Alcatraz Island
Categories: Landmarks & Historical Buildings, Local Flavor, Parks [Edit]
Alcatraz IslandSan Francisco, CA 94123 (415) 561-4900
- Good for Kids: Yes
154 reviews
Neighborhood: Fisherman's Wharf
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175 Reviews for Alcatraz Island
I'm new in town and want to see all the sights. I'm saving my sightseeing for when I have company and we can share the experience. I had a friend come to see me who was interested in going to Alcatraz. The cruise over was enjoyable but the tour itself was fascinating. We had a headset with a recorded tour and that was the perfect way to see and hear everything at your own speed. It was almost like being in a virtual reality situation or a movie set. The sound effects on the tape and the visuals of seeing the prison were so realistic. My interest was so intense that I had to purchase the movies so I could re-live the first hand experience of being there. My friend also enjoyed it.
Alcatraz is pretty cool go to with a date on an SF adventure. You take a nice chilly 20 minute cruise to the island.
You walk in and pay for your tape guided tour and away you go. The guided tape tour can get a little boring and you probably won't go through with the whole tour.
The cool thing about this is that you can leave the island whenever you want as there are ferry's running every few minutes. But basically it's kind of one of those things that once you see it once you're over it.
Still not a bad place to take a date.
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Acatraz is both Teh Awesum and Teh Suck, so I went with three stars and you may not agree, but you'll fight to the death for my right to do it!
Won't you?
Damn.
Anyhoo, I've been there a number of times over the 30 or so years I've been going to San Francisco. The worst part is the trip across the waters. It seems that they turn up the turbulance every time I make my way across to the island. Once you get there, it's a fine little time...but it's also kinda falling apart. Part of the reason for that is it's an island in the middle of a freakin' bay being pounded with waves and weather without large amounts of protection and with less funding than is needed to keep the place up. The Government not keeping up a National Monument? Go Figure!
The rangers at the park are really nice, totally informed and many of them are really interesting. I totally know the tape tour by heart now and I kinda wish they'd come up with something new.
Ok, the Awesum is the place is haunted and if you get the right person talkin' about it, the stories are unbelievable. Well, maybe there's a reason for that, but there's nothing I love more than a good ghost story.
The suck? The place is crawling with people no matter what the weather and every time I've been there there've been a few chuckleheads who just ruin the experience.
So, three stars. Deal with it!
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Quite an attraction in San Francisco with a great view of the city great for pictures
BFFs in town for our "special-year event" celebration & having never been to SF, of course they wanted to do Alcatraz....my reaction was hmmmm, wellllllll, okay....if you *really* want toooooooo
So off on the Ferry we go to The Rock. Meet at Pier 33 - enjoy a coffee & an eggy sandwich on the nice, brisk morning; get your uber-cheesy pic taken w/ the "Alcatraz Backdrop"; then you're only a 12 min ride away from history
I've only been once before (as I believe once is all anyone ever needs) I remember discussions about how the land used to be a Military Base, an Indian Reservation & whatnot before becoming the Prison ...... but I could be making all this up since we did not have any guides to fill us w/ cool trivia
The audio tour is part of your package & it led us nicely though the areas of the prison, gave us the smallest glimpse of what it was like to actually be stuck there & the BFFs said it was very somber & sobering
Overall, a must-see for tourists & 4 stars for the magnitude that IS Alcatraz
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Came here a couple years back on a really windy day. It was a overall fun experience. Especially the recreational area. It was so fun! Windy as HELL! And you could barely move up and down the stairs safely! It was so awesome! And when you're in the yard, I couldn't even just stand there because I was being blown side to side by the strong wind! Hahahah! Learned alot there. You realize and learn how the inmates lived and were treated there. Kinda get this freaky vibe though, knowing that person actually died there...
Locals aren't supposed to do touristy things, I know, but sometimes I like to do them anyway.
My first visit to Alcatraz was in elementary school, if you grew up around here it's pretty much impossible to escape the obligatory Alcatraz field trip (do they even do that any more now that the schools are going broke?). Does any one else remember when they used to shut the door behind you in solitary confinement? Scary! It's kind of a shame that they don't do that any more.
My second trip was for some sort of native sunrise ceremony thing, it was neat, but I don't remember that much about it because hello...sunrise...I'm usually not all that awake or friendly or alert at that hour.
My third and most recent trip was easily the most fun. I went under the guise of taking a friend from out of town to see it. The audio tour is really good, it's very interesting to hear the story told from the perspective and in the words of former inmates and guards. It's eerie, it's harsh, it's disquieting and yet it's beautiful and interesting at the same time.
I'd recommend that everyone take the short ferry ride out to the island at least once. Spend a couple of hours exploring this piece of San Francisco history. I promise you it's time well spent.
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I hope redevelopment never alters the great history of this San Francisco landmark. Alcatraz Island (aka The Rock) should be forever preserved by the National Park Service so that visitors can enjoy its rich history as much as I did on a recent visit. I'm a San Francisco native, and I visited The Rock for the very first time last week. I wonder why I've waited so long.
Once we disembarked from our Alcatraz Cruises boat the park's guides were very good in giving a general overview of the prison covering the island's structures, historical events and famous convicts. The audio tour was put together very well by using former prison employees and inmates as narrators and using music and sound effects to describe the scenes more vividly.
I took a lot of photos on this visit, and I've rearranged them to mimic the audio tour more closely. My photos can be found at:
http://www.flickr.com/...
Dress in layers because the winds of San Francisco Bay can be quite fierce, and wear comfortable shoes if you go because there is a lot of walking involved. By all means you'll want to bring some sort of camera with you to capture the history, the flora and the fauna throughout this magnificent island.
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It's sad.. but true.. I grew up in the Bay Area and even live in SF *currently* but have NEVER been to Alcatraz Island!! What is wrong with me?
So....last weekend.. I made it out to the island. We booked the night tour for 6:10 pm through Alcatraz Tours (Pier 33) and had a GREAT time. It is one of those touristy things that even natives of SF should do at least once.
Highlights of Tour:
*Boat ride over to Island (the views of SF are fantastic.. especially on a clear day
*Audio Tour of grounds (it was really well done.. about 45 minutes of history of the island, it's inmates, attempted escapes, etc.)
*Individual tours (the guide leaders were all really into their job, and it showed. We did the one on Al Capone; interesting to say the least)
*You are free to walk around the Island for as long as you want. They encourage you to stay until the last boat leaves at 9:30 pm
*Um, and who doesn't love walking in and out of jail cells!! Pretty neat-o
Prepare yourself:
*The island does not smell very good.. (Pigeons EVERYWHERE)
*There is no food available on the island, so eat on the boat or before
*Bring something warm to wear..it gets chilly out there!
Have fun! Enjoy
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As others describe the fantastic experience of touring Alcatraz I'll forgo an actual description of the tour and give my thoughts on an aspect people haven't really touched upon.
ALCATRAZ NIGHT TOUR
As a first time visitor to Alcatraz I have to say that I was not that impressed with the night tour. While I was impressed with my visit as a whole, as a first time visitor there I felt that there was not enough time to see everything as we were limited by when we had to leave. I would have to say that if I had to do it again, as a first time visitor I would just go on the regular daytime tour first, and then for my next visit I would go on the night tour. That way I could make sure I would be able to see everything.
Halfway through our audio tour there were presentations being done in different areas, but since we wanted to make sure we listened to the entire audio tour we had to forego those presentations. Then when we were finally done with our audio tour there was only about 30 minutes left to go exploring before we had to head back down to the dock for our ferry ride back.
Having felt that we were very limited with our time on the night tour we sacrificed seeing things that are exclusive to the night tour in lieu of listening to all of our audio tour (which we could have done on the regular tour). Like I suggested earlier, visit Alcatraz during the day/normal tour so you can see all the regular stuff and then on your second visit do the night tour to bypass the regular exhibits and just view exclusive night attractions.
Good overall tour, to limiting at night since it was our first time.
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I didn't enjoy alcatraz at all. I thought it was boring as heck! I also had one of those tape players that guide you along the tour, at some point the tape decided it would no longer follow the tour, so I was listening to info about places I hadn't been to yet, or had already passed. The only thing I can say I like about the trip was the boat ride.
Of all my previous trips to San Francisco I had never been out to Alcatraz so this last trip I promised myself that no matter what I was going to Alcatraz. I followed all the advice I was given to make reservations at least a day in advance, wear comfortable walking shoes, bring warm layers and bring a bottle of water with me.
The boat ride was windy and blew my hair all over the place, we stand and wait for the park ranger to give us the green light to start exploring the island, and finally it's given. GBF#1 and I head up to where the audio tour starts, it was sunny out, the wind disappeared, and I soon became a hot mess. After a slow and steady climb we made it to the top, hooray for me!
The audio tour was great, extremely informative and entertaining and as a bonus at my first ever SF DYL I learned all about the making of the newest audio tour which was rather cool. I thought the place was great and the best tourist attraction I saw all week, well worth the $24.50 I had to fork over to get on the boat. I'm glad I waited to visit as an adult I don't think I would have found it as enjoyable when I was in my late teens to mid-twenties, actually I probably would have hated it.
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Awesome time... Everyone says its cold there, but we got lucky about how warm and clear it was. Boat ride was nice and comfortable.
They have a mandatory speech you have to listen in the beginning, which is a bunch of crap. The audio tour is awesome - the different languages to cater to tourist. Great view of the city too!!
Alcatraz is a lot of fun for straight edge, tree hugging, do gooders like me who will probably never see the inside of a prison unless some peace corps mission goes horribly wrong or we elect another republican.
Even though the last time I went here the whole island smelled like pee, I'm still giving it 5 stars. I think it's imperative that we preserve historical sites like this, and the audio tour and well designed signs and picture panels really bring the place to life. Plus, we could buy tickets online which is always my preferred method of ticket purchase.
If you live around these here parts, it's an important stop for you to make when you're showing your guests around SF...even if you've been there 5 times already.
Go. Take the audio tour. Have fun...and bring a sweater 'cause it's FREEZING on that boat!
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Remember how much you looked forward to field trips as a kid? I didn't really care where it was to, I just remembered always excitedly preparing myself for the day of - this included meticulously planning my perfect bag lunch for the day including the best flavor of the juice box (Capri Sun's kiwi strawberry, holler!) and a forbidden snack that mom usually didn't permit - something of the chips and/or hostess snack variety. Then when the day came, you leap out of bed and excitedly drag your parents to take you to school (the only time in the life of a kid when this happens). Alcatraz is the reason why I remember field trips so fondly. It was, hands down, my favorite field trip I'd taken as a kid.
The boat ride there can be chilly (as is San Francisco weather in general), so bring a hoodie or sweater - but it also provides a beautiful view of the bay. I also recommend comfortable shoes. I remember as a fourth grader making my way up the island with my fellow classmates, one kid blurted out "why don't you guys install escalators?" and "it's not in the budget!" shouted back a worker.
To this day, I still adamantly recommend Alcatraz to out-of-town visitors and whenever the opportunity to go back does arise, I accept in a heartbeat. There still holds the many qualities of the place that I as a kid was able to appreciate - it's eery and utterly fascinating. You get chills walking through the place and the audio tour is a must - it only helps to hauntingly breathe a past life back into the place, allowing you to experience and learn the history, about a bit of San Francisco and to affirm the money (which isn't too cheap, admittedly) well spent.
Take it from me, just yet another local in love with their city, that when you're wanting to play tourist (or if you really are one), Alcatraz is a must on your itinerary.
I had to entertain my 19 year old niece and 22 year old nephew yesterday. She is a precocious fashionista in the making, while he spent the last year of his life body-building. I didn't have the heart to tell him that his huge pecs (that's pectoral muscle for us overweight folks) would morph into Schwarzeneggeresque tits in 15 years. Some things are better left unsaid.
Anyway, we went to Alcatraz because well, I have original ideas like that. A 12 minute ferry ride is followed by an amazing personal audio tour of the former penitentiary. Since the prison is only about a mile away from SF, the inmates could sometimes hear the good times happening in the city while they were stuck in their tiny cells. Can you imagine??
The island itself is quite remarkable. I walked around the recreation yard and pretended what it might have been like to be a prisoner. Me thinks I would have been the philosophical type, expounding theories like, "We're all really prisoners of our own minds". I'd then trade 10 cigarettes for a photograph of Betty Grable. This would have amounted to a very good day on the rock.
My niece had an interesting observation as we exited, "You know, the inmates weren't treated that bad. Those jackets they were given were pretty nice". Yes indeed, even in prison fashion is important.
5 stars.
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How many local San Franciscans have never been to Alcatraz? Really? that's it? Well, how many of you have been over 10 times in the last five years? OK, seems that many of you are infatuated with the Rock as well.
I took a date out here once some years back. Her initial experience was yacking over the side of the ferry and feeding the seagulls a hearty meal of eggs, toast and Canadian bacon. her meal made for a nice floating chunkage in the bay. I did take a photo by the way, I am even tempted of putting it up on my new yelp page.
The park rangers always look at me a little funny, like I may have been a former resident. Trust me, I have never been a resident of "this" prison. San Quentin you ask?
Next question..
The tourists from Alabama shivering in the cold makes for an entertaining afternoon. "Maw, c'mere and lemme borrow yer hat".
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I had no desire to go to The Rock and be all touristy and such.
But everyone just kept going on and on and on about how amazing and creepy and wonderful this former prison is. So I finally caved in and decided to go.
The ferry ride was awesome and I might have even gotten a sunburn on my neck. Ouch.
Did you know that Al Capone's (other) nickname was Snorky? Just one of the many interesting facts to learn thanks to the helpful staff.
The self-guided audio tour was stellar - complete with realistic stabbing sounds and a narrator who barks at you to "Walk! Don't run!" Seriously though, a very nice audio tour that did a great job of giving an overview of Alcatraz through the eyes of the prisoners.
Oh! And on my trip we were fortunate enough to have former inmate turned author Darwin Coon signing copies of his book about Alcatraz. I guess the moral of the story is that sometimes crime DOES pay.
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Fantastic! I've been to San Francisco twice a year since 2004 and never have I taken a day to go to Alcatraz. A friend of mine is a ranger there and took me on guided tour of the place!
It was a fantastic journey through history and a time in our history that should never be forgotten.
Every local and visitor to San Francisco should take the time to experience alcatraz. We arrived at 1:30PM and didn't board the boat until 6:30. It's easy to make this a day. Book early because tickets do sell out sometimes 2-4 days in advance.
Alcatraz is awesome. I've been here at least seven times and still enjoy going back. I normally hate self-guided audio tours, but Alcatraz's is outstanding.
One item that most turistas pass by but I think is worth some time is the set of four short videos regarding the Indian occupation of Alcatraz that play on infinite repeat in those little caves behind the big movie room. The movies are well-made and give those of our generation (who weren't around to experience the events) an interesting perspective on an event that helped shape Alcatraz into what it is today.
Well, it is a prison, which is a tragic thing. It is depressing and one can see how horrible the living conditions were.
The audio tour makes it all become even more real. YET we have been taking all of our visitors there, cause it is an awesome place to go.
Some freaky shit goes down on the rock. I'm serious. And you will understand this if you hop one of the evening ferry's over to the joint and do the whole tour as the sun sets.
FREAKY.
I'm not into doing the whole touristy thing, even when out-of-towners come to visit. I loathe weekends at Fisherman's Wharf. You will rarely find me in these parts unless we're on the ferry headed to the Rock.
Walking around the empty shell of a prison that now sits within eyeball distance of our grand city, is just weird. Knowing that it housed some of the country's worst felons in history, also weird. Realizing that you're standing in the spot where two inmates shanked each other, and one bled to death, even weirder.
I tend to get anxious in enclosed spaces and just walking into the solitary confinement chamber with the door open was enough to elicit a mild panic attack. The overall energy inside is really overwhelming. I could feel the death and sadness. The sense of hoplessness. I mean REALLY feel it. It was crazy.
So crazy, I couldn't wait to get off the Rock, go back on the ferry, head to my most un-favorite of SF neighborhoods and throw back a handful of beers.
I want to go back on Halloween. Or some other equally creepy night and get all freaked out and scream like a little girl as I run my ass right back onto the ferry boat.
Beware of the birds. They poop randomly and nailed one of my fellow rock-ers right on the back of the neck (nice aim though).
Rock. ROCKridge. The Rock. Rockstars. Rock 'n Roll. Rocking chairs.
All Rock. All the time.
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Only been here twice, once with my Mom, once with my sister and friend. Interesting, cool, and yes, PRETTY! Oh so pretty. The second time I went, I noticed that you could see how SF's streets seem to go up into the sky. I like to go around the island to the part where all the cormorants? (black birds) are below. It looks so cool. Kind of made me tear up when the recording ends and that one former inmate talks about how scared he was leaving. Oooh, the humanity!!!
I bet no one tells you it smells like pee from all the birdy pee/poop, but you kind of forget about that. :)
Had a great time visiting the island. Did the audio tour and walk around for a couple of hours. Walking around the prison and standing where all the killers stood creeped me out! Make sure to wear comfy shoes and bring a jacket. It gets pretty chilly at night.
Make sure you stop by the gift store on your way out. I pick up a great cookbook made by the Alcatraz women.
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I have lived in the Bay Area for most of my life and until recently have not been over to "The Rock." So one day, my friend and I decided to get tickets and go. What an experience! I am not a huge fan of audio tours but the one that is offered does a really good job of explaining the different parts of the prison and gives you a good sense of what life on the island would be like.
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A must see for every tourist or even locals who have never been. It has so much history. It was my first time there and I took my mom for mother's day. We had such a good time. Everyone was really nice.
Be prepared to do a lot of walking uphill and down.
Great views from the rock!
Mikey thinks the tour was pretty radtastic, yet there are a few things I was a little disappointed with during the tour. Where can I start? I'll just say this.. being a native born and raised in San Francisco and living in various parts of the bay, I found it shocking that he had never been to Alcatraz in his 25 years of life. It wasn't till Stephie, my love, asked me if I wanted to go. Anyway, so we had to book the tickets in advance and that blew, but, whatever, those are kinda just things you can't do at the spur of the moment. Anyway, let's talk about the line waiting for the damn boat. Talk about a bunch of tourists. Jesus Christ! I felt like a fucking goober. I was only missing the suburban tourist flip flops in hot sunny and sanitary San Francisco.... it was a good thing the weather was descent it was about 65 maybe 69 degrees at the pier. The weather dropped very minimally at the island when we got there after taking 900 pictures on the top deck of the boat. We were halfway into a tour briefing which I actually thought was gonna be a tour guide but then my Stephie told me its just some lady explaining shit we already knew. So we make our way up to the prison. Alot of the island is fenced off which is weak. The whole island is a national wildlife preserve, so if you get shitted on don't seek vengeance just deal with it. So, yeah, on the way to the prison we were checking all the other shit that was supposed to be fascinating like the morgue. Yeah, it wasn't all that. You could barely see inside because of the graffiti filled plexiglass. Anyway, now to the prison, they say this joint housed the worst of the worst all I could think of was Clint Eastwood. We did the audio tour. They give you an unsanitary headset along with a dated mp3 like device which weighs about 3 pounds and you're off. They offer the tour in many languages. English is cool, but I bet japanese is even cooler. The tour was awesome we learned what kind of beds the birdman and machine gun kelly would masturbate in. Going through the solitary confinement was cool. It's pretty creepy. The recreational yard was ok, and I could not stop thinking about Clint Eastwood the whole time I was out there. Anyway, it was very lack luster for me, yet it was a great time knowing that I would probably never see the people I went on tour with for the rest of my life. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that there is a dungeon that is closed off in the hallway where the gift shop is. It's too bad tours don't go that route. Also, there's a secret area where government tests were done on inmates. I wanted to see that, but I can understand the reasons why not... I mean, damn, fucked up shit went down there, and it's probably not sanitary. Well, yeah, to conclude my version of the trip, it was a great time out. We missed our ferry back to the pier, so we had to wait another 45 mins. But, oh well, I like to sit next to fat tourists with pink San Francisco hoodies and walking canes complaining about how walking up the hills sucked for them but walking down them was such a great feeling. Anyway, we catch our boat back to the pier and boy did i have to piss. Luckily, there was the john right at the pier. My Stephie got walked in on on her visit to the toilet, and she gave 2 identically dressed asian girls stage fright waiting in the toilet line. Awesome trip I must say.
Stephie wonders how Alcatraz can't survive 40-something years of abandonment while BC Greek ruins can last thousands of years. Mind boggling.
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A must experience when in SF. There is alot of up-and-down walking so take some comfortable shoes.
So I finally got around to making the trek (aka plush boat ride) out to the island when my mom was in town visiting. Of course, we had to do it NY style, which involved elbowing out people who thought it was ok to stand directly in front of our seats and block our view during the boat ride and skipping out on the mandatory talk about something (who knows cause we skipped it) when you get to the island. I'd recommend going directly to the video on the history of the island, which was pretty interesting, and then heading straight up to the prison. We managed to find a partially in progress tour group to follow around some and listen in, but the self audio tour is very complete and does the job. But it's windy out there so pick a warm day!
Fun for all ages. They also have a tram for the handicapped/elderly. This is great, because i went some older folks who didn't end up needing it, but it was nice to know it was available. Nothing spoils a trip like giving your older family a heart attack because they have to make it up a steep hill!
Audio tour was awesome. Staff was helpful. If you've never been, you should go!
This is an absolute must while in San Francisco. Even if you're not all that interested in prisons, the atmosphere within the walls will transfix you. The walkmans they give you that guide you throughout the complex are invaluable. The great thing about this is that it's self-guided so that you never have to feel as if youre being dragged through it at somebody else's pace. It all really comes alive there....many of the cells are made up as they were when they were functional...you can even go sit in the cells in "the hole". The boat ride over is awesome too, in that it gives a spectacular view of the city...just be SURE to pack warm clothing, as that was a HUUUUGE mistake I made. Never assume that the summer will provide any warmth there.
I had wanted to come here since I had moved to SF, and I came here the week before I was supposed to leave. An old friend took me here, and I am forever thankful to him.
We came here on an afternoon that it was raining, but the clouds magically disappeared as we boarded the boat to Alcatraz.
Some things you should have remembered before you came (We didn't and we wished we did):
1. Eat something before you go. We didn't and we were really hungry, which impeded our time here.
2. YOU MUST PUT ON BUG SPRAY. The flies here are unbelievable. They are pretty much everywhere, and there's no way of getting around them. They don't bite, but they are annoying.
3. Bring a couple of bottles of water.
4. Leave enough time for the audio tour before the last boat departs. I only made it through part of the audio tour.
5. Take a camera with you. The scenery of the island is both creepy and spectacular. The person that I came with took some amazing photos.
If you can, take the night tour, as it shows more of Alcatraz that not everyone gets to see. I wish we would have done that.
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I really don't get all the hype about this place. Maybe I just have serious ADD: I mean seriously, what is so damn fascinating about touring an old, decrepit prison? Friends were visiting from out of town: one is totally obsessed with the Eastwood film (I haven't seen it) so a trip to the Rock was unavoidable.
Yeah, I did the audio tour and the history and sound effects were well done, but frankly, there are a billion other ways I'd rather spend $25 and 3 hours. Yes, my time is THAT precious! :)
Alcatraz is a must for every Bay Area native or tourist. There is just so much history within these walls. Famous inmates such as Al Capone walk you through the halls on the self guided tour. The self guided tour is a god send because no one likes to be herded around like cattle. I like to take my time and really observe and analyze my surroundings. The best part of the entire tour was when we got locked into solitary confinement. If you are lucky and you happen to run into one of the workers they will lock you inside for about a minute just so that you can experience what it is like to be locked inside a pitch black box for hours on end.
Even if you're not into the touristy aspect of Alcatraz, the short boat ride to and from the Rock is worth it. Bring comfortable shoes and a jacket because you'll regret it if you don't.
The "Rock" isn't supposed to be pretty, but it is interesting. I learned the Bird Man never had any birds, in or near his cell. Al Capone was released because he was dying of a venereal disease. The park department still denies anybody made it off the island alive and there's apparently no missile silo underneath the compound.
The inmates actually ate better than I typically do and the guards were a sadistic sort who delighted in tormenting their charges. The cells were tiny, dingy and one could hear the sounds of the city on a quiet evening.
I went once, a guest of a limo passenger. She'd needed to kill some time between visiting hours when her husband was in the hospital. I mentioned the island was interesting, but one visit was good for a lifetime. Its beautiful on a clear day and even more so at night.
I've been there once... that's enough.
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It's good to do a couple times in life. Take your out-of-town guests. Get pictures taken of you inside some of the cells--you know you want to!
P.S. for anyone who's been there before, it's one of those things you only need to do about once a decade. ;-) But don't avoid it when you have touristy visitors.. appease them and head to the rock.
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This is a MUST SEE for anyone visting the bay... awesome experience, creepy, interesting and memorable to be sure... Bring lots of film...
Compared to other sites to take in while in San Francisco, this is definitely higher on the list of must sees. The audio tour is a must while walking around the "rock". It gives a wonderful insight on the history of Alcatraz. And of course wonderful views!
When I have out-of-town visitors, Alcatraz and Muir Woods are on the top of the list. I just wish I didn't have to go to Fisherman's Wharf first to get on the boat.
The boat ride to and from Alcatraz makes this trip worth it. I also like being on the rock for the prison tour and the marvalous history and ongoing preservation. There are also opportunities to get outside and drink up the scenery.
Other reviewers are correct - Dress warmly, bring snacks, and order your ticket online and early. Please also note that this extremely will take a significant chunck of time out of your sightseeing day. Plan accordingly.
Still a fun trip for locals and tourists alike. Great views of the city, and what's more fun to do on holiday than explore a decrepit old prison? Seriously, it's an interesting piece of local history not to be missed. Some advice:
DO go when you can take the night tour. It's a smidge more expensive, but totally worth it. The place looks spookier, and they open up parts you don't get to see during the day.
DO get off the boat early so you can go up the hill early and sign up for cool extra tours. Do the hospital tour... What's neater than Al Capone's old sitz bath?
DO wear something warm, especially if you bring guests. They'll freeze for some reason. Wimps.
DO NOT try to show up at the Pier without an advance reservation and expect to get a ticket. Won't happen.
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