Louisiana State Penitentiary

Address:Highway 66
Angola, Louisiana

It may sound like something out of a movie, but it also feels like a perfect venue – a biannual rodeo at a state penitentiary. And that is exactly what you get in April and October at the Angola prison,better known as "The Farm."

Proclaiming itself "The Wildest Show in the South," the Angola Prison Rodeo started in 1965 as a diversion for inmates at the Louisiana State Penitentiary. It soon attracted such a following, however, that a stadium was built, that now holds 7,500 fans for the two professionally produced shows each year.

In addition to the rodeo itself, there is also a craft show of inmate-produced goods, and a museum dedicated to the history of the event and the prison outside the front gate. The rodeo takes place Saturday and Sunday, with gates opening at 9 a.m., and the rodeo beginning at 2 p.m. The gates close at 5.

Louisiana State Penitentiary is one of the largest prisons in the country, and has been memorialized in song on numerous occasions. It is located in central Louisiana on the Mississippi River, right on the border with the southwest corner of Mississippi.