Alcatrez - your thoughts and experiences

[Torontogal]

My hubby and 2 kids (both under 7) are thinking of seeing Alcatrez. I would love to know your thoughts on this. Is it enjoyable, is it worth the $, etc.
Sounds interesting but since we are only in San Francisco for a few days - we want to make the best of our time.
Thanks!

 

[damo]

We were fascinated by it. You purchase headphones that have the audio of a guided tour. It is really, really well done and very memorable.

 

[ariel53098]

We went last January (we live about 150 miles south of SF). My 5 yo DS did not really like it. They gave everyone headphones for free. It was interesting to me as an adult but I didn't really get to enjoy it all b/c I was having to keep DS entertained when he lost interest. He liked the boat ride though. If I had it to do over again I'd probably wait until DS was 10 and not pay all that money to ride the boat over and have him not really enjoy the tour.
Hope this helps!
Rachel

 

[Dobie]

Alcatraz, while cool to visit, is on a very steep hill, is kind of bleak and depressing, and smells like bird poo poo (of which it is covered.) I would wait until my kids were a bit older.

 

[Shell0616]

I did this a few years ago and I loved it. The boat ride over is nice and you get some great shots of the Golden Gate. It is a very steep walk up the hill but you can take it at your own pace. If you dont want to do the head phones ( they are really fantastic) you should call ahead and see if they still have the regular tours.

You can walk around at your own pace and when I was there you could take the boat back whenever you wanted to.

 

[mrs.beast]

local here. i would not spend time or money on it for children that young. i went in 5th grade as a field trip and it was interesting, but we lost interest 1/2 way through. i went as an adult and enjoyed it. it had parts about death, ghosts, etc in the audio tour that could scare some kids. also, there are so many more things to do with kids that age for the money that they would enjoy more. we took my 3 kids and nieces/nephews (all ages 3-8) to aquarium by the sea and they loved it. it is small, but they loved the touch pools and riding through the tubes with the sharks swimming over them. we were there for about 3 hours even though you could technically walk through the whole place in about 20 minutes. i have a great guide for kids and sf. i also love to look at city kids site for what is going on daily that might be of interest. hope some of this helps.

 

[DisneyCrocsRUS]

Alcatraz, while cool to visit, is on a very steep hill, is kind of bleak and depressing, and smells like bird poo poo (of which it is covered.) I would wait until my kids were a bit older.

Ditto. I think younger kids would be bored, not to mention completely pooped out by the really steep hike up the hill. Seriously, even as an adult w/some fascination in Alcatraz, it wasn't even overly exciting to me, especially after having sweated it out on that exhausting hike up the hill. If you do go, wear comfortable shoes & be prepared for the uphill walk.

 

[CanadianPaco]

bump.

 

[okworbust]

My kids went when they were 10 and 8 and we are going back to San Fran this year and the kids are now 14 and 12 and they keep asking to go back to Alcatraz.

Anytime my kids here San Fran - this is all they talk about - they absolutely loved it!

 

[DOOM1001]

I loved it,the boat ride was great,fantastic views from the island of the city and just being inside of that famous jail and seeing how it was to be in there like seeing how small the cells were,at least for me was definitely worth the $17-$18 I paid.

 

[honeymom]

Some kids might like it, some might not.

I do think that young kids like to take a boat ride on the bay. That will swing near Alcatraz and you can at least see it from the outside. Or, if you don't want to spend a lot, take the ferry across the bay. It won't do as close to Alcatraz, but it is still a nice ride.

 

[LynnTarrant]

We loved it but we didn't have small children once you are there you can do the audio tourbut down at the boat they have rabger led tours too we did both and spent hours on the Island it was great.

 

[wishspirit]

it had parts about death, ghosts, etc in the audio tour that could scare some kids.

It scared me! they have one very graphic noise of someone getting stabbed, after that i had the heebie geebies! i felt pretty ill after as well. We went for a night tour which was great for the sunset, but maybe too long and cold! (and we went in summer!) i woudl not suggest it for a 5 year old!

 

[LindaM]

Just got back last week from a trip to the Bay area. We loved Alcatraz, I don't know if I would recommend it for younger kids though as the younger ones we saw did not seem interested at all.