Angel Island Immigration Station — Attraction in Tiburon

💚 museum located in a historic detention barracks that is a piece of the story itself; requires a nominal fee to enter (check park’s website for current fee) 💚 highly recommended as all the top-notch displays completely bring the walls to life and submerge visitors into another time; it is two-floors, self-paced with an estimated time of 20-60 minutes depending on your interest 💚 the building reflects a good amount of restoration, but with some parts showcasing original and haunting decay 💚 combined with other features located in this state park, this museum is truly a destination 💚 this museum is great for photography 💚 excellent rangers and park staff 💚 tram/shuttle: excellent option for those with mobility issues to cover the whole park and see its attractions (or those short on time); check available times beforehand—may require reservations at peak times 💚 cafe on the island, but do check hours; cafe may not open if not enough visitors on island; minimally bring a water bottle (can be refilled in a few locations) 💚 aside from ferry fare, and nominal fee to enter this museum, there is no other cost to enter the park (as of this writing) ⛔️ caution: this museum accessed by very steep road ⛔️ biking: must walk bike...

From the dock you hike up the trail to to the left (north side of the island), keeping left, you follow the trail and then it leads down to the beach. If you don't want to hike, you can buy a ticket for the tram. You'll walk past some buildings, the main entrance to the station is a white staircase. At the top, you pay a few dollars for admission.

You walk through the building and see that this station was for all non-native born for immigration processing. I was under the impression it was for Chinese immigrants, but it actually was for all nationalities. There was a large focus on the Chinese immigrants. They were packed in row after row of metal cots, Chinese poetry carved into the walls talking about their frustrations, missing their home land, and anything else coming to mind. There's much history here that you learn about, there are many buildings and rooms to walk through.

Afterwards you can go down to the beach and enjoy the view. What is really cool is the words carved into the walls. One word could have lots of power and...

The museum itself is great. The history, the story, and the mistreatment of immigrants are preserved and presented well. However the entire island is money trap. You pay for everything. Pay arm and a leg to the ferry to get there. Then pay for shuttles to take you around the island. Then pay to get into the museum. Shuttles are not organized properly. They need to be circling around the island around the clock. Passengers should be able to get off at an area of interested spend 1-2 hours visiting it. Then catch the next shuttle to the pier... But noooooo... They work like a tour bus. You have a few minutes per stop. You can't explore much. The whole experience can be...