San Francisco, the City by the Bay is one of the most unique cities in the world and it draws a number of tourists from around the world to enjoy the sites of Fisherman's Wharf, the Financial District and, of course, Alcatraz Island. The prison has long since been closed for its originally intended purpose, but people still flock to it to this very day to take advantage of the (in)famous Alcatraz tour that gives a modern audience a glimpse into the strange realm of this long abandoned prison and its malevolent past.

A Brief Overview of Alcatraz Island

It has been many years since Alcatraz has closed its doors for good. At one time, the island prison was the home to incorrigible offenders who had no hope for rehabilitation. Those law breakers were then sentenced and condemned to serve out their prison terms on this island which was located in the San Francisco Bay.

If one could escape from the cell, make it past the guards, climb over the walls while avoiding the detection of the guards, then they merely had to swim 3 miles through frigid, shark infested waters to escape to freedom. It goes without saying that this was not something that was easy to achieve. As a result, Alcatraz quickly became an infamous and feared prison by one and all. In a way, it was the Americanized, scaled back version of the notorious French prison colony Devil's Island.

if you have an opportunity to take an Alcatraz tour, be sure to do it. The experience of visiting the island on an Alcatraz tour is thrilling. it provides the public with a rare glimpse into a world that has long since ceased to exist. Alcatraz, despite its ominous nature, represents a twisted piece of Americana when gangs and gangsters "" driven by the economic collapse of the depression "" committed irresponsible crime sprees that needed to be deterred. Alcatraz became the symbol of deterrence as serving hard time on The Rock gave many would be criminals second thoughts.

So you may ask yourself, why is there so much interest in an Alcatraz tour? The popularity of an Alcatraz tour comes down to one thing: curiosity. Wondering what an Alcatraz tour provides? Primarily, it provides a brief glimpse into the life of imprisonment of criminals as well as a glimpse into America's history. (A prison as arcane as Alcatraz Island would never be conceived in the modern era)

While this may sound somewhat cerebral, there is also a great element of fun to taking an Alcatraz tour. Exploring the unknown has a certain sense of excitement to it and the glimpse into the unknown that an Alcatraz tour offers provides a great vehicle for fun and anyone with a passing interest in American historical pop culture is advised to take the tour.