Visiting Alcatraz
This past weekend my Mom visited San Francisco which meant we had to go to her favorite place, Alcatraz! It has come to my attention that many people in the bay have never been.
Whether you have your reservations booked or just thinking about what to do for a nice weekend, here you go!
Let’s start with some history:
Alcatraz is located in the San Francisco Bay here in California. It has quite a long and conflicted history. It was originally built as a military prison by the U.S. Army and was used as intended from 1850 - 1933. Then in 1934 the island was converted into a federal prison which is how most people remember it today. Some of the most notorious criminals in American history served time on Alcatraz including Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly (not the rapper), and Robert Stroud (“Birdman”).
Headshots of Al Capone
The prison closed in 1963 due to high costs and a declining inmate population. in 1969, a group of Native Americans occupied Alcatraz for 19 months. The group of Native Americans called them seves Indians of All Tribes and claimed Alcatraz under the terms of the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie which allowed Native Americans to claim surplus federal land as their own. The occupation was met with mixed reactions and the All Tribes movement was eventually evicted in 1971. The U.S. sidestepped the Treaty of Fort Laramie by turning Alcatraz into a National Historic Landmark.
The All Tribes occupation in Alcatraz
Now Alcatraz is a popular tourist destination with over 1.5 million visitors each year!
Here is some notable years:
1775: Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala names the island "La Isla de los Alcatraces" (Island of the Pelicans).
1850: The U.S. Army takes control of the island and begins using it as a military prison.
1909: The Army begins construction on a new prison building on the island.
1934: The U.S. Bureau of Prisons takes control of the island and opens Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary.
1963: Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary closes due to high costs and declining inmate population.
1969 - 1971: The All Tribes movement occupies Alcatraz for 19 months
1972: Alcatraz becomes a National Historic Landmark.
1973: Alcatraz opens to the public as a tourist destination.
Thinking of visiting? Here’s what a visit is like! (the below itenerary is for the daytime tour)
First thing to know, is Alcatraz is an island (duh!) but that means you have to take a ferry to get there. There is only one ferry that operates for Alcatraz (Alcatraz City Cruises) and you can get tickets here. Tickets are $53 and covers the ferry to and from the island as well as the audio tour. Unless you want to get snacks or trinkets from the island, your trip will only be what you pay for your ticket, no hidden fees once on the island that I ran into!
The ferry is about ~20 minutes long and takes you from Pier 33 to the island.
When you get to the island and disembark, you will be met with a ranger who will give you a brief overview of visiting the Island, then you can walk up a bit of a hill to the main event (the cell house) — there is a small bus that brings up people who may have mobility issues with the hill (it is a little steep).
At the cell house, you will get an audio device and a pair of headphones. They have a few languages available in 11 languages (full list of languages here). Once you plug in and follow the signs to the “start here” sign, you can start your audio recording and the narrator will guide you through the entire cell house
At the end of the audio tour, you can return headphones and audio device, peruse the bookstore, and check out the rest of the island that is not included in the audio tour. It will be obvious, but don’t forget to return your audio device, or else it will make a big beeping noise once it is out of its specified range area!
The ferry back to SF leaves every ~30 minutes from the same spot you got dropped off on with the latest ferry at 6:30
Justin locked up!
Here are a few things to remember to make sure you’re trip to Alcatraz goes smoothly:
Get to the ferry on time or early. The ticket will suggest you get to the ferry 1 hour in advance. This amount of time is not really necessary. Aim to get to the ferry at least 30 minutes before your departure time though as the line gets long fast. Sometimes you may even get on the earlier ferry if there is space and you are early. My departure time was at 1:05PM, but I ended up being able to board the 12:30 ferry
The ferry is a great experience in and of itself. The ferry awards you with great views from of the city and the golden gate bridge. I suggest staying on the outside of the ferry if the weather is nice — but it can get windy so bring an extra layer even if it is warm outside!
You don’t need to bring anything for the audio tour. I wasn’t sure if I was going to need my own headphones so I spent the night before rummaging my drawers to pack an extra pair — it wasn’t necessary!
Don’t forget you can pause the audio tour. Sometimes the audio tour goes by slowly and you are sitting looking at the same cell wondering when it will switch to the next. But sometimes it goes by quickly and you want to stop and take a photo in one of the open cells or take a quick step outside to the rec area. Don’t fret—you can pause the audio tours and pick up where you left off at any point
Stop by the All Tribes history exhibit. When you get off the boat, the ranger will let you know the specific times that it is open, but it is usually open from 1PM - 4PM. This is a great exhibit and talks about the All Tribes movement on the Rock, an often overlooked or forgotten piece of history
Be prepared to walk. Alcatraz has a good amount of walking, especially if you explore the island more than just the audio tour. Wear comfortable shoes, eat a snack before you go, and maybe have lunch plans ready for once you get back — we were hungry!
Know how much time you will spend on the island. We got to the island around 1PM and left around 3PM. That’s two hours of exploring and the audio tour was probably ~1hr. I would budget for at least 2 hours on the island — three if you plan on going to the All Tribes exhibit (recommended)
What did I forget? What was your favorite part of Alcatraz?
