The Ultimate Guide to the Alcatraz East Museum
If are visiting Pigeon Forge and looking for things to do in Pigeon Forge I suggest Alcatraz East. Alcatraz East Museum is located near The Island in Pigeon Forge.
The crime museum will have crime geeks like my hubby drooling. The huge, 25,000 square feet museum includes five unique galleries and over 100 interactive exhibits!
The design of the Alcatraz East building was modeled after the first prison in the State of Tennessee and Alcatraz. The museum incorporates the castle-like look of the 1898 Tennessee State Prison just outside of Nashville and the watchtowers of Alcatraz.
Alcatraz East Crime Museum
Address: 2757 Parkway
Price & Hours:
Details: 1 to 2 hours TIME TO SPEND
What Exactly is Alcatraz East Crime Museum?
Alcatraz East is a crime museum that looks into some of the most notorious crimes in history and includes artifacts from crimes that have occurred throughout history. The museum focuses on so much more than just the penitentiary on Alcatraz Island.
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Alcatraz East Museum highlights the following 5 crimes:
- History of American Crime
- Consequences of Crime
- CSI
- Crime Fighting
- Counterfeit & Pop Culture
Alcatraz East gives a good history lesson of crime in America, starting with the colonial period and hitting every major era until the present.
My personal favorite was the section devoted to the old west. I loved seeing original artifacts from Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Billy the Kid, and Jesse James just to name a few.
The museum also touches on pirates, mobsters, bootlegging, domestic terrorism, and many aspects of crime.
There was also a “crime lab” where you can discover tools and methods used by actual crime scene techs to investigate modern crimes.
The museum is completely interactive which allows visitors to attempt to solve crimes by reading and answering clues along the way.
Some of the interactive features will be a CSI lab, shooting range, safe cracking, digital fingerprinting, and DUI safety training.
Alcatraz also covers white-collar crimes and serial killers throughout history.
Not only were there items from the wild wild west but there are also artifacts from the more recent terror attacks from the 2012 Benghazi attack.
Alcatraz is not only for adults but kids can enjoy the museum as well by participating in the following:
- Jail Cell Escape
- Prohibition Shooting Gallery
- Modern Police Shooting Range
- Heist Laser Maze
- Numerous Photo Ops
- Our Top Detective Challenge!
Two notorious artifacts you can view at the Alcatraz East Crime Museum include O.J. Simpson’s white Ford Bronco and Ted Bundy’s Volkswagen Beetle.
We learned about police lineups, lie detector tests, DNA, blood analysis, fingerprinting, counterfeit crimes, and more.
The museum also features temporary exhibits, so be sure to check the website to see what will be on display during your visit.
I would highly recommend Alcatraz East to anyone I know. It was educational, fun, and my girls loved the exciting stories they heard on the tour.
A few of our favorite Alcatraz Pigeon Forge exhibits include:
Remember O.J Simpson speeding away in the white Ford Bronco?
That vehicle and many other famous getaway cars can only be seen at Alcatraz East. There are plentiful artifacts and souvenirs including guns, papers, vehicles, and more that remind us of some of the most famous criminals in our country’s history.
The Heist-
Get ready to experience the adrenaline rush of participating in a museum burglary! As you try to steal a valuable museum piece, you will have to weave your way through an advanced laser-based security system. Can you do it?
Top Detective Challenge-
Do you have what it takes to solve a crime? Put yourself in the shoes of law enforcement attempting to solve a museum heist. The clues throughout Alcatraz East will help you crack the case!
People interested in crime, history, and mysteries will appreciate the wealth of exhibits at the Alcatraz East Crime Museum.
The Alcatraz East Crime Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. It’s located at The Island in Pigeon Forge and there are several free parking lots available on-site.
Tickets cost $26.95 for adults (ages 13 to 60); $19.95 for seniors (61 and older) and $14.95 for kids (ages 8 to 12); children 7 and younger are granted free admission.
To see what types of exhibits you’ll explore and to buy tickets, visit the museum’s website.
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ADDITIONAL ARTICLES FOR TRAVELING TO TENNESSEE
Explore the Island at Pigeon Forge
Things to do at Margaritaville Island Hotel
Things to do Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge This Summer
If you are a crime buff or someone in your family loves figuring out “who done it” make sure you put Alcatraz Pigeon Forge on your bucket list and click here for the latest deals at Margaritaville Island Hotel.
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I had no idea such a thing existed. I have a family member who is interested in being a forensic expert. She might find this intriguing.
From the outside, it looks like it is a museum strictly about Alcatraz but it is so much more. I was really fascinated with Bonnie & Clyde and the old West.
This is great for my sister to visit next time we are in America.
She is the crime series addicts.
Pigeon Forge is on my bucket list. I’m a crime series buff too (I love CSI and NCIS) so Alcatraz would be perfect for me! Going to have to check it out if we’re ever there. Thanks for sharing!
I am definitely going to place this museum on my list of places to visit. I am certain that both hubby and I will have a great time trying to solve an actual crime.
This museum definitely looks interesting but worth the trip. Great post!
So…I don’t know about escaping from the jail cell, but we love Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. I may need to add this to the list for our next visit.
Being the SVU and ID channel fan that I am, this sounds like my kind of museum. It sounds interactive enough to keep me entertained for hours!
I love museums and I definitely want go. Thank you for sharing!!
I would love this museum. I like to watch crime shows such as CSI. This museum reminds me of the CSI museum in Washington DC, you should check it out of you have never been.
This place sounds like so much fun. I’ve been wanting to visit Pigeon Forge. This gives me even more of a reason to do so. I love mystery stuff and so do my kids.
I will watch Law n Order for breakfast lunch and dinner! the kids will love it and it is so interesting and even though the name has Alcatraz in it there is so much more than prison trivia
I’m a huge crime TV show junkie. My husband is too. We’d love to visit the museum.
I am going to take the hubby and daughter back because i went on a solo trip and it was awesome to take my time and enjoy Pigeon Forge
This is awesome that you went to this museum! I always wanted to visit San Francisco and I always wanted to visit Alcatraz. I pinned this so I can come back to it later in case I’m lucky enough to go!
I always wondered if you can visit the real Alcatraz.