The island was discovered by a man by the name of Juan de Ayala and was named after a seabird. Alcatraz has served as both a military stockade as well as a maximum-security prison in the past. Currently, Alcatraz is a historic site that is overseen by the National Park Service. The island is open to public tours for those that would like to visit the island for educational or personal interest reasons. People come from all over the world to visit the famous prison and are usually shocked that the island is beautiful and contains more than just a big, ominous prison!

Those that would like to visit can do so by taking a short ferry ride from Fisherman