Anchorage Attractions
- Overview
- Attractions
- Events
- Facts
- Kids
Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum
4721 Aircraft Dr.
907/248-5325.
Mid-May-mid-Sept., daily 9-6;
mid-Sept.-mid-May
Tues.-Sat. 10-4 or by
appointment.
Small but interesting and
informative facility presents the state’s aviation history with vintage
aircraft, a theater, observation deck along Lake Hood, and a gift shop. A
historic Fairchild American Pilgrim and a Stearman C2B, the first plane to land
on Mt. McKinley in the early 1930s, are highlights. Volunteers are working to
restore many of the planes.
Alaska Center For The Performing
Arts
621 W. 6th Ave. at G
St.
907/263-2900; 907/263-2787 for
tickets.
Daily 8-5; tours Wed. 1 PM.
This distinctive stone and glass
building faces a park filled with brilliant flowers all summer.
Alaska Heritage Library And
Museum.
301 W. Northern Lights Blvd., at
C St.
907/265-2834.
Free.
Late May-early Sept., weekdays
noon-5; early Sept.-late May, weekdays noon-4.
This museum in the lobby of a
large midtown bank displays a variety of Alaskan Native artifacts including
baskets, dolls, paintings, and rare books.
Alaska Native Heritage Center.
Take 4th Ave.
Trolley
907/257-5635
8800 Heritage Center Dr. (Glenn
Hwy. At Muldoon Rd.), 907/330-8000.
Admission charged.
Mid-May-Sept., daily 9-6;
Oct.-mid-May, weekends noon-5.
Situated on a 26-acre site
facing the Chugach Mountains, this spacious center offers an introduction to
Alaska’s Native peoples through interpretive displays, artifacts, photographs,
demonstrations, live performances, and films. Next to the lake outside, five
village exhibits representing Alaska’s varied Native heritage acquaint you with
the traditional structures and culture of Native peoples.
Alaska Public Lands Information
Center
605 W. 4th Ave. at F
St.
907/271-2737.
Memorial Day-Labor Day, daily
9-5:30
Labor Day-Memorial Day, weekdays
10-5:30.
This is a great one-stop source
of information on all of Alaska’s public lands, including national and state
parks, national forests, and wildlife refuges. Make reservations for a state
ferry, watch nature videos, learn about plants and animals, or view films
highlighting different areas of the state.
Alaska Railroad Depot.
411 W. 1st Ave.
907/265-2494.
Daily, depending on train
schedules.
Built in 1942, some of the
original woodwork can still be seen inside the lobby. In front are totem poles
and an historic engine used in the building of the Panama Canal before it hauled
freight in Alaska. A monument in front of the depot relates the history of the
railroad, which played an important role in the city’s growth.
Alaska Statehood Monument
Corner of 2nd Ave. & E St. A
plaque and the bust of President Eisenhower commemorates the Alaska Statehood
Act signed by the President on January 3, 1959, making Alaska the Union's 49th
state.
Alaska Zoo.
2 miles east of the New Seward
Hwy. 4731 O’Malley Rd.
907/346-3242.
May-Labor Day, daily 9-6; Labor
Day-Apr., daily 10-dusk.
Siberian tigers, musk oxen,
seals, moose, and a variety of Alaskan birds call this home, but the main
attractions are Oreo, a brown bear, and Ahpun, a polar bear. You can hop a city
bus here from downtown.
Anchorage Museum Of History And
Art.
121 W. 7th Ave.
907/343-4326; 907/343-6173 for
recorded information.
Admission charged.
Mid-May-mid-Sept., Sun.-Thurs.
9-9, Fri.-Sat. 9-6; mid-Sept.-mid-May, Tues.-Sat. 10-6, Sun. 1-5.
Visitors can join an informative
45-minute tour or watch a film on Alaska.
Permanent collection depicts
10,000 years of Alaska history, including Native subsistence lifestyles,
European exploration, Russian-America and contemporary times. Also features art
of the north from travelers, adventurers and Native artists. Daily presentations
by local artists and authors take place from June through August.
Chugach State Park
Headquarters, Mile 115, Seward
Hwy.
HC 52, Box 8999, 99540
907/345-5014.
Alaska’s most accessible
wilderness, Chugach State Park is nearly half a million acres in size. Bordering
Anchorage to the east, it has nearly 30 trails - from 2 to 30 miles long -
suitable for short hikes, weeklong backpacking, and mountain biking.
Eklutna Native Village
907/688-6026
Fee for tours
Mid-May-mid-Sept., daily 8-6
Eklutna,
Inc. an Alaska Native Corporation, established Eklutna Historical Park in 1990
to preserve the heritage and traditions of the Athabascan people, and to portray
the rapidly disappearing lifestyles of the Dena'ina Athabascan Indians in
Southcentral Alaska.This small indigenous community 26 miles north of Anchorage
on the Glenn Highway, is
the oldest
continually inhabited Athabascan site in the area. At the village cemetery is
the hand-built St. Nicholas Siberian-style prayer chapel, traditional Russian
Orthodox crosses, centuries old Russian icons, and 80 Native spirit houses,
structures traditionally erected over the grave of a deceased relative. This
custom comes from the melding of Athabascan and Russian Orthodox beliefs and
practices. Often a family uses specific colors for their Spirit House to
identify their clan. The cost of admission includes informative 30-minute tours,
and the gift shop sells Native crafts.
Elmendorf Air Force Base
Wildlife Museum
8481 19th St., Bldg.
4-803
907/552-2282 for recorded
information.
Free. Mon.-Thurs. 3-4:45, Sat.
noon-5.
Mounted grizzlies, polar bears,
birds, and moose live at this self-guided museum.. There are also hands-on
displays
Imaginarium
737 W. 5th Ave.
907/276-3179
Admission charged.
Mon.-Sat. 10-6, Sun. noon-5.
Children can stand inside a
giant soap bubble at the bubble lab, hold a starfish in the marine exhibit,
learn about the northern lights, or take a galaxy tour in the planetarium at
this experiential science museum. Featured attractions include an iguana, an
alligator, and even a 19-ft python.
Oomingmak Musk Ox Producers
Co-op
604 H St. Step inside for a look
- and feel - of qiviut (pronounced key-vee-ute), the soft underwool of the musk
ox. The wool--eight times warmer than sheep wool of equal weight--is hand knit
into warm garments by Natives in Western Alaska. 272-9225.
Old City Hall.
524 W. 4th Ave.
This 1936 building now houses
offices of the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau. A few exhibits and
historic photos are right inside the lobby. Out front, check out the marble
sculpture of William Seward, the secretary of state who engineered the purchase
of Alaska from Russia.
Oscar Anderson House Museum
420 M St., 907/274-2336
June-mid-Sept., Tues.-Sat. 11-4;
mid-Sept.-May, by appointment.
City butcher Oscar Anderson
built Anchorage’s first permanent frame house in 1915 at a time when most of
Anchorage consisted of tents. A Swedish Christmas open house is held the first
two weekends of December. Half-hour tours are available whenever the museum is
open.
Potter Marsh
907/345-5014.
Weekdays 8-4:30.
Canada geese and other migratory
birds and the occasional moose or beaver frequent this marsh about 10 miles
south of downtown on the Seward Highway. An elevated boardwalk makes viewing
easy. The Potter Point Section House, an old railroad service building just
south of the marsh, operates as a state park information center. Out front is an
old engine with a rotary snowplow that was used to clear avalanches. Seward
Hwy.,
Resolution Park
Western end of 2nd
and 3rd Aves.
A cantilevered viewing platform
dominated by a monument to Captain Cook is found in this tiny park. Mt. Susitna,
known as the Sleeping Lady, is the prominent low mountain to the northwest. Mt.
McKinley - referred to by most Alaskans by its traditional name, Denali - is
often visible 125 miles away.
Ship Creek.
Whitney Rd.
The creek is dammed here, with a
footbridge across the dam. You’ll see a waterfall, salmon running upstream,
anglers, and, above it all, the tall buildings of downtown.
Tony Knowles Coastal Trail.
Access points are on the
waterfront at the ends of 2nd, 5th, and 9th
avenues and at Westchester Lagoon.
On summer evenings, this
recreational trail can be crowded with strollers, runners, bikers, dog walkers,
and in-line skaters. In winter, cross-country skiers take to it in droves. The
trail begins off 2nd Avenue, west of Christensen Drive, and curls
along Cook Inlet for approximately 11 miles to Kincaid Park, beyond the airport.
Alaska Native Heritage Center
The Center is located in
Anchorage, Alaska at the corner of Muldoon Road and Glenn Highway, 15 minutes
from downtown.
9 - 9 .
Admission charged.
A trail introduces visitors to
Native Tradition Bearers, artists and performers as they tour five village
exhibits surrounding a lake on the 26-acre campus.
The Alaska Native Heritage
Center is the first-ever visitor attraction to share Alaska Native traditions
through educational programs for everyone; the center opened in May 1999.
Five Traditional Villages
Visitors enter the Center
through the Welcome House, which includes interpretative displays, a theater
hosting a film presentation and daily performances of traditional Native dance
troupes.
A 30-member Academy comprised
of Elders and Tradition Bearers was formed to help guide the Center’s staff in
program and building design.
The five traditional villages
represent the five major Alaska Native cultures and offer a look into each
culture’s crafts and lifestyle.
Nearby Glaciers
20-mile Glacier
45 min. south Hanging glacier
visible from the highway. Look northeast up the Twenty Mile River valley just
before you reach Portage.
Explorer Glacier
50 min. south
Viewable from the road to Portage Glacier, look for this hanging glacier near
the Bear Creek Campground.
Byron Glacier
1 hr south Near the
visitor center at Portage Glacier. A 3/4-mile walking trail takes you to the
snowfield at the base of the glacier. Join a guided "iceworm safari" or explore
on your own.
Exit Glacier
2.5 hrs. south A
short walking trail just north of Seward takes you right up to the glacier.
Adventurous hikers can take a (long, strenuous) climb up to the 300-square-mile
Harding Ice Field.
Matanuska Glacier
2 hrs. north/east This glacier
stretches 27 miles long. Look down over parts of it from the Glenn Highway or
drive closer (over private land) for a lowland perspective of its 4-mile-wide
terminus.
Portage Glacier
Begich-Boggs Visitor Center on
the shore of Portage Lake
907/783-2326
One of Alaska’s most frequently
visited tourist destinations, this is 54 miles southeast of Anchorage via the
Seward Highway and Turnagain Arm. A 6-mile side road off the Seward Highway
leads to the. Unfortunately, the glacier is receding rapidly, so the view across
the lake is not as good as it used to be. southeast of Anchorage.
Scenic Drives From Downtown
Kenai Fjords National Park
Best known for world-class
fishing, the Kenai Peninsula is an Alaska-sized outdoor playground that includes
the and port towns with lots to do. There's also Whittier, gateway to the
pristine Prince William Sound.
The Matanuska Valley
is a beautiful area rich in outdoor activities and includes Alaska's only
community based on agricultural, a restored gold mine and a Musk Ox farm.
Further North is Denali National Park, home to North America's highest peak: Mt.
McKinley.
Eklutna Historical Park
Discover an intriguing mix of
Russian and Native Alaska cultures at Eklutna Historical Park, just a half-hour
from downtown.
The park features the Saint
Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, a cemetery with colorful spirit houses and
displays that explore the fascinating history of the Russian influence on
Athabaskan culture.
Big Game Alaska
Located on the Seward Highway 5
miles from Portage Glacier, Big Game Alaska offers the visitor an opportunity to
view a variety of animals from the comfort of their own vehicles. Among these
are: Moose; Sitka Black-tailed Deer; Caribou; Elk; Bison; Muskoxen;
Raptors/Birds and Small Mammals.
As Alaska’s only drive-through
animal park, Big Game Alaska is dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of
injured and orphaned animals.
Alaska Sealife Center
A scenic 2.5-hour drive to the
shores of Resurrection Bay in Seward.
Accessible by road, rail, air
and sea, the new Alaska SeaLife Center is one of the state’s top attractions.
The Center is the world’s first
cold-water marine institute, dedicated to preserving the marine environment
through research, rehabilitation and education.
Interactive exhibits and
discovery programs allow hands-on experience.
Three different habitats, with
viewing above and below the water’s surface, mirror the natural surroundings of
Resurrection Bay. Visitors can view endangered Steller Sea Lions, harbor seals,
and countless seabirds as they live and interact as they would in the wild.
This 115,000-square-foot
facility is operated by the Alaska SeaLife Center - a private, non-profit
corporation. Scientific leadership is provided by the University of Alaska
Fairbanks.
Tours of the Center are
self-guided
Girdwood.
Forty miles southeast of
Anchorage, the town of Girdwood, a ski resort, summer vacation spot, and home to
an eclectic collection of locals. The main attraction is the Mt. Alyeska Ski
Resort, the largest ski area in Alaska. Besides winter sports, the town has
mountain hiking, restaurants, and gift shops. 40 miles south of Anbchorage along
the Seward and Alyeska highways.
Kenai Fjords National Park.
Box 1727, Seward, 99664
907/224-3175.
This 670,000-acre coastal park
is accessible by driving to the photogenic port town of Seward, 125 miles south
of Anchorage, at the south end of Seward Highway. Seward is the launching point
for excursions into the park, where you can get an up-close view of blue
tidewater glaciers and some remarkable ocean wildlife. If you take a day trip
around the park, on a tour boat from Seward, you may glimpse sea otters, sea
lions, bald eagles, thousands of seabirds, and perhaps a humpback or orca whale.
One of the park’s chief attractions is Exit Glacier, which can be reached by the
one road that passes into Kenai Fjords.
Prince William Sound
This pristine,
15,000-square-mile region a few hundred miles east of Anchorage is best explored
by a charter tour from Anchorage. The area is home to about 150 glaciers, as
well as trickling waterfalls and hidden coves. You’ll also see brown bears,
wolves, and marine life. Tour operators offer flightseeing, wildlife viewing, or
glacier tours.
