Come to Alcatraz!

Hi everybody! I wanted to share one of the things that I really like to do with my friends or family. I have been there a few times because I live really close to the San Francisco. It is not a very happy place to go but it is definitely a good place to learn history and to understand what happened on that Island years ago. You see, most people know Alcatraz to be a very touristy place, but it actually has a lot of history behind it. It was once a federal penitentiary. It was also the site of the first American lighthouse on the West Coast and this island also served as a huge boarder defense fort during the Civil War. The U.S. Army turned the island into a military prison but shortly after that Alcatraz became a place where American Indians protested. This island has been used for many different purposes, but most people know it as the federal penitentiary. One of the things I love about Alcatraz is the fact that you can go around the entire site with headphones on while a recording tells you the story. You get to hear the history of this island with actual voices of the correctional officers and inmates of the island who lived there during the times of operation.

The cruise boats leave for the island at all times of the day and evening but you normally have to book more than a day in advance because they sell out fast. Speaking about tickets, a day ticket to Alcatraz costs about $26.00 for a day tour and $33.00 for a night tour. Children's tickets are much cheaper. For a day trip, it will cost a child $16.00 and for a night trip it will be $19.50. Many people go with a group of people, as it is more fun this way. (Tip: Going with a group of people will make the ticket prices go down, as they do offer group and family ticket prices.) For more details, you can check ticket prices online : Alcatraz Island: An Inescapable Experience. This a wonderful website that shows you how to plan for your trip, what to bring, pictures and video clips to prepare yourself and your group, as well as ticket specials and prices. I highly recommend taking a day trip to this site, as we can learn more about history. Give this trip one day, as you want to take your time to really explore the whole island and really listen to everything coming out of the headphones. It is important to realize what has gone on in this, well, sometimes spooky place.

Until next time!