and artifacts about not only the rodeo but the prisoners who helped to bring it to where it is today. One of the highlights is the section dedicated to a former prisoner, Johnny Brooks, who made a name for himself by winning the rodeo three times.The rest of the museum has various items confiscated from cells, information about significant prisoners, escape attempts, prison authorities’ equipment and other interesting items. One of the last things you will see is the old electric chair. While the museum itself is relatively small, there is plenty to see to keep you occupied for at least an hour if not more. There are the usual shanks that you see in television shows, but there are also contraband that is unexpected such as homemade guns. It makes you wonder how someone who can be so imaginative can waste it on something nefarious. If you are interested in history, prison life and the criminal justice system I would highly recommend visiting the Angola Prison Museum. It is not every day that you visit a museum where a prisoner walks amongst you while you learn about prison life. It is open Monday through Friday from 0800 to 1630, and Saturdays from 0800 to 1600. The museum is also open Sundays in October while the rodeo is going on.

Angola is out of the way. The museum and visitor center is worth the trip. When I visited it was hot and sweaty. The docent team was made up of a retired guard and current inmate. Their sole purpose in being there was to scare the daylights out of the the visiting school kids. I don't know about the kids, but I was properly impressed. A key display in the museum was a mock up of a cell. It was barely big enough for a bunk, a sink and a toilet or bucket. There was nothing comfortable about it. Angola is also famous for its annual rodeo and mobs of visitors for that event.

The museum was a very simple, well put together, and free of charge. We went on the Saturday before the first Angola Rodeo. The artifacts recovered from inmates were very interesting. Lots of information about the prison's history. My boys enjoyed it too.

Not that I'm an expert but I have been to Folsom museum and this is far better! This museum really covers the history of Angola and some of the more notable convicts, prison breaks, and prison killings. There are all kinds of weapons that were confiscated over the decades on display with fascinating stories that shaped Angola. Nice gift shop too with clothing and barbeque sauce and jams made right there on the prison grounds. A real must see for history buffs and its 20 short miles from St. Francisville.

It's a very strange feeling to drive 25 miles down a road flanked by forest and swamp to find just one destination - the Louisiana State Penitentiary, better know as Angola Prison or "The Farm".It has around 18,000 acres of cultivated land worked by the 5000 prisoners - of which 100 are on death row so you cannot enter the gates set between high fences topped with razor wire.The welcome from the staff of the small museum was warm and friendly and we were quickly introduced to a gentlemen wearing an apron who was standing in front of an easel. Introduced to us as an inmate. Asked by my wife why he was in prison he replied simply - "murder, ma'am"He was 33 years into a life sentence but was hoping (and praying) for a successful appeal in the near future - there was a serenity about the 64 year old as we watched him work on the painting.... or maybe it was just resignation.The museum is fascinating - I've heard of makeshift knives being fashioned from a toothbrush but I've never seen a working handgun manufactured from bits in a prison workshop.One slightly more macabre exhibit was a coffin made within the prison - as one of the staff commented, some of the prisoners never leave - "even in death"An incredible exhibition of ingenuity and cunning applied by men who still hope to leave the wire fence behind - it was a thought provoking visit.

this was another stop on our way to new orleans, this prison is still working so all you can visit is the museum next door, but it was bigger than it looks and very informative. they have a gift shop that sells stuff made by inmates, and other goods involing the prison.

Really enjoyed learning about the history of Louisiana Correctional Institutions. The Museum had some really cool exhibits. The portable electric chair and all of it's gear was interesting. Loved the gallery of paintings that were painted by inmates. The replica of one of the original jail cells make you glad you were never sent there. Love the tshirt saying " Angola: A Gated Community"

This place is really informative. It has an electric chair and all the gear that goes with it. Has real photographs of crime scenes. Tells all about prison escapes. They have 1 resident of the prison named Ricky who is an orderly there. He is very knowledgeable and he cares very much about telling his story to youth in hopes that they don't make the same mistakes.

I spent an hour and might have stayed longer if the museum wasn't being redeveloped. PLease if you are around go there, it's a very amazing museum to visit. I know ging to a penitenciary during your vacation looks like stange but it's realy a museum to visit. So many movies as been shoot there, you will be able to stay in a life size jail, to see how was the life in the penitentiary during all of theses years, documents about the escapes... the objects founds inside the jail and to see a electric chair... Think about how many men passed away on this chair....And go there during October as every sunday this month you will be able to watch a special rodeo operated by the prisoners, but please reserved a year in adavance as the director of the museum told it is sold out already for this year and we are only in May...

What a great little stop after the prison tour!! Admission is simply a monetary donation of your choosing. The displays were nice and had interesting artifacts, especially the cases of homemade weapons. The clerk at the desk was friendly and former-employee who shared a few memories of his own. Definitely worth stopping for!!

We went to the Angola Prison Rodeo a few weeks ago and on our way home we stopped at the museum right outside the front gate. I have to admit that I wasn't expecting much because it's small, but it was definitely a really interesting museum. The displays were interesting - including one that was made up of all the confiscated weapons that prisoners have made using items in their cells and one that had items that were used to smuggle in weapons. There was also a replica cell for people to go in to see what its like for the prisoners. For a small museum there was a lot to see. The biggest draw seems to be the actual electric chair that was used for executions before the state switched to lethal injections. As the electric chair shows, it's not a place for the faint of heart. Aside from the chair, there was also a display about murders that happened inside the prison, complete with crime scene photos. I was particularly interested in the displays about the history of the prison and I enjoyed learning about the programs that have been implemented in the prison today (i.e. a vocation school, seminary school, hospice program, etc...). The amount of thought, time and energy that goes into working with these prisoners amazed me.Its a very well run prison that seems to legitimately have a goal of reforming their inmates and giving them a good quality of life, while still managing to punish them for their crimes. The rodeo itself shows this. The "good" prisoners are setup outside of the rodeo arena selling their handmade items - everything from beautiful handmade furniture, to glass etchings, to paintings. It was definitely an interesting experience that I highly recommend to anyone in the area. If you happen to be here in October, definitely check out both the rodeo and the museum. If you can't be in the area for the rodeo, then the museum is worth a stop on its own. I initially thought that my husband was crazy when he told me he was taking me to a prison rodeo and a prison museum, but the whole experience was one that I am glad to have had!