Review:

The Gardens of Alcatraz are a beautiful landscaped garden facility on the famed Alcatraz Island, which was operated as a notorious military and federal prison throughout much of the 19th and 20th centuries.

For more than a century, the island's gardens served as an important aspect of everyday life for prisoners and officers, who cultivated hardy plants that continued to thrive throughout the island's four decades of abandonment during the late 20th century.

Since 2003, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and the Garden Conservancy have worked with the National Park Service to restore the garden to their original splendor as part of the Alcatraz Historic Gardens Project. Island visitors can explore the gardens daily for free as part of island tours, with prime growing season on display between spring and early autumn.

Docent-led garden tours are offered twice weekly on Friday and Saturday mornings, exploring areas that are typically off-limits to island visitors.

Alcatraz Island, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, B201 Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA 94123, Phone: 415-561-3000, Map

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