The Old Montana Prison in Deer Lodge, Montana has become one of our favorite places to stop on our road trips out West. Not only is it fascinating, creepy, sad and haunting but it’s also very dog-friendly for well-behaved pets on leash. In fact, we would say that it’s probably one of the most dog-friendly attractions we’ve ever been to. Pets are allowed in all grounds and buildings in the prison, plus the gift shop at the entrance. Included with the very reasonable price of admission is entry to an out of this world antique car museum that rivals just about any we’ve ever seen. With that price of admission, you also gain access to the Powell County Museum, a frontier Montana museum and an antique museum, all located across the street from the prison and antique car collection.
The Old Montana Prison was the first territorial prison in the Western United States and housed prisoners until 1979, after which it was opened to the public as a museum. We’ve done the self-guided tour but there are also guided tours available as well as many reports and rumors of paranormal activity within the walls.