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Free
or inexpensive activities in Anchorage and close by
 |
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Downtown
Anchorage within walking distance |
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Anchorage
Museum of History and Art:
Be sure to visit our world class museum in the heart of Anchorage. The
Anchorage Museum is home to an unequaled collection of Alaska Native art
and artifacts, contemporary art, and Alaska’s unique history and
cultures. Explore the lives of Alaska’s Native peoples, the days of
Russian exploration and settlement, the Gold Rush era, World War II,
statehood, and pipeline construction.
Admission: Adults
$6.50
Phone:
907-343-4326
Location:
121 West 7th Avenue
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Alaska
Experience Theater: Experience
Alaskan wilderness from the comfort of a downtown auditorium. You’ll
view the spectacular show on a screen nearly three stories high. While
you’re there, why not experience an earthquake first hand? You’ll feel
actual tremors in the “Safequake Theater”, view footage of the 1964
earthquake that rocked Alaska.
Experience
Theater:$6.99
Earthquake
Exhibit:$4.99
Combined:
$9.99
Hours: 12:00 noon to 6:00 pm- Call
907-276-3730
for show times
Location:
705 W 6th Avenue
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Alaska
Public Lands Information Center:
Alaska’s parks, forests, wildlife refuges and other types of public land
account for more than 300 million acres – an area more than twice the
size of Texas. Visit this downtown location to find out about the public
lands and waters of Alaska. The center is a source of Alaska topographic
maps, trip planning assistance, natural history exhibits, free educational
films, stereo viewers of historic photos, books about Alaska, fish and
wildlife information, wildlife displays and interpretive programs. Every
hour a different film is shown.
Titles include: Denali Wilderness, Days of Adventure: Dreams of
Gold, and Alaska’s Coolest Animals.
Admission:
Free
Hours:
10:00 am - 5:30 pm
Phone:
907-271-2737
Location: 605 West Fourth Avenue - located in
Anchorage’s historic Federal Building.
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Imaginarium:
Geared for the 3-12 year old, but the entire family will enjoy a visit to
this science museum.
Visitors might hold a sea star in a simulated Alaskan tide pool,
stand inside a giant bubble, gaze at the stars in the planetarium, meet a
boa constrictor, or look through the eyes of a grasshopper.
Admission:
$5.00
Phone:
907-276-3179
Hours:
Monday-Saturday 10:00 am-6:00 pm
Location:
737 W 5th Avenue
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The
Coastal Trail:
Feast your eyes on spectacular views of Anchorage’s Cook Inlet from this
popular and safe XC skiing/biking/walking/rollerblading trail.
The paved trail is 13 miles long. It begins downtown and ends at
Kincaid Park.
Price:
Use of trail is free.
Location:
The Coastal Trail begins on 2nd Avenue
WARNING!!
The coastal mud flats of Cook Inlet are dangerous.
DO NOT walk on the flats to the water’s edge. |
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Wolf
Song of Alaska:
Visit this internationally acclaimed exhibit and experience the
wolf....learn about its natural history, its varied relationship to humans
through the ages, and its role as a major symbol in human folklore, myths,
legends, art and religion.
Admission:
Free
Hours:
11:00am - 6:00 pm
Phone:
907-274-9653
Location:
6th Ave at C Street
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Alaska
State Trooper Museum:
Learn the history of law enforcement in the Territory and State of Alaska
dramatically told in exhibits, memorabilia and photographs.
Admission:
Free
Phone:
907-279-5050
Location:
6th Ave at C Street
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| Downtown
Walking Tour and Museum Without Walls:
Pick up a walking tour guide from the Log Cabin Visitor’s Center located
on the corner of 4th Avenue next to the Convention Center and take
an in-town hike to see our historic homes, buildings and other interesting
shops and stops along the way.
Make your walk a treasure hunt as you search for the wonderful
sculptures and other art created as a result of the 1% for the arts.
This public art display was started over 20 years ago and now
includes over 80 pieces of art located throughout our city, including some located inside the Egan
Convention Center. |
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People
Mover:
Take a bus tour of Anchorage on the People Mover.
Ride the bus to the museums, shopping malls, International Airport,
Eagle River and many other locations.
Admission:
Adult $1.00, Youth .50, All-Day Pass $2.50
Location:
6th Avenue at G Street
Phone:
907-343-6543
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In
Anchorage but you will need transportation |
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Alaska
Wild Berry Products Candy Factory Tour:
Visit the Alaska Wild Berry Products gift shop and take a free tour of the
candy factory where they hand make chocolates and other delicacies using
fresh Alaskan ingredients. Special attraction is a three-story chocolate
waterfall.
Hours:
10:00 am -11:00 pm Monday - Sunday
Location
5525 Juneau St. (between the Old and New Seward Highways) Free shuttle service
is provided from the Hilton if you choose to dine at the adjacent
Sourdough Mining Company Restaurant. |
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Alaska
Zoo:
Our zoo features both native and exotic animals including glacier bears, brown
bears, polar bears, Siberian tigers, seals, otter, wolverines, eagles and
owls. Visitors explore the zoo on
gravel trails through south Anchorage woods.
Admission:
Adults $7.00 Students $5.00
Hours
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Location:
4731 O’Malley Road. Take 4th Avenue east to Gambell (New Seward
Highway) travel south on the highway to the O’Malley exit.
Take O’Malley east toward the mountains.
Zoo is located on the left approximately 4 miles. |
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Alaska
Heritage Library Museum:
Located in the National Bank of Alaska lobby you’ll find one of
Alaska’s hidden treasurers. Museum
includes artifact displays of Alaska’s Native Cultures, and a wonderful
fine art collection featuring famous Alaskan artists.
Admission:
Free
Hours:
Noon to 4:00 pm Monday - Friday
Location:
Northern Lights and C Street
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Within
an hour's drive from Anchorage |
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60
Minutes South |
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Alyeska
Ski Resort at Girdwood:
Drive to Girdwood, a ski resort
town about 45 minutes south of Anchorage where you will have the
opportunity to test your skiing and snowboarding skills on the slopes of
Alaska’s premier ski resort. Be
sure to take the breathtaking 10-minute tram ride to the summit of Mt.
Alyeska. While at the summit, a
visit to the Seven Glacier’s Restaurant will please all palates.
Call the resort at 907-754-1111 for prices and spring skiing hours.
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Big
Game Alaska:
About 50 minutes south of Anchorage, you’ll find Big Game Alaska.
Guests either walk or drive through the area to view the Alaskan
Wildlife.
Adults:
$5.00 Youth
4-15: $3.00 Under
3: Free
Open
Daily
... Call
907-73-2025
for
hours
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Portage
Glacier:
About 60 minutes south of Anchorage is one of the state’s most popular
attractions. Take a walk along
Portage Lake for a close look at the mammoth icebergs.
Inside the Begich-Boggs Visitor Center you’ll enjoy fascinating
demonstrations and displays of glacial geologic history.
Open
Saturday and Sunday only during April Phone:
907-783-2326
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Alaska’s
Scenic Byway:
Drive south on the Seward Highway along Turnagain Arm to Portage and enjoy
Alaska’s recently designated Scenic Byway, visiting attractions along
the way. Be sure to watch for beluga whales, orca, bald eagles and Dall sheep while
enjoying the stunning views of the surrounding mountains.
If time permits, watch the tides rush in along the Arm as
Anchorage's 28-32 foot tide reverses direction.
WARNING!!
STAY OFF OF THE TIDAL FLATS THEY ARE VERY DANGEROUS. |
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60
Minutes North |
| Go
North Along Knik Arm:
Some of the places of interest along the road north include Arctic Valley,
a year round recreation area where a 7.5 mile drive up a steep, mostly
gravel road will take you to vistas of downtown that can’t be beat.
At Fort Richardson U.S. Army base you can see a fish hatchery, a
wildlife museum and a national cemetery.
Call
for directions and times: 384-2019.
Continue north to Eagle River and Chugiak, now a bedroom community
of Anchorage, but historically the home and hunting grounds of the
Dena’ina Indians. Also located
here is the Alaska Museum of Natural History.
Call 694-0819
for information. |
| Continue
north to the Matanuska-Susitna Valley where you can stroll the
downtown district of Palmer which is listed on the National Register of
Historic Places. Palmer is famous
for growing huge vegetables in the summer’s midnight sun.
Another option is to take the Parks Highway to Wasilla. Visit the headquarters of the world’s best known sled dog race, the
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race at mile 2.2 Knik Road. Just north of Wasilla is the Museum of Alaska Transportation and
History, a 10-acre exhibit that tells the story of the state’s
development. There is an admission
charge.
Call 376-1211
for times and fees. |
