This Is The Creepiest Place To Visit In Illinois

Jail Cell

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Every state has its own urban legends and bone-chilling stories of places that are reportedly haunted year-round, not just on Halloween. These sites include old state hospitals, abandoned homes and hotels that are so terrifying only the brave (or the dead) dare to tread foot on their premises.

If you are looking to take a guided tour or a solo walk through the darkness of one of these destinations, Thrillist recently compiled a list of the creepiest places where ghosts are rumored to patrol in each state. They named Old Joliet Prison in Joliet as the scariest place to visit in Illinois. Here's what they had to say about it:

"You know that feeling you get when you find out the previous renter of an apartment was kind of a creep? This gothic, castle-like prison complex was once the (involuntary) home of notorious murderer clown John Wayne Gacy and serial killer Richard Speck. There were riots and slayings, executions and other maladies that made this place midwestern Oz between 1856 and 2002, when it closed and sat abandoned for nearly nearly two decades. It’s now reopened for tours (paranormal or otherwise), and sometimes hosts events like movie screenings (Blues Brothers was famously filmed here). Even without the hauntings, this place would be top-tier creepy. Throw in potential serial-killer specters and you’ve got a recipe for nightmares."

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