Alcatraz Island

Address:San Francisco, California
Tel: (415) 561-4900

While most tourist stops are famous as places to escape to, one place is best known for people wanting to escape from. Say the name Alcatraz and the mind immediately leaps to the daring escapes from that island immortalized in the famous Clint Eastwood film, "Alcatraz." But it is not only for its prison that Alcatraz is notable. The island, also nicknamed "the Rock", served for many years as a U.S. military installation—a focal point of another Hollywood hit about Alcatraz, "The Rock," starring Sean Connery and Nicholas Cage, in which a military group uses the island as a base from which to threaten the United States.

The base was established in 1850 and the army soon saw its value as a place to maintain a military prison. The military eventually closed the prison but it was resurrected as a federal prison during the Great Depression era of high crime, housing such infamous criminals as Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly. After closing down its federal operations in the 1960s, the land became an American Indian haven and was a milestone in their civil rights movement. Less well known (perhaps for lack of a movie) is that the island also features the oldest operating lighthouse on the West Coast. It also contains many natural points of interest such as rare flowers and plants, marine wildlife, and thousands of roosting and nesting sea birds.and lovely views of the coastline.

There are four different guided cruise tours of the island offered but on the island itself there are no guided tours. There is, however, an audio cellhouse tour which brings the prison to life through the descriptions provided by actual guards and inmates who served time there. There's even a special tour for families, which includes kid-oriented activities, so everyone will have a good time here. Visitors can reach the famous island by ferry from San Francisco's Pier 33, near Fisherman's Wharf. Note that because the only way to reach the island is by ferry it is advisable to make reservations as much as a week in advance. Be sure to bring warm clothes for cooler evening hours, and set aside two to three hours to fully enjoy your Alctaraz experience and relish your freedom to explore!