Sometimes you have to go for it!
One haunted destination on my list has always been Alcatraz. For its long standing presence, historic value and ghost stories. It’s been featured on many shows as of 2024 and a quick visit to the nps.gov website will tell you why.
“The Fascinating History of Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz has a many-layered history: Civil War fortress, military prison, federal prison, bird sanctuary, first lighthouse on the West Coast, and the birthplace of the American Indian Red Power movement: These are just a few of the fascinating stories of the Rock. Alcatraz Island is a designated National Historic Landmark for its significant contribution to the nation's history.”
Fast forward to 2018
Our son Trent’s senior year from high school; we admittedly didn’t have a lot of time and resources to travel. I was proud we were able to visit the Grand Canyon West Rim for Spring break and Summer was fast approaching. I wanted to fit in whatever FAMILY TRIP we could before he was off to college.
Somehow our *timeshare (do not recommend, we successfully sold it) had a sweet location a couple blocks from Ghirardelli Square and our balcony overlooked Alcatraz. I was able to SECURE it for the last weekend in June.
A few years before, I missed my chance to buy tickets to go to Alcatraz.
The tickets were SOLD OUT! That happens often as Alcatraz is on an island with a reservation system run by the National Park Service. Note: The America the Beautiful pass does not work because there is no Federal entrance. So DANG IT if the island was not SOLD OUT once again. I would not let this foil our trip and began researching other options. There happens to be a few if you are willing to pay.
I found the Big Bus Tours and coughed up nearly $500 for 4 tickets that included stops all around San Francisco. Most importantly we were going to get to visit ALCATRAZ!!! I was so excited even if my husband did give me grief about the cost. I’m not recommending you don’t consider cost and your partners thoughts on the matter. At the time, it felt like a crazy amount to spend. TODAY it is one of our fondest memories and check it off the bucket list items.
Alcatraz DID NOT DISAPOINT, we spent an afternoon exploring the island inside and out. We took fun pictures and we were fortunate to have glorious weather too. When I look through those old pictures I don’t remember the cost, my mind instead remembers our little family experiencing a unique and spirited trip to Alcatraz. - Tamantha*
Local tip: do not say “San Fran” the cool way to refer to the Bay Area city is “SF”.
*Timeshare: we got caught up in purchasing one; the bad side were the maintenance fees going up every year but WE DID have some incredible bookings over the 10+ years we held on to it.
