Another weekend came and flew by. This weekend was super fun and full of new adventures. Mother's Day comes but once a year and for those of us without our moms, it can be a little sad. Since having my daughter, they have been much better. But, new year, new leaf. Don't let the sad bring you down, let it lift you up. And so with every holiday that has passed, I have followed this mantra, and especially with Mother's Day. I was set on making this a day full of adventure, fun, and discovery for my whole family. Where can you do that? Hmmm, for us - PRISON! And a haunted prison no less. With my brand new, homemade Supermom cape on, we were off to Moundsville, West Virginia. I packed some snacks, some Barbies and an iPad and away we went. The drive there was super easy and with the trees really greening at this point, quite lovely. The adventure began as we entered West Virginia, then Ohio, then back into West Virginia. We all laughed because we truly had no idea which state we were in until we came upon Moundsville. A few turns and holy s%#!, there it was, this huge, stone, fortress right in the middle of a neighborhood. How unbelievably cool. Quote from the back,"It looks like a castle for robbers." It was no castle that was for sure. After a little walking outside to see the exterior, we ventured in the prison. First sight, OLD SPARKY. "That looks like a king's chair". Well, not really, but okay little lady. The tour began at noon so we walked through the museum a little, looked at no contact visitation and read a little about the construction of the prison. We saw a video about events they hold at the penitentiary including ghost hunts, kids Halloween and adult Halloween events and a zombie day.
Once the tour began, we were led through the mechanically opened doors and all through the main floor of the penitentiary. No need to go over the history, unless you want more then just message me, but it was really cool.
Little Follow The Rules was loving the colors of the cells. There were pink, purple, blue and green cells. So much art was painted all over the walls. Some was black and white cell art, but there were some paintings made by the inmates that were beautiful landscapes and animals that were in more common areas. The yard outside was very interesting to the wee one. Not only could she traverse low walls, but there was jungle gym equipment and an oh so funny outside potty with no walls. That was crazy, you know. All throughout the prison were painted lines on the floor. These lines were meant to guide the prisoners as to where they were supposed to walk. Lines on the floor were like all connected balance beams. Peanut walked these red , yellow and white lines, throughout the entire tour, arms extended for balance, The highlight for all of us, especially the youngest of the group was being locked in the cell. We all went in together. Hubs went in first on his own. I was not so keen on the idea. Then little one changed her mind. Stand back...doors open. We all went into one cell. It was tight and there were originally three grown men in a cell. We decided, the family that slays together, stays together (Thanks Jay for the quote) . Once locked in, got the picture, hubs and babes were fine, me, I needed out muy pronto!!!!!! "You can open it up anytime now!!!" Upon our last section of the tour we came upon, what I thought was the coolest parts of the penitentiary. We got to see the Post Office and wood shop, all just left as if someone was going to return. Tools, paper, chairs and desks still remained, all in disarray and showing definite signs of urban decay. The doors in this part of the prison were enormous and having toured for over an hour and a half, little girl was getting a little antsy. I turned to look at her by one of the cool doors and she was pretending to be a zombie. How fitting for this adventure. I snapped a picture because she was so funny. She should have tried out for the Walking Dead. A little overheated, a little freaked out, and a little unnerved by all the history we learned about this frightening place, we all left very secure in the fact that none of us EVER wanted to be part of the penal system but we may just return to West Virginia Penitentiary for an overnight stay to explore more on our own. Get your sleeping bags ready!!!
Once the tour began, we were led through the mechanically opened doors and all through the main floor of the penitentiary. No need to go over the history, unless you want more then just message me, but it was really cool.
Little Follow The Rules was loving the colors of the cells. There were pink, purple, blue and green cells. So much art was painted all over the walls. Some was black and white cell art, but there were some paintings made by the inmates that were beautiful landscapes and animals that were in more common areas. The yard outside was very interesting to the wee one. Not only could she traverse low walls, but there was jungle gym equipment and an oh so funny outside potty with no walls. That was crazy, you know. All throughout the prison were painted lines on the floor. These lines were meant to guide the prisoners as to where they were supposed to walk. Lines on the floor were like all connected balance beams. Peanut walked these red , yellow and white lines, throughout the entire tour, arms extended for balance, The highlight for all of us, especially the youngest of the group was being locked in the cell. We all went in together. Hubs went in first on his own. I was not so keen on the idea. Then little one changed her mind. Stand back...doors open. We all went into one cell. It was tight and there were originally three grown men in a cell. We decided, the family that slays together, stays together (Thanks Jay for the quote) . Once locked in, got the picture, hubs and babes were fine, me, I needed out muy pronto!!!!!! "You can open it up anytime now!!!" Upon our last section of the tour we came upon, what I thought was the coolest parts of the penitentiary. We got to see the Post Office and wood shop, all just left as if someone was going to return. Tools, paper, chairs and desks still remained, all in disarray and showing definite signs of urban decay. The doors in this part of the prison were enormous and having toured for over an hour and a half, little girl was getting a little antsy. I turned to look at her by one of the cool doors and she was pretending to be a zombie. How fitting for this adventure. I snapped a picture because she was so funny. She should have tried out for the Walking Dead. A little overheated, a little freaked out, and a little unnerved by all the history we learned about this frightening place, we all left very secure in the fact that none of us EVER wanted to be part of the penal system but we may just return to West Virginia Penitentiary for an overnight stay to explore more on our own. Get your sleeping bags ready!!!