Polk County Haunted Jail Tour Returns This Weekend

BARTOW, FL — Brave souls who believe they’re ready to take on a “Zombie Apocalypse” are invited to test their abilities this weekend at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office’s old jail in Bartow.

The facility at 455 N. Broadway Ave. has been transformed for the annual Haunted Jail Tour. This year’s event has a distinctly apocalyptic theme with hordes of zombies ready to infect newcomers. The final nights for the event are Oct. 28 and 29 with tours offered from 6 to 11 p.m.

The cost of a tour is a $5 donation with proceeds going to the United Way of Central Florida. The tour consists of a visit to the origin point of the outbreak, the infirmary, the jail itself where zombies are rumored to be on the prowl, the morgue and the incinerator room.

Saturday, Oct. 29 has been designated family night. That means treats and games will be available for younger kids who might be too little to go on the tour. Food and drinks will also be on sale both nights.

“If you thought the tour was good last year, just wait and see what we have come up with this year,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a media release.

Goodwill Industries-Suncoast Inc. pitched in to make this year’s tour especially frightening, the sheriff’s office noted. The organization donated “a truckload of props, decorations and special effects that have really allowed us to transform the place like never before.”

Photo and video courtesy of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page