Alcatraz is an infamous (or perhaps notorious) island operated by the National Park Service as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. You can of course tour the island and facilities and who wouldn’t want to?! I was advised and just about everything you read about Alcatraz tours will also advise you to buy your tickets early. If you can buy them online, that is my number 1 recommendation. We did not listen, instead we hoped for the best and showed up at the ticket counter. We figured how many people could there really be on a week day? Turns out enough that even though we arrived around 9:30AM we still had to buy tickets for the following day.
The ticket counter and ferry itself are located at Pier 33, not far from Fisherman’s Wharf, and there is a decent amount of parking in the area in case you aren’t up for walking. Tickets were $26.00 for adults and $16.00 for children. As of today while I write this entry, tickets are sold out until 8/17/10.
Frequently I find popular tours to be disorganized and people jockey for what they deem the best position making the experience slightly less than enjoyable. The embarkation/debarkation processes for a visit to Alcatraz are well organized. Representatives from the park service and tour company are well informed, helpful, and friendly making the process relaxed and pleasant.
The island itself has a history beyond what I think most of us are aware of. We all think of Alcatraz as the island where notorious criminals such as Al Capone spent time behind bars. What I think many of us don’t know is that the island was also home to military prisoners before it was a Federal prison, and prior to that it was an Army base. Farther back in time still, the island was home to Native Americans.
The remains of buildings from the days of Army occupation are now home to weeds, flowers, and seagulls. Once upon a time, some of these buildings were a banquet/dining hall, power plant, and sleeping quarters for military men and later the prison guards and their families. The island was well landscaped by the families who lived and worked on an otherwise barren rock. Evidence of their gardens still exists and is maintained by the park service.
Take your time exploring Alcatraz and when you finally reach the prison take advantage of the free self guided headset tour. You’ll be able to pause and play at your leisure and you’ll learn many interesting bits about the previous inhabitants and their day to day lives. Along the way you’ll have the opportunity to step inside a cell and even into a solitary confinement cell. It was eerie! I can’t even imagine what the night tour holds…