Adventures at Alcatraz – Visiting Alcatraz With Kids
Road trip time! Reese really makes any trip fun, but I love our road trips together. It’s such a great bonding experience for us both. In our Jucy, our 4-day road trip took us to some pretty amazing places. One of them was in San Francisco. I really wanted to take Reese to Alcatraz because my girl loves history. We hopped in our Jucy and parked it in one of the commercial lots nearby the pier, ready to explore!
You might be a bit familiar with Alcatraz. It was a penitentiary on Alcatraz Island for some pretty rough and tumble characters. This was the place where Al Capone was held. It was supposed to be the kind of place the worst offenders could never escape from. That’s why it was called “The Rock.” With the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean swirling around it and the rigorous checks, perfectly-positioned guard towers, and strict rules, escape seemed impossible.
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Reese and I were absolutely fascinated to learn about how 36 men attempted escape. Either they were caught or they died trying, except for 3 men that the FBI still has no idea of their whereabouts. You can learn about all this and much more as we did on the cellhouse tour.
Actually, I must admit we were enjoying ourselves from the start. You take a ferry over to the island and the views were just wonderful. Even though Alcatraz itself is a bleak place, the vibe there is intriguing rather than repelling. The experience of riding through the rough waves, particularly on the way back, had us wondering how anyone could ever swim through it and live to tell about it.
The island also is home to the first lighthouse and United States fort built on the West Coast. Most people outside of California don’t know that but here’s something I didn’t know – that it was occupied for 18 months by Indians of all tribes. And while the old federal prison here gets all the attention, there is a surprisingly natural side here to explore. It balances out the confined setting of Alcatraz. We were so excited to find gardens and tide pools to wander through. There were all kinds of birds everywhere and the views of the bay were beyond breathtaking.
Overall, from beginning to end, it takes about 3 hours to see it all. We were interested to find that they not only have a day tour but a night tour as well, though the night tour is limited to only a few hundred people. Still, Reese and I had an epic time exploring here. If you ever come to San Francisco, one thing you really shouldn’t miss is the chance to walk through the halls of history here. Even if you’re not a huge history fan, you will be once you get on the ferry back to shore.
