Fairbanks Community & Dog Mushing Museum
Fairbanks
A small but packed museum that traces the city’s history through old photos, newspaper clippings and historical artifacts from daily life. One room…
Must-see attractions in Alaska
Alaska
In the southwest corner of town, you'll see – well, you may or may not see, but you'll be on top of – the remains of the ancient village of Ukpiagvik. The…
Fairbanks
The corporate headquarters for the Native-owned Doyon company has a lobby filled with indigenous art and artifacts. The 24-hour security guards on duty…
Alaska
Located near the entrance to town, this museum is only open to tour-bus groups, but individual travelers might try to see if Wiseman’s wise man, Jack…
The Interior
The interior of this building is kept to a frosty 25°F (-3.8°C) throughout the year. Visitors can marvel at a slate of ice sculptures while on a tour, or…
Southeast Alaska
An excellent place to see humpback whales, orcas and harbor seals in Clarence Strait or examine intriguing tidal pools at low tides. It's around 6 miles…
The Interior
A poignant war memorial to Alaskan veterans who've served in all military branches (army, navy and air force), located in a wild but peaceful setting near…
Trail of the Whispering Giants
Valdez
A huge 25ft-high rendering of an Alaska Native in Sitka spruce warily guards Prince William Sound College. The sculpture by Peter Wolf Toth is one in a…
Kodiak Military History Museum
Kodiak Island
Run by local volunteers, this tiny museum contains exhibits related to the strategic importance of Kodiak in WWII. It also houses an extensive collection…
Sitka
A replica of the small blockhouses that the Russians utilized to protect their stockade from the Indian village, this octagonal wooden fortification was…
Anchorage
You’ll stop complaining about global warming once you experience an 85°F (29°C) Anchorage afternoon at Goose Lake. Just off Northern Lights Blvd, this is…
Juneau
The visitor center here has huge seawater aquariums and underwater viewing windows so you can watch thousands of salmon fighting their way upstream to…
Alfred Starr Nenana Cultural Center
The Interior
This riverfront center informs visitors about local culture and history, and includes exhibits on the old riverboat trade and frontier days, plus a small…
The Interior
This rickety-looking bridge is built on tailing piles from the mining era. The creek it crosses, and most other tributaries of the Fortymile River, is…
Wickersham State Historical Site
Juneau
Overlooking downtown Juneau, this site preserves the 1898 home of pioneer judge and statesman James Wickersham. It's a steep climb, but the house has some…
Alaska
This imposing structure, a distinctly bent pine tree with burls, is raised over Front St every March in anticipation of the mushers and their dogsled…
The Interior
Within sight of the train station, this handsome church dates from 1905. The interior has a few lovely handcrafted features, including an altar with…
The Interior
In the town's former general store, the tins of baked beans and salted beef are just for show, but there is an informational movie if you want to learn…
The Interior
This tiny museum, set in two old log cabins, explains the remarkable fate of the ‘stampeders’ who attempted to reach the Klondike via the cursed Valdez…
Mann Leiser Memorial Greenhouses
Anchorage
Inside Russian Jack Springs Park, this is a toasty oasis of tropical plants, exotic birds and and even a little fish pond.
Juneau
This pillared Governor’s Mansion is Juneau's most attractive building. Built and furnished in 1912 at a cost of $44,000, the mansion is not open to the…
Pioneer Air Transportation Museum
Fairbanks
Only open in summer, this museum is full of olden planes and aviation history, with an obvious focus on the field as practiced in the Alaskan interior and…
Prince William Sound
Standing sentinel over the small-boat harbor, this bronze study of a fisherman at the wheel of his trawler in inclement weather was commissioned in the…
The Interior
The Taku Chief river tug once pushed barges along the Tanana River and now spruces up the grounds outside the visitor center.
Kodiak Island
Kodiak's 'other' harbor is on Near Island (cross the bridge from downtown) and is a great place to look for sea lions and eagles.
Kodiak Island
A series of interesting interpretive displays line the boardwalk above the docks.
Anchorage
A bronze statue of the famed explorer as he gazes out to namesake Cook Inlet.
Alaska
Built in 1901, when there were 20,000 people living in Nome, this church and its spire were located on Front St and used as a beacon for seafarers. By the…
Trans-Alaska Pipeline Terminal
Valdez
Across the inlet from town, Valdez’ ever-pumping heart once welcomed visitors, but since September 11, 2001, stricter security protocols have closed it to…
Juneau
The State Office Building is known locally as the SOB. From the outdoor court on the 8th floor there is a spectacular view of the channel and Douglas…
The Interior
If you love your roadside kitsch, and/or the corniest elements of the Christmas holiday, head into this sprawling barn-like store off Richardson Hwy…
Sitka
Across Katlian St from the Totem Square is the prominent, yellow Alaska Pioneers Home. Built in 1934 on the old Russian Parade Ground, the home is for…
Bear & Raven Adventure Theater
Anchorage
This mini-amusement park is a cheesy but easy downtown break from shopping. It offers two 'special effects' movies (think snow falling from the ceiling)…
Southeast Alaska
Of minor interest is the grave of Chief Shakes V (1840–78), the fifth in a long line of Tlingit chiefs (the current chief is Shakes X). It is hidden on a…
Juneau
The dock has a sculpture of Patsy Ann, a white bull terrier and the so-called ‘Official Greeter of Juneau,’ thanks to her tendency to rush to meet cruise…
Fairbanks
Community dances, neighborhood gatherings and state-fair-style events, which showcase the area and state's rural and frontier culture, often take place in…
The Interior
Commemorates the miner whose gold strike gave birth to Fairbanks. The stream across the highway – now known as Pedro Creek – is where it all happened.
Southeast Alaska
In true tribal fashion, Wrangell's totems are left to rot naturally, thus the killer-whale totems in this park are soddenly authentic.
Southeast Alaska
The original commercial fishing outfit founded by Peter Buschmann in 1900; today it’s a subsidiary of Seattle’s Icicle Seafoods.
