Alcatraz with kids - yea or nay?

bcla said:
It was half a joke and half serious. I can't imagine that they would have had flowers planted by prisoners that survived more than 40 years of neglect. Even a thriving garden would need to be periodically replanted. In fact, the link you provided noted that the flowerbeds required rebuilding a decade ago when the Garden Conservancy took over upkeep of the flower gardens...
Bulbs come back every year without replanting.

bcla said:
Well - I guess they would be bulbed plants and the bulbs will likely keep splitting indefinitely. However, I'd say it's a fine line to say if they're the same planting per se.

I generally wouldn't want to keep anything like that for that long. I'd probably tear it up and start over again. The usual recommendation is to pull them out and split the bulbs before they start crowding and getting weak.

Even with the general lack of maintenance over the years, I'd be surprised if many of them are same plants. I heard that some of the roses have been there for over 100 years, but they were planted before it was a federal prison by the military.
I'd say, yes, same planting, because you didn't plant them again. If nobody digs in the dirt, they weren't replanted, in my eyes.

To the OP, I grew up in SF, and still visit often, and only ever went once. We had many out of town guests go there while visiting, but we always skipped that part of their trips. I would not go back. It is depressing, in a way I can't even quite put into words. Horrible things happened there. Only Americans would turn that into a sight seeing spot. If I ever go back, it will be for Unthanksgiving, nothing else would ever get back on that island. BUT tens of thousands of people go each year, so clearly lots of people enjoy it.
 
We are headed there in July and wondered the same thing about our boys (13). When I discussed with them about going, they didn't really even know what Alcatraz was! So I ended up going on youtube - there were videos there of tours people had been on. We watched a bit of a few and then asked them if they would want to go and do a tour. The response I got was - Nah, looks kinda cool but kinda creepy and kinda boring, can we do something else in San Francisco instead! So glad I checked it out before I spent the money and hours of dragging them if they had not interest in it. I think sometimes as parents we think the "must do's" really aren't that at all! :) Although I would love to go, I think I will just have to plan a trip back when I don't have the kids -when they are all grown up :(
 
I think your kids will love it! It's a bit boring for younger kids ( my 6 year old got fed up after a while) but anyone over about 10 should find it interesting. The audio tour really does a good job of bringing it to life.
In fact I recently asked a 15 year old boy what his favorite part of his tour of America was ( we are Australian ) and he said Alcatraz !
 
ozvisiter said:
I think your kids will love it! It's a bit boring for younger kids ( my 6 year old got fed up after a while) but anyone over about 10 should find it interesting. The audio tour really does a good job of bringing it to life.
In fact I recently asked a 15 year old boy what his favorite part of his tour of America was ( we are Australian ) and he said Alcatraz !

I forgot to add my DDs aged 10, 12 and 14 loved it too!
 


Really want to know? Personally I think most kids won't like it. It's an old military prison that was converted into a federal civilian prison.

There are some spectacular views from the island though.

Still - I've been there a few times. Once there was a talk on Al Capone by a park ranger. The guy had a distinct midwest accent - I think Chicago. It was really mesmerizing. Everyone was glued to their seats listening to this guy talk about Capone (who strangely enough was from Brooklyn, but I digress).

I disagree. My kids were 10 and 11 and loved it. In fact, they were intrigued by it. They loved the audio tours, standing in the cells, looking at the bullet holes in the walls and lots more. They knew nothing about Alcatraz or its history before we visited. Alcatraz was on our 'must-do' list of things to do.
 
Depends on your kids- do they enjoy history? museums? I took a group of Girl Scouts there last summer- ages 11-15 and they mostly enjoyed it. Most of the girls were very interested- especially if they had ever seen any movie or TV show filmed there- but as there always is- one found it boring (she was the youngest though...) You listen through the headphones on a self guided tour, you can go as quickly or as slowly as you like. The boat ride is fun too. It is uphill walking, so comfy shoes, and windy outside so dress a bit warmer than if you were just in the city. Tickets need to be bought online and weeks in advance- so plan accordingly. They do have a night tour that I am not familiar with- that might be something to think about?

No necessarily. We were there about mid-January '12 and we didn't have to order tickets online or book weeks in advance. We took the mid-morning boat over and just booked and paid at the departure area at the wharf.

I would love to do the night tour and hope to do that next January when we are back in San Francisco.
 
No necessarily. We were there about mid-January '12 and we didn't have to order tickets online or book weeks in advance. We took the mid-morning boat over and just booked and paid at the departure area at the wharf.

I would love to do the night tour and hope to do that next January when we are back in San Francisco.

During the peak summer months it can fully book.
 


We are locals -- my children LOVED it and they are around that age (2 girls). The ferry is great. Be sure to get the audio tour. It is fascinating. My kids have no particular interest in prisons but they loved Alcatraz -- we all had a great time, 3 generations! My younger daughter ended up doing a report on Alcatraz for school, she found it so interesting. My recommedation is to start or end your day with a meal at the Ferry Building, one of my favorite places in SF. From there, you can walk to the pier where the Alcatraz ferries launch. Also, on that part of the Embarcadero is the new Exploratorium, if you will be going after April 17.

https://www.exploratorium.edu/

Another thing, be sure to book your Alcatraz tix through the official vendors --the rest are brokers, and try to do a bunch of add ons.

Have fun! Sorry if this duplicates other posts, I didn't have time to read the whole thread.

http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/website/park-programs.aspx
 
I'm one of those who got peeved when the National Park Service put out a new bid for renewal for the ferry contract. It used to be Blue & Gold Fleet, which still provides sightseeing tours. The current contractor is Hornblower Cruises, which previously only did dinner cruises.

The previous vendor was reliable and affordable. You could book a cruise for less than $15 without the audio tour and under $20 with. The current price is over $30 and I believe the audio tour is required. I've done both, and there was no real difference other than the price.
 
I went on a fieldtrip as a kid & really liked it. My kids Dd16, DS13 & DS11 keep bugging me to take them... were gonnna go in september. If you decide to go make sure you reserve at least a month in advance as they book up pretty fast & stay booked...
 
Another fun tour is ride the ducks. I highly reccomend it!! I believe they have combo tickets that include both alcatraz & the duck tour. The duck tour is a boat that also drives on land that tours SF city & they give you these whistles that make a quacking sound & they quack songs & quack at people as you go by them. Its a blast!
 
We went this past September, and my 8 1/2 DS LOVED Alcatraz!! We now have Alcatraz books, Alcatraz movies & Alcatraz cups! He didnt know much about it before hand, but had a small amount of background knowledge ( a couple of famous inmates, the famous escape) which Im sure helped his enjoyment. However, the audio tour is really well done and he had a great time exploring at his own pace. He was especially intrigued with the "escape", so much so that I purchased the DVD of Mythbusters recreating the famous "escape" as a Christmas gift. I really enjoyed the experience. I found it more intriguing then creepy but I was there in bright daylight....not the night tour :scared1:
If you decide to go DEFINATELY reserve in advance!!! Our plans were up in the air, and a week out we were only barely able to secure a full day tour that included Angel Island. It turned out nicely but was not what we had set time aside for. If you have limited time in SanFran and want to schedule your time there...BOOK several weeks in advance or risk being frustrated or disappointed.
 
Ive tried to get my kids (16 and 14) to go for a few years. They just have no interest in going :(

Maybe I should buy some books and DVD's to get them interested....hmm, that might work.
 
purplecrush said:
Ive tried to get my kids (16 and 14) to go for a few years. They just have no interest in going :(

Maybe I should buy some books and DVD's to get them interested....hmm, that might work.

Once they see the DVDs and books, they won't need to go, lol. I've said before, I just don't get Alcatraz at all. It's cold, dark and depressing. I get the creeps there. In the 20 years I lived in SF I only went twice, once on a field trip as a child, then with a boyfriend and his family when I was 16. Both experiences were just lost on me. I don't get it.

My point is, if they aren't interested, don't make them go. It isn't a fun amusement park. It was a jail, people died there. I guess I just don't get the entertainment value. I don't want to visit old internment camps or slave plantations either though. I'm sure there's valuable history, I'd just rather read about it than go to these places first hand.
 
I was skeptical, but DS8 and DD7 loved Alcatraz, keeping the audio tour in sync between us all was a bit of a comedy of errors, but thus proved to be one of the highlights of the trip for them
 
Thanks for all the responses. Just a month to go and we will be there. Getting excited to see California and Disneyland again. :cool1:
 

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