Haunted Destination: Alcatraz

San Francisco Bay, CA

See where Al Capone spent his final years -- and maybe even encounter the notorious gangster’s ghost. But first, you’ll need to board a ferry at Pier 33 in San Francisco, then traverse the cold and choppy waters of the Bay. At the other end you’ll find Alcatraz Island, once the home of an infamous maximum-security prison where Capone was one of many tough and hardened criminals consigned to a grim fate. The prison’s relative isolation from the public eye spawned many rumors that torture of inmates was a common practice -- and a few souls may still linger in testament to that. In the prison’s later years, guards often reported strange noises coming from the utility corridor where 3 inmates were shot during a failed prison escape. Not to be outdone, Capone himself may still be making his presence known. Capone spent most of his downtime playing a banjo in the prison’s shower room. In recent years, many visitors have heard the eerily upbeat sound of a banjo emanating from that very space. Visit … and maybe Al will treat you to a tune.