A garden next to the visitor center that features flowers and the area’s famous oversized vegetables. But you have to be passing through in August if you want to see a cabbage bigger than a basketball. Every Friday during summer is Friday Fling, an open-air market with local produce, art, crafts, food and live music.
Matanuska Valley Agricultural Showcase
Anchorage Region
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Independence Mine State Historical Park
14.8 MILES
The main attraction of Hatcher Pass is 272-acre Independence Mine State Historical Park, a huge, abandoned gold mine sprawled out in an alpine valley. The…
25.84 MILES
Trekkies take note: Knik Glacier is best known as the setting where a portion of Star Trek VI was filmed. You can get a partial view of the ice floe at…
12.39 MILES
Near Wasilla, the town of Knik boasts a rich sled-dog history, since it's the home of many Alaskan mushers (and checkpoint 4 on the race route). For more…
Nancy Lake State Recreation Area
28.83 MILES
Located along the Nancy Lake Pkwy, jutting off George Parks Hwy at Mile 67.3, this state recreation area is one of Alaska’s few flat, lake-studded parks,…
0.12 MILES
This friendly museum is run by enthusiastic Colony descendants. Take the time for a guided tour, and you’ll leave with an appreciation of the enormity of…
2.61 MILES
The Musk Ox Farm is home to a domesticated herd of these big, shaggy beasts. These ice-age critters are intelligent enough to have evolved a complex…
Eklutna Village Historical Park
12.56 MILES
One of the most interesting anthropological sites in the region, where the uneasy marriage of the Athabascan and Russian Orthodox cultures is enshrined…
4.35 MILES
The Reindeer Farm is one of the original Colony farms and a great place to bring the kids. Here they will be able to pet and feed the reindeer, and are…
Nearby Anchorage Region attractions
1. Palmer Museum of History & Art
0.02 MILES
The log cabin that used to be just a visitor center is now more museum than brochures, with local art and interesting displays on Palmer’s agricultural…
0.02 MILES
An open-air market with local produce, art, crafts, food and live music. Held every Friday in summer.
0.12 MILES
This friendly museum is run by enthusiastic Colony descendants. Take the time for a guided tour, and you’ll leave with an appreciation of the enormity of…
2.61 MILES
The Musk Ox Farm is home to a domesticated herd of these big, shaggy beasts. These ice-age critters are intelligent enough to have evolved a complex…
4.35 MILES
The Reindeer Farm is one of the original Colony farms and a great place to bring the kids. Here they will be able to pet and feed the reindeer, and are…
4.76 MILES
South of Palmer, Pyrah’s Pioneer Peak Farm is the largest pick-your-own-vegetables place in the Mat-Su Valley, with would-be farmers in the fields from…
10.88 MILES
A collection of historic buildings right in the center of Wasilla's strip malls. Fridays are free.
10.98 MILES
This park preserves several buildings, including the Chickaloon Bunkhouse, the spirit house of Ahtna Indian John Goodlataw (a spirit house is a blend of…