Totem Heritage Center

For a crash course in Southeast Alaska's impressive totem art look no further than the Totem Heritage Center, where old poles brought from deserted Tlingit and Haida communities are kept to prevent further deterioration. Inside the center over a dozen poles, some more than 100 years old, are on display in an almost-spiritual setting that accentuates the reverence Alaska Natives attach to them. More are erected outside, and the entire center is shrouded in pines and serenaded by the gurgling Ketchikan Creek.