One more place to enjoy near San Francisco in California
When you visit San Francisco, you shouldn’t miss riding a cable car and taking a snap of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. However, there is another place that both visitors and travel experts highly recommend: Alcatraz. This historical site is located on a small rocky island in the middle of San Francisco Bay. Alcatraz is famous for being a former federal prison that housed notorious criminals, including the well-known mob boss Al Capone during the Prohibition era. But before that, it served as a military prison for prisoners from the Spanish-American War and Civil War. It was also home to the West Coast’s first operating lighthouse. The prison closed down twice due to high operational costs, eventually becoming part of the National Park Service in 1972 after a brief occupation by Native American activists. Today, Alcatraz attracts over one million visitors each year.