Showing 1-16 of 16 results
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Adair Kennedy Memorial Park
Take the kids to Adair Kennedy Memorial Park to scale the 'Boldr,' a 9ft-tall climbing rock with handholds and a layer of rubber chips around the base for any mishaps.
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Alaska State Capitol
Next to the City Museum is the Alaska State Capitol. Built in 1929-31 as the territorial Federal Building, the capitol looks like an overgrown high school. Stuffed inside are legislative chambers, the governor's office, and offices for the hundreds of staff members who arrive in Juneau for the winter legislative session. Free 30-minute tours are held every half-hour and start from the visitor desk in the lobby; a self-guided tour pamphlet is also available.
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Alaska State Museum
The outstanding Alaska State Museum is near Centennial Hall and houses artifacts from Alaska's major indigenous groups, including the famous Lincoln totem, Aleut baskets and birdskin parkas. There are also displays relating to the state's Russian period and major gold strikes, while a circular ramp winds around an impressive diorama: a two-story-high tree holding a full-size eagle's nest.
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Alaska-Juneau Mine
What's in them thar hills? Many visitors passing through the Southeast are fascinated with gold-rush history. Two of the Juneau area's most successful historic mines were the Alaska-Juneau Mine, on the side of Mt Roberts, and the Treadwell Mine, across Gastineau Channel near Douglas. The Alaska-Juneau Mine closed in 1944 after producing more than around US$80 million in gold, then valued at around US$20 to around US$35 an ounce.
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Governor's Mansion
West of the State Office Building (SOB) along 4th Ave is the pillared Governor's Mansion. Built and furnished in 1912 at a cost of around US$44 0, the mansion is not open to the public.
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Juneau-Douglas City Museum
The Juneau-Douglas City Museum focuses on local goldmining history with interesting displays and the video Juneau: City Built On Gold . Booklets on the Perseverance Trail and the Treadwell Mine Historic Trail are available and, if you're a hiker, the museum's 7ft-long relief map is the best overview of the area's rugged terrain other than a helicopter ride.
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Last Chance Mining Museum
Amble out to the end of Basin Rd, a beautiful half-mile walk from the north end of Gastineau Ave, to the intriguing Last Chance Mining Museum . The former Alaska-Juneau Gold Mining Company complex is now a museum where you can view the remains of the compressor house and examine tools of what was once the world's largest hard-rock goldmine. There is an impressive 3-D glass map of shafts that shows just how large it was.
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Macauley Salmon Hatchery
The best attraction for kids visiting Juneau is the Macauley Salmon Hatchery, 3 miles northwest of downtown. Just don't tell them it's educational. The hatchery has huge seawater aquariums loaded with local marine life, from tanner crabs to octopus, while the interpretive displays explaining the life cycle of salmon are museum quality.
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Marine Park
Between the cruise ships and Willoughby Ave, Marine Park is an open space where kids practice their skateboard tricks, state workers enjoy a snack lunch and tired tourists occasionally take a nap in the sun.
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St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church
Built in 1894 against the backdrop of Mt Juneau, the onion-domed church is a photographer's delight. Inside are Russian icons, original vestments and religious relics, while adjacent to the church is a small gift shop filled with books, matreshkas (nestling dolls) and other handcrafted items from Russia.
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State Office Building
Across from the Juneau-Douglas City Museum is the State Office Building, known locally as the SOB. From the outdoor court on the 8th floor there is a spectacular view of the channel and Douglas Island, while in the lobby is a massive Kimball organ dating back to 1928. Every Friday at noon a performance is given, a good reason to join state workers for a brown-bag lunch.
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Tracy Arm
This steepsided fjord, 50 miles southeast of Juneau, has a pair of tidewater glaciers and a gallery of icebergs floating down its length. Tracy Arm makes an interesting day trip, far less expensive and perhaps even more satisfying than a visit to Glacier Bay. You're almost guaranteed to see seals inside the arm, and you might spot whales on the way there. The full-day cruises leave from the Juneau waterfront.
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Treadwell Mine
Two of the Juneau area's most successful historic mines were the Alaska-Juneau Mine, on the side of Mt Roberts, and the Treadwell Mine, across Gastineau Channel near Douglas. The Treadwell Mine closed in 1922 after a 1917 cave-in caused the company's financial collapse. During its heyday at the turn of the 20th century, the Treadwell made Douglas the channel's major city, with a population of 15,000.
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Twin Lakes Park
The City of Juneau maintains a wonderful system of parks, offering more than just playscapes. Twin Lakes Park, just past the hospital, is stocked with king salmon and equipped with a fishing pier. There's also a solar-system trail around the lake that provides a realistic idea how far each planet is from the sun.
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Waterfront Area
Between the cruise ships and Willoughby Ave, Marine Park is an open space where kids practice their skateboard tricks, state workers enjoy a sack lunch and tired tourists occasionally take a nap in the sun. Free binoculars let you search Mt Juneau for mountain goats while on the dock is a sculpture of Patsy Ann, the late faithful Fido who became known as the 'Official Greeter of Juneau' for her tendency to rush down to the docks to meet arriving cruise ships.
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Wickersham State Historical Site
Overlooking downtown Juneau is Wickersham State Historical Site which preserves the 1898 home of pioneer judge and statesman James Wickersham. Inside are photographs, books and other memorabilia from the judge's colorful career.
Showing 1-16 of 16 results
