I am taking my son to Pleasant Valley to visit his dad for the first time. I have never been here in the past but have been to San Quentin, Corcoran, and Solano.

Do I need an appointment to visit?
Do you recommend getting an appointment?
My registration is paid but I have no plates, will parking be an issue?
What is a good hotel to stay at if I stay the night?
Can you bring food inside or do you have to get what's there?

Anyone need a ride from Sacramento to Coalinga and back. Leaving EARLY saturday morning.

You need to get there early. Like about 6am or earlier, park your car in line outside the prison and wait until 8 or so when they finally start passing out visiting forms. Each form will be numbered. the last appt is for 10am. After they finish processing appts they will start calling numbers. When they call your number that is when you go into the visiting office and wait for your turn. do not wear jeans, solid blues, greens, tans, khaki colors or solid white. No underwire bras. Make sure you have your sons birth certificate with you and your drivers license. The clothes rule also applies to your son. No coats with hoods or hats allowed either unless it is raining.

You can make an appt if you want to. Appts are from 8:30 to 10am. These are processed first, every 15 min. However, you have to call the WEEK before not the week of the weekend you want to visit. So, if you needed an appt for THIS weekend, you would have had to make the appt LAST week, and appts are taken MON, TUE, WED only from 11am to 1pm. It is VERY hard to get through and you have to hit redial constantly to get through and even then sometimes you don't make it. :(
I would sooooo much love to go with you this weekend, but I have to work since I wasn't expecting to go. My car has been down since Aug 1 and I have not seen my hubby for two months now. I do know of others that would love to carpool though, so if you are interested, please feel free to pm me.

No food is to be brought in or out. You have to purchase it there. If you have a contact visit then bring enough quarters with you for food and drinks for the three of you, but no more than 30.00 and an extra 10.00 if your child is old enough to eat regular food. If he is still on bottles, DO NOT make his bottles before you go in. You have to bring them in with just water and an unopened can of formula.
there is a motel 6 on the last exit before Jayne ave. It is the Coalinga Exit. Lots of PV visitors stay there and you might be able to share a room with one or two.
I reccomned appts since you don't have to get there so early and it gives you more time to visit, but that isn't always possible.
If you have anymore questions, pm me.

forgot. don't think it will be an issue if you have the registration available and where they can see it. But to be on the safe side I would call them first to make sure or ask the guard when you get your visiting pass. I am sure they know that when you register a car, you sometimes have to wait for the new plates. If that isn't the case, then there might be trouble, so then, i would call first.
Sherrie

I have all the papers from DMV to show that I have not had the car a month yet. All the fees are paid and I just need to do smog. I do have the famous RED dmv #11 so it's legal to drive.

Ok just as I figured, long lines like Corcoran (lol) If I happen to be first inline where should I park so I don't lose my parking space. I guess I'll be leaving sacramento about 3am or so. WOW.

I dont have his housing # but I am approved to visit. Is there away to get a number to him so he can call and talk to his son?
My car will hold 2 more people.

The line starts right outside the prison gate on the shoulder of Jayne Ave. on the Coalinga side of the gate.

The line isn't very long, but if you want to get in at 10 you have to get in line real early. I usually get there at 7, lately they've been giving out the forms at 7:30, and I get in by 11.

Once you get your number, you can leave and go have breakfast in town, just be back by 10.

They have a change machine if you can't get quarters, it takes up to $20 bills.

I've been going there with my expired plates for a couple months and no one has noticed. ;)

Also, be sure to call the visiting line first... this past weekend A yard Hispanics and B yard everyone were on lockdown.