As residents of Alaska we get the opportunity to absorb all that Alaska has to offer year round. From her glorious summers to her pristine winters and the abundance of activities, Alaska brings every type of adventurer. We get friends, family, and followers alike asking us when is the best time to visit Alaska and our answer, without fail, is, "It depends." If we've learned anything during our time in Alaska, it's that everything is seasonal and the difference in seasons is extreme. In this post, we'll break down the tourists seasons in Alaska and help you decide when the best time would be for a visit. And then we'll tell you our opinion ;) winter seasonSince we are currently in the middle of winter season, why not start here? In interior Alaska, "winter season" really starts around October, which is when we can pretty much guarantee snow on the ground and below freezing temperatures start creeping in. The lakes are starting to freeze over and Alaskans start settling in for another 6-7 month winter. Once the snow starts to fall in October, it's not uncommon to say goodbye to our grassy yards until April. November-January are the darkest months of the year and, in Fairbanks, it's not uncommon to reach temperatures near -40*F. SO....if you can get past all that...these months are actually a great time to visit Alaska because it's Aurora viewing season! While Aurora Borealis occurs all year, it can only be seen when the skies are dark enough which occurs late September-March -- October and February being the best months in our experience. In snowy conditions, dog sledding is another activity that visitors like to experience when they are in Alaska. Dog sledding has been a way of life for many Alaskans for the last few hundred years, even being used to deliver mail up until the 1960s! There are still families in the Alaskan bush who use sled dogs for trapping and others for sport so it makes sense that this activity is something that is equated with the arctic of Alaska. There are many tour companies that offer dog sledding tours, and while the dogs do very well in the frigid conditions, their human counterparts, especially those who are un-acclimatized, can struggle. This means companies will cancel tours if temperatures reach below -20*F. Other sled dog events include famous dog races including the Yukon Quest which occurs in Fairbanks every February and the Iditarod which begins in Anchorage every March. One of our favorite annual winter events is the World Ice Art Competition. Every February ice sculpting teams from around the world travel to Fairbanks to compete in the prestigious competition and the sculptures stay up in the park until they start to melt around the end of March. The talent is incredible and if you go early enough in the season, you may even catch a few teams at work! This is a fun family event especially if you hang around the front of the park and enjoy the ice slides and games...picture a giant chess set made of ice...or a ping pong ice table! So much fun. We love exploring glaciers in the summer season, but we have had some pretty awesome experiences exploring these beautiful natural phenomenons in the winter season as well. Near Fairbanks, we've hiked to Castner Glacier which is definitely more safe to do in the winter. In the Anchorage area, I took an amazing guided tour to Matanuska Glacier also in the winter season. There are multiple tour companies offering winter flights to glaciers around Alaska. Other winter activities include ice fishing - local recreation sites around Fairbanks start putting out ice huts in December - snow machining, cross country skiing (and downhill skiing in Girdwood!), snow shoeing...the possibilities are endless. SpringWhen you bring up the concept of "Spring" to Alaskans, they may chuckle a little bit about the idea since that season is pretty non-existent here. We lovingly refer to Spring as "break-up" meaning the season when all the rivers and lakes starts to melt and...well...break up! It's a pretty exciting time for Alaskans because the temperatures are obviously warming up and the sun is getting higher in the sky and there's a feeling of coming alive again in the air! This season is relatively short and occurs in April to about mid-May. This time of year is very muddy and brown and would definitely be considered a "shoulder season" but for good reason. There's not much to see and do quite yet as tourist season isn't quite in full swing but we do have our favorite activities in this season too! Namely, we like to explore Denali National Park. There's a short window of time when the park road is open for personal vehicles before tourist season starts and the only way to drive the road is on a Denali Bus Tour or by purchasing a pass. Summer![]() Ah, Summer. Summer in Alaska is a truly magical time that interior Alaskans wear as a badge of honor for surviving the harsh winter. It does come with it's own hardships though, namely mosquitos - affectionately called the State Bird. If you think you know mosquitoes, I'm not quite sure how to tell you that you don't, haha. Alaska mosquitoes are from another world and are especially brutal the further into the interior you get. May-September is also known as "Midnight Sun Season" which can be pretty hard to deal with for some people, as it doesn't truly get dark in Fairbanks during this time of the year. But, if you can get past *that*....midnight sun season means there is a lot more time to fill with adventures! Mid-May to Mid-September is officially tourist season for the whole state of Alaska. Because of this, there are many more opportunities for tours and activities during this time of the year. We have our own list of things to do in the summer around Fairbanks which includes gold panning, farm tours, and a river cruise just to name a few of our favorites. For more specifics, you can check out our sample summer itinerary for the Fairbanks area as well but we have enjoyed some pretty epic summer activities around the state including glacier tours, wildlife cruises, and more. Another event that brings people to Alaska in the summer is the world famous salmon run. King Salmon (or Chinook Salmon) run from about late-may to late-July. Mid-July to Mid-August is when the Pink and Sockeye Salmon do their thing with Silver Salmon - or Coho - bringing up the rear from July to October. The salmon run does more for Alaska than just providing opportunities for humans. These months are amazing for wildlife viewing as orcas come in chasing their dinner as well as seals, sea lions, and bears, oh my! Other fishing popular in Alaska is Halibut from mid-May to mid-September as well as cod and rockfish, among others. Fresh water fishing includes trout, arctic char, pike, grayling, and more. If you thought the possibilities sounded "endless" in our winter synopsis, summer is a whole different animal. FallAs you can imagine, Fall comes early in Alaska. While other states are enjoying their last days of summer, we're all pretty deep into our short Fall season. Our fall foliage really pops in August-September which is also considered a "shoulder season" as tourist season comes to an end. Most tours are still running but locals are really starting to prepare for the impending winter. This doesn't mean that we aren't still taking advantage of the weather before it turns icy and cold, though! Hands down, our favorite place to visit in the Fall is Valdez, where the salmon run comes right into the bay, and brings a lot of other locals - human and otherwise - to stock up their freezers - or bellies - until the next run. Fall is a beautiful time in Alaska as the mosquitoes start to die down, the auroras start to become visible again, and the hustle and bustle of summer activities starts to slow down as we head back into winter. If you've read this far, you can see why it's hard to pinpoint a "good time" to visit Alaska! It truly depends on what you want to get out of it. So are you ready for our recommendation? We suggest a winter visit AND a summer visit so you can truly get the whole picture :)
So let us know! What time of year do you think would make the best Alaska vacation? As always, we’d love to answer your comments or questions! If you're interested in a one-on-one chat to help plan a custom trip to Alaska, check out our options here! Make sure to pin this post for future reference! Consider joining us on Instagram to come with us on our day-to-day adventures! Until next time, we encourage you to get out and enjoy where YOU live!
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When we told people we were going to spend the weekend in Chicken, Alaska we got one of two questions: "Where??" or "Why??" Chicken was actually named after a local grouse - ptarmigan - though the local miners back then weren't quite sure how to spell "ptarmigan" and figured "Chicken" was close enough. This teeny gold-mining community is 100 miles from the nearest services and has less than 20 year-round residents. There is no cell service, no grocery stores, and the outpost and saloon/cafe/liquor store/gas station take payment in cash, credit, and gold. Mail is delivered by plane twice a week. Talk about off-grid! What could there possibly be there that would interest us for a whole weekend? It turns out, there's a whole lot to do! We had a blast and we knew we had found a hidden gem. First things first, we checked into our campsite at the Chicken Gold Camp. They did have electricity hookups for us, though most of the town doesn't have electricity and runs off generators. They did have fresh water but advised that it was limited and that we really needed to pack in our own water. Their reservation email advises to arrive with "full water tanks and empty holding tanks" because the nearest dump station is about 100 miles away, in Tok, Alaska. Limited running water also meant limited indoor plumbing. I truly am unaware of any bathrooms and wouldn't be surprised if everyone in town is using ye old outhouse ;). We already mentioned that there was no cell service but the campsite does offer free wi-fi! It runs off a satellite and is also very limited. Each person in camp gets their own passcode that lasts for 24 hours. Each passcode gets a small amount of data during the 24 hours so we were advised to turn our phones on "low-power mode" so we wouldn't run out of our data. I ended up having my phone off unless I was checking messages and I still ran out of data before the allotted 24 hours. But we definitely had enough entertainment without needing our phones! The outpost at camp serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner including wood-fired pizzas on Fridays! But get there early because supplies for this are also extremely limited. Exploring Chicken Gold Camp was a great activity, even if not staying there. First of all, there's a giant chicken that the kids had a great time running around. This famous landmark was made by high school students out of recycled lockers! Next to the chicken was a fun sign listing out other chicken-related towns around the world. Fun fact: We've been to Hatch, NM! It holds a special place in our hearts after our time living in New Mexico and is quite famous for it's Hatch Green Chilies! You'll have to let us know in the comments if you've been to any of the other towns listed! We thought it'd be a fun travel bucket list, what do you think? Within view of the giant chicken is the historic Pedro Gold Dredge. It is perhaps the most complete bucket line dredge open to the public in North America. It was actually assembled closer to our home in Fairbanks, Alaska in 1938 where it operated for 20 years and was then disassembled and trucked to Chicken. In it's 8 years of operating in Chicken, it mined roughly 80 million dollars worth of gold. For a proper tour, you'll want to schedule a time in the outpost of the campground. We weren't able to line one up because of a few scheduling conflicts. First, we were told at the office that tours need a minimum of 6 people (and kids count as 1/2). The men went out hunting for the day so we only accounted for 3 1/2 people though I wish we would've thought to just pay for 6 tickets so we could take the tour! The reason for the minimum number of guests is because they have miners come down from the operating mine during a break to do tours. Besides the Pedro Gold Dredge, the whole campground has historic artifacts all through the property. It was really fun to walk around the miners cabin and the old mining equipment scattered about the property, as well as check out all the old photographs in the outpost. A visit to Chicken wouldn't be complete without a visit to the downtown! Which consists of 4 buildings (the cafe, the saloon, the liquor store, and the mercantile gift shop) and an outhouse. The one pump gas station is also run out of these stores so it definitely gives you a feel of just how rural this place is. The cafe closes at 4 but they do serve delicious pie, including chicken pot pie! Which can be ordered after closing right there at the saloon. Speaking of visiting essential community building, the post office sits on a beautiful little piece of property - tiny log cabin with a great view of the surrounding area - also boasting a display of the inner workings of a gold dredge with information on what and how each piece does it's job. If you're lucky, you'll meet the post master of 20 years, Robin, and her dog, Zeke and she'll show you all the fun tricks Zeke can do, including a dramatic "playing dead" enactment which is quite entertaining. When we were visiting with her, she was so entertained by the kids in our party and had such a good time visiting with them and chatting. It wasn't until later, and a few more experiences with the locals like this, that I realized they probably had so much fun seeing littles running around because it's kind of a rare sight in this remote community! Okay, we've talked so much about historic gold mining practices but Chicken is one of Alaska's last surviving gold mining towns! Every summer the population of Chicken grows from about 20 to 100 with miners coming in to work their claims. Hang around the outpost long enough, and you may run into a miner bringing in their days' work to get it weighed. Beware: if you're anything like us, you may just catch a little gold fever if this happens! It was pretty exciting to see people coming in with their real-life treasure! We actually did bring our own gold pans and had a great time at the troughs with the pay dirt at camp. But if we ever end up in Chicken again, it would be so fun to set up a day excursion and go work the Chicken Gold Camp claims that they have opened to the public. These are scheduled through the outpost and sounded so fun! They mentioned learning about all different kinds of techniques of digging up gold. After all these activities, if you are still interested in gold, you can drive by the active gold dredge at Lost Chicken hill. The Cowden Gold Dredge in Mosquito Fork River is also visible to see from a 2.8 mile trail that gives a great view of the dredge below or you can rent kayaks and explore it close up. A visit to Chicken was as close to traveling in a time machine as it gets! We really had a great time exploring this historic town where the past meets the present. Another activity that Chicken is great for is world-class moose and caribou hunting! Jon and our friends took some ATVs out to try their luck and while they were successful in seeing caribou, they weren't successful in the hunt. It was a great learning experience and they are more prepared for next time, though! Last, but not least, if you can get to Chicken during the 2nd week of June, you will get to experience the Chickenstock Music Festival! Bringing in over 1,000 people to the Chicken Creek Valley for a weekend of camping, live music, contests, food and drinks, it has quickly become one of Alaska's better known summer weekend music gatherings. We left Chicken wishing we hadn't waited so long to visit! Is Chicken on your bucket list? If you're interested in a one-on-one chat to help plan a custom trip to Alaska, check out our options here!
Comments or questions? We'd love to hear them! Make sure to pin so you can come back to this post! Don't forget to follow us on Instagram for some of our day-to-day adventures and until next time, get out and explore where you live! If you caught our Summer Fairbanks Itinerary, this one might look a little familiar. While some of our favorite things from that list are year-round activities, Alaska tourist season officially ends mid-September with a lot of our favorite Summer activities shutting down Labor Day Weekend. Fall is an interesting time in Alaska in that it encompasses a wide variety of weather. August is pretty regularly in the 60s. In September it starts cooling down and the leaves start falling so that by the first week in October we're naturally getting our first snowfall. We don't exaggerate when we say "true Fall" really only lasts a few weeks in this part of the world, but we truly believe that it is one of Fairbanks' best kept secrets. You may or may not be surprised to know that the best northern lights viewing in Fairbanks is in September/October so that is going to be at the top of our list of Fall activities. We've talked a little bit about other things available to do in the fall in this post but in this detailed itinerary, you'll find a perfect schedule of recommended activities to make the most out of your fall visit to Fairbanks, Alaska. Fairbanks Itinerary OverviewDay 1: Visit North Pole Santa Claus House Arctic Harvest Distillery Day 2: Chena Hot Springs Dog Kennel Ice Hotel Hot Springs Day 3: History and Culture Pioneer Park UAF Museum Fountainhead Auto Museum + Bonus ideas! To begin our itinerary, readers should be aware that most flights in (and out) of Fairbanks occur very close to midnight. If this turns out being the case for you, then our "Day 1" will technically occur on your second day of traveling, but first day in Fairbanks. so we're starting with a full day of activities. We're also going to assume you came to visit to see the Northern Lights! While there are many different tours you can take to see the lights, we enjoy seeing them for free when they are out and will add some of our favorite viewing places to the itinerary! Pro tip: We love the "My Aurora Forecast" app to help track the lights each day. If will even send alerts to your phone when it's a good viewing time. Best conditions are clear, dark skies with a KP index around 3 or higher though we have seen them at a KP index of 2. Day 1: North PoleSo you've arrived in Fairbanks and got a full nights rest. We get a lot of questions about places to stay in the area. There are hotels and airbnbs that are all worth looking into but if you're okay staying a little bit further away from Fairbanks and in the city of North Pole, we recommend our friends at Northern Sky Cabins. Located in city limits of North Pole, not far from the freeway and grocery stores and other amenities, this is a great location to start your trip. To begin your day, we recommend a breakfast at Country Cafe. They open at 9 AM and serve breakfast until 3PM. The prices are really great for the portion of food you get and it's so good! We love the pancakes but the croissant french toast with berries and cream is always a win. Next, you'll drive down Santa Claus Lane to 5th Avenue to find The North Pole Pole! This pole is actually the twin to a pole that was flown and dropped over the actual geographic North Pole, but take a picture with this one to tell your friends you went to the North Pole ;) Don't forget to check out the street signs and candy cane light posts that prove it really is Christmas year-round in this cute, little town. After a quick photo op with the pole, you gotta head over to Santa's House! The Santa Claus house is the "official" home of Santa Claus where you can browse a souvenir shop and get some delicious fudge or other treats from Santa's Elves ;) Santa, himself, is available for a free photo op Wednesdays-Sundays and maybe you'll even get to visit with Mrs. Claus! Pro tip: You can buy a postcard and have Santa sign it! The cashier will even mail it out for you on site. And don't miss a visit with Santa's reindeer! On the other side of the parking lot, you'll find the Antler Academy, where these famous reindeer learn all about their flying and reindeer games. If you are around on a weekend, you won't regret a stop at Outlaw Tamales for lunch. The lady that runs this shack is the real deal and sells tamales by the 1/2 dozen or full dozen. They come in a bag wrapped in newspaper so you may have to run across the street into Safeway for some forks, or you can take them back to your Airbnb for later, but don't sleep on these! She's only open Thursday-Saturday from 8AM until sold out. So whether you pick them up to eat now or save them for later, you won't regret it! If you aren't able to get these coveted tamales, you can visit the crepery for lunch. They have a wide variety of sweet and savory crepes and we haven't tried one we haven't liked. Another place to check out in North Pole is Arctic Harvest Distillery. This is a great place to visit in the fall for the whole family. Every fall, they open their corn maze and sometimes have a petting zoo and usually a few food trucks. This is a true farm-to-harvest distillery and is pretty fun to explore. Note they are only open Friday-Sunday. You may want to check their website or Facebook page to see what upcoming events they are hosting. Unless you saved your tamales for dinner, or didn't catch a food truck at Arctic Harvest, a good place to grab an end of day meal is Little Richard's Family Diner: the northern most railcar diner. If the Northern Lights are out, we love watching them at Chena Lakes Recreation Area, a little ways away from light pollution. Day 2: Chena Hot SpringsChena Hot Springs Resort is a gorgeous place full of a bunch of different activities and things to explore like a sled dog kennel with tours, an ice hotel, ATV tours, etc...and of course the actual hot springs which are delightful on a crisp fall day. What this property lacks in clean, comfortable rooms, it makes up for with entertainment. It's definitely worth a place on the itinerary, even if it's not worth an overnight stay. There is a restaurant here to grab dinner and an evening dip in the hot springs before heading back to your accommodations. As the property is pretty remote, this is also an incredible place to view the Northern Lights. Day 3: History and CultureOn your last day in Fairbanks, we recommend visiting some museums! Start at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks' Museum of the North. They boast a great collection of indigenous artifacts and animal exhibits. Probably one of the most famous is the "blue babe". The "Blue Babe" is a 36,000-year-old mummified steppe bison that was perfectly preserved in the permafrost in interior Alaska from the Ice Age until it was discovered in the late 70s. It's so well preserved you can still see the claw marks and tooth punctures in the skin made by the America Lion that killed it so long ago. It must've frozen rather quickly so other animals couldn't eat it, giving us so many clues to the ancient past. The blue color of the bison comes from a mineral called vivianite that forms when minerals on the fossils react to the ground they're buried in, or maybe it was an ancestor to Paul Bunyan's beloved Ox ;) Grab some Jason's Donuts on your way. Jason's Donuts is another shop that is open early and closes when sold out. We've gotten there at 10 some mornings and they are already sold out, but it's easy to understand when they've been voted the best donuts in Alaska. You won't regret it. After the UAF Museum, you can grab some lunch at Friar Tuck's and make your way to Pioneer Park for some more history of the Fairbanks area. Here's where you'll find original cabins from the first settlers of Fairbanks. You can also ride a historic train around the park departing from the train museum for the full effect. Another fun stop you could add to this itinerary is a visit to the fountainhead antique auto museum. The Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum is home to 95 pre-WWII automobiles and is one of the premier vintage car museums in the world. They also have a vintage fashion collection that is considered to be the most extensive in the Pacific Northwest. Visiting this museum is like stepping back in time and it was so fascinating to learn about the unique challenges that were overcome with bringing automobiles to Alaska. It was truly fun for the whole family and we highly recommend a visit to this spot when visiting Fairbanks. Speaking of cars in Fairbanks, here's a completely random fun fact: Many car companies bring new car models to Fairbanks to test out how they will perform in the extreme cold weather! You can't miss The Hungry Robot for some everything-made-from-scratch, wood fired pizza. Here you can get some classic flavors, but if you're feeling adventurous, try the dilly-dilly, a local favorite. In the evening, another great place locals go to view the Northern Lights is to drive up to Murphy Dome. Or closer to town, we've seen some amazing Aurora shows from a little parking lot off Nordale Rd. in North Pole. Bonus ActivitiesIn case some of these activities don't work with your schedule or don't tickle your fancy, here's a few more ideas you could swap out: Fairbanks Curling Club: Our first fall here, we came across one of their "learn to curl" events and made a day of it with the whole family. It was so fun! There's a lot more to this olympic sport than meets the eye and we really gained more appreciation for it! You can check their calendar for any events coming up but when we were there, they mentioned that they would be happy to arrange private lessons as well. This would definitely be something to arrange ahead of time. The Alaska Raw Fur Co is the show room/store front of a company that acts as a trading post for Alaska's fur trappers. It's pretty fascinating to compare the different furs of arctic animals as you wander the show room and you can even get your own as a souvenir. This was a hit for our visitors and Jon loves wandering this store, even if he hasn't bought anything for himself...yet ;) Fall also brings hockey season! The Ice Dogs are Fairbanks junior ice hockey team and their games are so fun! If you're looking for something else to do, we highly recommend a hockey game while you're here. Bonus eatsThai House is another delicious restaurant to try. With 24 Thai restaurants for the 32.000 residents, Fairbanks has been called the Thai food capital of the world. Many locals have their favorites but we recommend Thai House for indulging in this tasty cuisine. We'll take a regular delivery of the fresh spring rolls and curry, please! Blue Roof Bistro is another fun place to grab something for lunch or dinner. With familiar comfort foods, some with a twist, everyone will find something they like here. Taco King is another great local fast food joint! We love the enchiladas! That's the end of our 3-day itinerary! Stay tuned for others! Here you can find a condensed version for easy downloading/saving. Bonus TipsContinuing with our assumption that you're visiting in August or September for prime Aurora viewing, definitely bring layers and maybe a rain jacket in your suitcase. If you're coming later in the year, it gets pretty chilly in October though we've seen temperatures anywhere between 40 and 10 degrees Fahrenheit so winter gear is a good idea.
There are a few places in Alaska you can visit without a car because of train and shuttle transportation. Fairbanks is not one of those places. We highly recommend renting a car for your trip to Fairbanks so you can truly make the most of your visit here. We know there is so much to do and see in Alaska, and most visitors have so much to see and so little time, but Fairbanks really is in a league of it's own and we hope we put it on your bucket list! If you're interested in a one-on-one chat to help plan a custom trip to Alaska, check out our options here! Comments or questions? We'd love to hear them! Make sure to pin so you can come back to this post! Don't forget to follow us on Instagram for some of our day-to-day adventures and until next time, get out and explore where you live! We often get asked, by locals and tourists alike, what there is to do in Fairbanks, Alaska in the summer. Fairbanks is the second largest city in Alaska but often gets overlooked since it is so remote and a bit of a drive from the coastal areas that tend to draw a lot of summer tourists. But Fairbanks gets a little bit of the tourist crowd which we have talked about in previous posts like this one: 10 Things to do in Fairbanks in the Summer. In this detailed itinerary, you'll find a perfect schedule of recommended activities to make the most out of your summer visit to Fairbanks, Alaska. We keep this one short because we know that Alaska has so much to offer and this guide is a great jumping off point if you want to stay in Fairbanks or if you want to head down south to see more of this beautiful state. So without further ado.... Fairbanks Itinerary OverviewDay 1: Visit North Pole Gold Panning Santa Claus House Chena Lakes Recreation Area Day 2: Fairbanks/Chena Hot Springs Reindeer Yoga Peony Farm Tour Hot Springs Day 3: History and Culture River Cruise Pioneer Park + Bonus ideas! To begin our itinerary, readers should be aware that most flights in (and out) of Fairbanks occur very close to midnight. If this turns out being the case for you, then our "Day 1" will technically occur on your second day of traveling, but first day in Fairbanks. so we're starting with a full day of activities. Day 1: North PoleSo you've arrived in Fairbanks and hopefully got a full nights rest! That midnight sun can be trippy for locals and visitors alike but it's all part of the experience when visiting in the summer! We get a lot of questions about places to stay in the area. There are hotels and airbnbs that are all worth looking into but if you're okay staying a little bit further away from Fairbanks and in the city of North Pole, we recommend our friends at Northern Sky Cabins. Located in city limits of North Pole, not far from the freeway and grocery stores and other amenities, this is a great location to start your trip. To begin your day, we recommend a breakfast at Country Cafe. They open at 9 AM and serve breakfast until 3PM. The prices are really great for the portion of food you get and it's so good! We love the pancakes but the croissant french toast with berries and cream is always a win. Next, you'll drive down Santa Claus Lane to 5th Avenue to find The North Pole Pole! This pole is actually the twin to a pole that was flown and dropped over the actual geographic North Pole, but take a picture with this one to tell your friends you went to the North Pole ;) Don't forget to check out the street signs and candy cane light posts that prove it really is Christmas year-round in this cute, little town. After a quick photo op with the pole, you gotta head over to Santa's House! The Santa Claus house is the "official" home of Santa Claus where you can browse a souvenir shop and get some delicious fudge or other treats from Santa's Elves ;) Santa, himself, is available for a free photo op Wednesdays-Sundays and maybe you'll even get to visit with Mrs. Claus! Pro tip: You can buy a postcard and have Santa sign it! The cashier will even mail it out for you on site. And don't miss a visit with Santa's reindeer! On the other side of the parking lot, you'll find the Antler Academy, where these famous reindeer learn all about their flying and reindeer games. If you are around on a weekend, you won't regret a stop at Outlaw Tamales for lunch. The lady that runs this shack is the real deal and sells tamales by the 1/2 dozen or full dozen. They come in a bag wrapped in newspaper so you may have to run across the street into Safeway for some forks, or you can take them back to your Airbnb for later, but don't sleep on these! She's only open Thursday-Saturday from 8AM until sold out. So whether you pick them up to eat now or save them for later, you won't regret it! If you aren't able to get these coveted tamales, you can visit the crepery for lunch. They have a wide variety of sweet and savory crepes and we haven't tried one we haven't liked. Here's where we recommend a slight detour out of North Pole over to visit the Gold Daughters for a Gold Panning lesson. These girls know their stuff and a guide will help you cure (or maybe amplify) your gold fever. With a little "shaky, shaky, dippy, dippy" (iykyk) you'll be on your way to becoming a true prospector. Unless you saved your tamales for dinner, a good place to grab an end of day meal is Little Richard's Family Diner: the northern most railcar diner. Afterwards, ff you have time, you should definitely head over to Chena Lakes Recreation Area. If you get there in time, you can take a paddle around the lake with a kayak or a canoe from the rental shop there onsite. Or you can walk the trails, enjoying midnight sun season along with the local fisherman trying their luck along the shore. Day 2: Fairbanks/Chena Hot SpringsIf your day 2 ends up being on a Saturday, we recommend a morning reindeer yoga session at Running Reindeer Ranch. This is such a fun activity getting up close and personal with some reindeer while doing some easy yoga in the outdoors. You do need to bring your own yoga mat, or maybe you can grab a camping pad from the local Walmart. If this is a possible activity for your day, you should definitely stop and grab some breakfast from Hot Shot Sisters on your way. This is a fresh juice shop that also offers smoothie/smoothie bowls and some pretty good burrito wraps, if you ask me! In the prime of Summer, Alaska peonies are world renowned. If you are visiting in June/July, we recommend a peony farm visit. You can visit Boreal Peony Farm for a fun tour to learn about peony farming in the arctic! This area also offers reindeer tours and hikes in case the Running Reindeer Ranch yoga doesn't work in your schedule, or you can head straight to Chena Hot Springs Resort for the next stop on the itinerary. Chena Hot Springs Resort is a gorgeous place full of a bunch of different activities and things to explore like a sled dog kennel with tours, an ice hotel, ATV tours, etc...and you of course the actual hot springs. What this property lacks in clean, comfortable rooms, it makes up for with entertainment. It's definitely worth a place on the itinerary, even if it's not worth an overnight stay. There is a restaurant here to grab dinner and an evening dip in the hot springs before heading back to your accommodations. Day 3: History and CultureNo summer trip to Fairbanks is complete without a tour on the Riverboat Discovery. Every summer the sternwheeler known as the Riverboat Discovery takes passengers an all-encompassing river cruise immersing passengers in the history and culture of Alaska. In the 3-hour narrated tour, passengers learn about recent history and changes to transportation around interior Alaska - including presentations by a floatplane and at a sled dog kennel - in addition to being transported back thousands of years in a walking tour of an authentic native village and summer fishing camp. Some of the guides at the village as well as on the boat are natives themselves who grew up in villages around Alaska and offer a truly unique insight. Besides the tour itself, "Steamboat Springs", where the tour begins, is probably the best souvenir shop we've come across here in Fairbanks. The variety of souvenirs can't be beat and the prices are pretty fair too. This is also home to the -40 degree chamber, where you can get a little taste of what you're missing in a winter in Fairbanks ;) It's free to enter but you can pay to get your picture taken in the chamber next to the thermometer. Do a morning tour to take it easy on your last day and grab some Jason's Donuts on your way. Jason's Donuts is another shop that is open early and closes when sold out. We've gotten there at 10 some mornings and they are already sold out, but it's easy to understand when they've been voted the best donuts in Alaska. After the tour, you can grab some lunch at Friar Tuck's and make your way to Pioneer Park for some more history of the Fairbanks area. Here's where you'll find original cabins from the first settlers of Fairbanks and maybe even a few tour guides in period clothing to teach about some of the famous people in Fairbanks history. You can also ride a historic train around the park departing from the train museum for the full effect. Another fun stop you could add to this itinerary is a visit to the fountainhead antique auto museum. The Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum is home to 95 pre-WWII automobiles and is one of the premier vintage car museums in the world. They also have a vintage fashion collection that is considered to be the most extensive in the Pacific Northwest. Visiting this museum is like stepping back in time and it was so fascinating to learn about the unique challenges that were overcome with bringing automobiles to Alaska. It was truly fun for the whole family and we highly recommend a visit to this spot when visiting Fairbanks. Speaking of cars in Fairbanks, here's a completely random fun fact: Many car companies bring new car models to Fairbanks to test out how they will perform in the extreme cold weather! To end your day, you can't miss The Hungry Robot for some everything-made-from-scratch, wood fired pizza. Here you can get some classic flavors, but if you're feeling adventurous, try the dilly-dilly, a local favorite. Bonus ActivitiesIn case some of these activities don't work with your schedule or don't tickle your fancy, here's a few more ideas you could swap out: The Tanana Valley Farmers Market is the oldest established farmers market in Alaska. Growers and artists through out the Tanana Valley - an area larger than the state of Indiana - gather throughout the season in one place to offer the best of local produce and handicrafts. We definitely frequent the market for the shawarma and kettle corn ;) but we love taking visitors to the market to find unique souvenirs too! The Farmer's Market is open Wednesday's 11AM-4PM and Saturday's 9AM-4PM. The UAF Museum of the North: The Museum of the North is located at the University of Alaska - Fairbanks. They boast a great collection of indigenous artifacts and animal exhibits. Probably one of the most famous is the "blue babe". The "Blue Babe" is a 36,000-year-old mummified steppe bison that was perfectly preserved in the permafrost in interior Alaska from the Ice Age until it was discovered in the late 70s. It's so well preserved you can still see the claw marks and tooth punctures in the skin made by the America Lion that killed it so long ago. It must've frozen rather quickly so other animals couldn't eat it, giving us so many clues to the ancient past. The blue color of the bison comes from a mineral called vivianite that forms when minerals on the fossils react to the ground they're buried in, or maybe it was an ancestor to Paul Bunyan's beloved Ox ;) The Alaska Raw Fur Co is the show room/store front of a company that acts as a trading post for Alaska's fur trappers. It's pretty fascinating to compare the different furs of arctic animals as you wander the show room and you can even get your own as a souvenir. This was a hit for our visitors and Jon loves wandering this store, even if he hasn't bought anything for himself...yet ;) Bonus EatsThai House is another delicious restaurant to try. With 24 Thai restaurants for the 32.000 residents, Fairbanks has been called the Thai food capital of the world. Many locals have their favorites but we recommend Thai House for indulging in this tasty cuisine. We'll take a regular delivery of the fresh spring rolls and curry, please! Blue Roof Bistro is another fun place to grab something for lunch or dinner. With familiar comfort foods, some with a twist, everyone will find something they like here. If you find yourself in the mood for some ice cream, Hot Licks is where we recommend. With Alaska being the state that consumes the most ice cream in the United States, it's never a bad time for ice cream here. Hot Licks is homemade ice cream made by individual batch. While they do have four generic flavors available every day (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and coffee) the rest of the menu is different every day with unique flavors inspired by Alaska. That's the end of our 3-day itinerary! Stay tuned for others! Here you can find a condensed version for easy downloading/saving. Bonus TipsFairbanks is definitely a wild card when it comes to knowing what to pack for your trip. We've seen summers where it's gotten up to 90*F and we've seen summers were it hasn't gotten above 70 and was rainy the majority of the season. Always watch the weather and be ready with layers. Rain jackets are good idea. Also remember that summer in Alaska is mosquito season. These buggers are unlike anything you've ever seen! They are giant and unrelenting. Bring bug spray or plan to buy some when you arrive. You'll need it! There are a few places in Alaska you can visit without a car because of train and shuttle transportation. Fairbanks is not one of those places. We highly recommend renting a car for your trip to Fairbanks so you can truly make the most of your visit here. We know there is so much to do and see in Alaska, and most visitors have so much to see and so little time, but Fairbanks really is in a league of it's own and we hope we put it on your bucket list! If you're interested in a one-on-one chat to help plan a custom trip to Alaska, check out our options here!
Comments or questions? We'd love to hear them! Make sure to pin so you can come back to this post! Don't forget to follow us on Instagram for some of our day-to-day adventures and until next time, get out and explore where you live! After seeing so much of Alaska, we are often asked where our favorite place is to visit. While there are many places that have brought us back multiple times, the one place that we just can't seem to get enough of is Palmer, Alaska! To the average tourist, this may be surprising, since Palmer isn't necessarily a big tourist destination that you'll hear about, especially in comparison to surrounding areas. But, in our opinion, Palmer is one of the most underrated, best kept secrets in Alaska and here are 5 reasons why you should visit Palmer: 1 - DowntownI love Palmer because is a quiet, little farm town at the edge of the Mat-Su Valley, surrounded by gorgeous peaks of the Chugach and Talkeetna mountain ranges. The scenery is unique and the town is not without it's interesting history. Honestly, who doesn't love roaming a charming and historic downtown? A great way to explore Palmer's historic downtown is by starting at the Palmer Museum and taking a self-guided tour through the historic district! You can pick up a map from the museum there, or download one here. 2 - Reindeer FarmIf you've been here awhile, you know our love for reindeer! These calm, sweet animals are so fun to hang out with and one of the best places to do that is at the Reindeer Farm! The Farm is family owned and does guided tours and teaches about a lot of different animals. It's a very interactive farm, almost a petting zoo on steroids! And we love it. The reindeer are for sure a highlight but don't pass up the opportunity to get a kiss from Rocky, the moose! 3 - Hatcher Pass / Independence MineHatcher Pass is a mountain pass about a half hours drive from downtown Palmer. The drive is beautiful. We went in the summer and, even though we've never been to Ireland or Scotland, the rolling green hillsides gave us the feeling of being there. And the peaks and waterfalls were just breathtaking. Historically, the third largest gold producing district in Alaska, up Hatcher Pass, you'll find the abandoned Independence Mine that is now a state historic park. The road to the mine opens at 9, but we walked up the road before the gate was opened and had the park almost to ourselves. It was so interesting to imagine it in it's heyday. There are guided tours available at the park or you can opt for a self-guided tour, like we did. Fun fact, you can bring your own gold pans or rent some by the hour or by the day from the gift shop to try your hand at gold panning in the creek at the park! 4 - Matanuska GlacierMatanuska Glacier (pronounced Mat-tan-ooska) is the largest glacier in the US accessible by car. It is 27 miles long and 4 miles wide and can be seen from different viewing areas, but the best way to see it and get up close and personal is through a guided tour. You can read all about our experience in this blog post. We went when everything was still frozen and technically in the winter season and have had friends take the tour in the summer and have a completely different, yet still incredible, time. 5 - Knik GlacierTouring Knik Glacier (pronounced with the K) is an entirely different experience than Matanuska. We took this tour in a helicopter which you can read a little about in this blog post. It was a breathtaking experience and one of our top favorite Alaskan memories. Other ActivitiesIf these activities don't talk you into visiting Palmer, we have a few more to list. The Musk Ox Farm is definitely worth a visit. Learning about these fascinating animals on this tour was so fun! Musk Oxen are farmed for their undercoat, which is shed every summer and is 8x warmer than wool by weight- which you're definitely gonna need if you're gonna make it in one of the most extreme climates there is! It's also one of the softest fibers in the world. We definitely recommend a visit to this farm, but if you do, go before you go to the reindeer farm. This farm isn't as interactive (for good reason!) but it may pale in comparison to a highly interactive farm tour like the reindeer farm.
Another attraction of note is the State Fair, held in Palmer at the end of every summer. Music festivals, rides, fair food...but the most intriguing for us is the giant vegetables on display. With it's fertile soil and summer days of almost 20 hours of sunlight, Palmer is a prime spot for breaking records of giant produce, including a 138 lb cabbage, a 2,051 lb pumpkin, and a 64 lb carrot. We obviously believe that Palmer is a hidden gem. It serves as a charming town and a jumping off point for some epic Alaskan adventures. If you've been to Palmer and we missed some of your favorite activities, let us know in the comments! If you're interested in a one-on-one chat to help plan a custom trip to Alaska, check out our options here! Make sure to pin so you can come back to this post. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram for some of our day-to-day adventures and until next time, get out and explore where you live! We've stayed at Denali National Park a few times now and while we do have a favorite spot, I took the opportunity last weekend to stay overnight at one of the famous, high-end, touristy hotels, the Grande Denali Lodge. There are a few well-known places to stay at Denali National Park. The Grande Denali Lodge is one of the most well-known because it sits up on a cliff and looks over the entrance to the park. Drivers can see it from many vantage points in the valley and it just seems so *fancy* to be hanging up there, looking down on everyone else ;) All kidding aside, I was interested in seeing what this place is all about. Living in Alaska the past few years, we've really embraced the adventure that Alaska has to offer. We're not exactly known for luxury travel but with my background in hospitality management, I'm always critiquing restaurants and hotels on what they do right or wrong and I was interested in what a "bougie-r" side of Alaska would look like. I booked the cheapest room they had and it cost over $400 a night, which is the most I've ever paid for a stay in Alaska, and this is how it went: First impressions, Grande Denali Lodge has it's own private road off of Parks Highway. It's a windy, dirt road that leads to the top of the cliff that the lodge sits on. I have to preface this by saying that I understand and accept humor but there is a time and place. If I'm expecting a nice stay at the most expensive place in the area, I do expect some class, and these signs gave me the wrong vibe, for sure. Once at the lodge, it wasn't entirely clear as to where to go to check in. I realized the check in was not in the actual lodge but in the restaurant. Exploring the property a little, the grounds were pretty and had gorgeous views, but I would say that they weren't "unrivaled". Alaska has epic views everywhere and, especially when you're about to explore Denali National Park, I wouldn't say the price tag for staying here is worth the view alone. I was actually staying here for a wedding and while the lodge boasts epic views, the views from the event room were the parking lot (sad face). Speaking of the parking lot, there is *very* little parking at the lodge, so if you are driving yourself, this is something to be aware of. I think most guests actually arrive by cruise coach or even the train, which is where the lodge does have it's perks. The lodge has a free shuttle service from the lodge to the train station and a few places in between, including the little "downtown" area of Denali National Park where there are shopping areas and restaurants. That being said, other resorts offer different shuttle services when needed so that would be something to look into if you are traveling to Denali National Park without a car. The next impression was the room itself. It was nice enough and I have no complaints. Actually the beds were very comfortable and the pillows...I kinda wanted to bring one home with me haha. But I will say, the inside of the the lodge could do with a real good upgrade. The main carpets were really grungy and dirty and the hallways were a little dark. I also want to add that the only reason my view had a room was because it was only a few doors down from being across from their other building which made me realize that, even though the lodge boasts epic views, more than half of the rooms on the property don't have a great view at all! So again, if you're looking for a room to stay in and want to wake up a fantastic view, this one is not worth the price tag. The last area of critique is the food! And I'm sorry to say, but I didn't even try it. I'll be honest, all the reviews I read about the on-site restaurant were probably the lowest in the area and even after talking with the one of the bartenders about where he would recommend to eat, not one of his recommendations included their restaurant. I did check out the menu and having felt like I spent too much money for just a stay, I wasn't about to spend more on sub-par, overpriced food. So I ventured out and tried some places I hadn't yet and found some really great (and cheaper!!) options instead! All in all, would I recommend staying at Grande Denali Lodge? No, I would not. I think it's an okay place but there are some much nicer, much less expensive places to stay, including some great views! So I won't leave you hanging...one might be surprised at all the different places you can stay near Denali National Park, but I daresay, one of the best places we've ever stayed in the entire state of Alaska is at Mckinley Creekside Cabins. We've been back multiple times, have enjoyed our own private cabins, the friendly staff, the incredible views, and the BEST food. They also offer a shuttle you can book ahead of time if traveling without a car, just fyi. Mckinley Creekside Cabins also includes a delicious cafe with crave-able breakfasts. They are also right next door to Panorama Pizza Pub, with delicious pizza and their beer mac and cheese is so good! Closer to the park entrance, you'll find Prospector's Historic Pizzeria and Alehouse and it's so good! We would highly recommend grabbing a bite there as well. Another place to grab some breakfast or an early lunch closer to the park entrance is The Black Bear. A great little local coffee shop that offers delicious baked goods and breakfast items (the banana bread, blueberry muffins, and breakfast burritos are *chef's kiss*). They also provide prepackaged items that you can "grab and go" on your way to your adventure.
Questions, comments, previous experiences at Grande Denali Lodge? We want to hear them in the comments!! If you have any favorite spots in Denali that we missed, let us know! If you're interested in a one-on-one chat to help plan a custom trip to Alaska, check out our options here! Make sure to pin so you can come back to this post! Don't forget to follow us on Instagram for some of our day-to-day adventures and until next time, get out and explore where you live! We all know that Alaska isn't alone in having it's own way of pronouncing names of places but Alaska is unique in it's culture and history. With that comes great pride in being Alaskan and pride in how things are done here. Even though we've lived here a relatively short time, we find ourselves cringing-on the inside, of course ;) -when a newbie or a visitor botches the name of something well known to us! Now, this post is a little in jest, because we know that some of these places are really hard to pronounce at first glance! Heck, we had to be corrected on one or two of them when we first arrived as a "Cheechako", or a newcomer to Alaska ;) I am a full believer that the best way to travel is to absorb the culture and enter the way of life of the locals, especially when traveling to places that are largely different than where we live. So if you're planning to spend some time in the great state of Alaska, we recommend starting your trip with learning how to speak like a local. So let's get started with some of the most misprounced places in Alaska. Kenai/KatmaiWe thought it best to start out with these to places in Southeast Alaska. The Kenai (KEE-nigh) Peninsula is actually a borough in Alaska and is home to some of the most scenic areas in the state. You'll drive down the Kenai Peninsula to get to some incredible places that bring a lot of tourists. Katmai (kat-my) National Park being one of those tourist attractions, is an island at the end of the peninsula famous for volcanos and bear viewing. KasilofKasilof (kuh-SEE-loff) is a town about an hour outside of Homer, which is the "end of the road" on the Kenai Peninsula. Kasilof is derived from Reka Kasilova - the name Russian settlers gave the river. SoldotnaAbout 15 minutes from Kasilof, further up the peninsula, you'll get to Soldotna (sole-DOT-nuh). The origin of the name is debated but most residents believe it comes from the native Dena'ina word ts'eldat'nu meaning "trickling down creek". Cooper Landing45 miles up the Sterling Highway, you'll find Cooper Landing. I'll own up and say that I've mispronounced this one! This one seems like an easy one, but you can spot a Cheechako as soon as they call it "Cooper's Landing". There are a few places where newcomers struggle with this, including Hatcher Pass and Cook Inlet. Don't add the s, unless you want to look like a tourist! SewardInstead of continuing up the peninsula, we're hitting the Seward Highway and heading south. Seward (SOO-urd) is an incredible city that we've visited a few times. It's a great jumping off place for glacier and wildlife cruises into the Kenai Fjords (please don't pronounce the j in Fjords! ;) Seward was actually named after William H. Seward who was the U.S. Secretary of State who negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867. Chugach Mountain RangeAs you drive back up to Anchorage, you'll pass the beautiful Chugach (Chew-gatch) Mountain Range. The Chugach National Forest is almost double the size of New Hampshire, coming in at over 17,300 square miles. We highly recommend a visit to Girdwood and taking a ride up the Alyeska (a-lee-es-kuh) Aerial Tramway to take in the view. ValdezSpeaking of the Chugach, on the other side of the range, you'll find another popular destination for tourists and locals alike, Valdez (val-deez). This is another spot that we've thoroughly enjoyed, and defend when it's incorrectly pronounce ;) You can read about our visit to this beautiful place here. Knik GlacierOn the Northern end of the Chugach Mountains, you'll find the 25 mile long Knik (kuh-nick) Glacier, one of the largest glaciers in Southeast Alaska. In this one, the K is definitely not silent and we highly recommend a tour by helicopter to this must-see location. Denali National ParkDenali National Park, home to Denali - the tallest peak in North America, is a pronunciation up for debate. Though you may hear it as "de-NA-lee" (rhymes with Sally) from some locals, others will defend that it's pronounced "de-NAH-lee" (rhymes with Molly). Given that the name derives from the native Athabascan word "deenaalee" meaning "the high one" we would argue that Molly of Denali has it right. NenanaNorth of Denali, as you drive to Fairbanks, you'll pass through a little town called Nenana (nee-NAN-uh), home to the Nenana ice classic. We've touched a little bit on that here, This pronunciation caught us up when we first arrived because of the Tanana (TA-nuh-nuh) River. So close yet so different KetchikanThe "Salmon Capital of the World" Ketchikan (keh-chuh-kan) is a popular cruise port for Alaskan cruises. It is the southern most entrance at Alaska's inside passage, where we first stepped foot in our new home state and the first city of which we botched the pronunciation. UnalaskaOn the other side of Southern Alaska, you'll find a small island called Unalaska (oon-alaska). "Ounalashka" is a native word meaning "near the peninsula" and there is nothing un-Alaskan about it ;) KotzebueKotzebue (cot-suh-byoo), "the gateway to the arctic", is a city just above the arctic circle in the northwest part of Alaska. Might not be as visited by tourists but we did need to add it to our list only because it's super fun to say :D TokTok (long o - rhymes with joke) is about 190 miles east of Fairbanks. It is "the sled dog capital of Alaska". We passed through Tok when we took the ALCAN highway to get to Fairbanks. It was probably the biggest town we passed through on our trip once we left the lower 48, which made it a great refueling and bathroom break point, but that's about all our experience with this town. ChickenOkay, Chicken is definitely not a hard one to pronounce, but we thought we'd add it here as a fun fact. Chicken, Alaska is located about 5 hours east of Fairbanks. It was settled by gold miners in the early 1900s and when they couldn't agree on the correct spelling of "ptarmigan" (tar-muh-gn) - a local grouse - they decided to call the town Chicken, which is basically the same as ptarmigan, right? Needless to say, the name stuck. It's a very quirky town, only home to about 10 year round residents, though it does host a music festival dubbed "Chickenstock" every summer.
Now that you know how to say some of the places in Alaska, here's a few more tips on how to not sound like a tourist. The easiest way to spot a Cheechako is if they call it a "snowmobile" instead of a "snow machine". True Alaskans will look at you like you're crazy, haha - it's a pit I've fallen into before. Also, for the love of all that is holy, the "l" in "salmon" is SILENT!! So how did you do? Did some of these pronunciations surprise you? Please let us know if we missed any or if you have questions on some we didn't cover! We're certain with this beginners list, you may just be able to pass off as a true "Sourdough" - Alaska slang for a long time Alaskan, or the opposite of a Cheechako ;) If you're interested in a one-on-one chat to help plan a custom trip to Alaska, check out our options here! Comments or questions? We'd love to hear them! Make sure to pin so you can come back to this post! Don't forget to follow us on Instagram for some of our day-to-day adventures and until next time, get out and explore where you live! Well, our 4 feet of snow and ice has melted from our yard, the rivers and ponds are melted and the lakes are starting to thaw, it's midnight sun season (meaning the sun doesn't dip far enough below the horizon to allow for darkness) and those infamous Alaskan mosquitos are out in full force! "Green Up Day" has been declared this past week and all of this together means it's officially summer in interior Alaska! In most places around the world, the greening up of plants after winter happens so gradually, you hardly notice the change but in interior Alaska the transformation from brown to green happens so fast that it literally is declared as a single day. When we say that it happens "overnight", it's not just a saying. And every year, it fills us with so much happiness after a winter wonderland for the last 8 months. For this post, I asked Jon what his favorite part about summer is and his exact words were, "It's not winter." Haha :D He also said, "I'll take 20 mosquitos gnawing on me at any given time over not being able to go outside because it's too cold." And I agree! But you don't have to experience the harsh contrast between winter and summer to appreciate the absolute paradise that Alaska becomes in this season. Summer offers a variety of activities that keep us entertained during the never ending daylight and this list can only be used as a jumping off point for all there is to do here. So here it goes, in no particular order, 10 things to do in Fairbanks in the summer: 1. Gold PanningIf you know anything about Alaska, you know that gold quite literally put Fairbanks on the map (as well as most other places in this giant state). When the ground thaws and the rivers are flowing again, gold panning is a favorite past time still and is fun for all ages. There are a few different tourist locations to try your hand and learn the special techniques of gold panning in Faibanks, our favorite being Gold Daughters. The entrance fee includes a choose-your-own adventure if you will, where you'll choose the bag of pay dirt that is guaranteed to have gold inside, priced depending on the size of nuggets in each bag, as well as an unlimited amount of pay dirt from their pile for guests to practice (from which we have found our own gold flecks). Your group gets a personal guide to instruct, answer questions and offer help for the best success. Afterwards, they clean your gold for you to take home and you'll be catching gold fever in no time. Pro tip: if you feel you are ready to go out on your own, the knowledgeable guide can answer questions on where you can pan without a claim. 2. Reindeer YogaReindeer Yoga is a truly unique experience that we're not sure you'll find anywhere else in the world. If you've been around here before, you may be tired of us talking about reindeer yoga, but that just goes to show that this is an activity that we love to participate in in the summer. This activity is offered at Running Reindeer Ranch only in the summer and their schedule can be viewed on their website, though we do recommend going earlier in the season when the reindeer calves are just oh so tiny and cute. 3. Fairbanks River CruiseThis is an activity we've talked about before as well and you can read all about our experience here. We have to include this activity on this list because we believe this tour is a great experience for locals and tourists alike. Nothing screams Alaska summer more than cruising down the Chena river on a historic sternwheeler learning about the history of the locals and what put Fairbanks on the map. 4. Visit Pioneer ParkSpeaking of the history of Fairbanks, we love visiting Pioneer Park (aka Alaska land for long term locals) in the summer. The park contains original buildings and cabins from the early days of Fairbanks all on one little walking street called "Gold Rush Town". On Saturdays in the summer, the "town" comes alive with people dressed in period clothing giving free tours of these buildings and talking about what life was life back in the day. The park also includes a train museum and Alaska's oldest operating steam locomotive offering rides around the border of the park. We love exploring this park even when there aren't any scheduled events but you can find when those are on their website. 5. Explore a botanical GardenWe love visiting the University of Alaska - Fairbanks campus throughout the year. Their Museum of the North holds some fascinating exhibits, including a 36,000 year old mummified steppe bison. But when it's summer, Alaskans want to spend as much time outside as possible and the university campus has venues for doing just that as well. Their botanical garden consists of 8 acres dedicated to the research and education of local horticulture. Make sure to check their website for current events they host but you can also just drop in and explore the garden at your leisure. 6. Shop Local at the Farmers MarketThe Tanana Valley Farmers Market, located in Fairbanks, is the oldest established farmers market in Alaska. Growers and artists through out the Tanana Valley - an area larger than the state of Indiana - gather throughout the season in one place to offer the best of local produce and handicrafts. We definitely frequent the market for the shawarma and kettle corn ;) but we love taking visitors to the market to find unique souvenirs too! 7. tour a peony farmMany are surprised to learn that Alaska is a big player in the world wide cut flower market, specifically when you're talking about peonies. Alaska is the only place in the world you can buy peonies in peak wedding season from July-September and as such, peony farms are easy to come by in the summer! While there are a few u-pick peony farms around the Fairbanks area, we recently came across a farm in Fairbanks that offers tours! Boreal Peonies offers tours and teach about how peonies are farmed and shipped to locations around the world. Of course, you get to take home some fresh cut peonies after the tour which is a win in my book! 8. KayakingMinnesota may be "the land of 10,000 lakes" but Alaska is the land of over 3 million lakes! Only a little over 3,000 of these lakes are actually named due to the size of the state and the remote wilderness covering the majority of it. But because of all these bodies of water, there is an enormous opportunity for water sports - our favorite being kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding, etc. Some of the larger, more popular lakes around Fairbanks are Tanana Lakes Recreation Area as well as Chena Lakes Recreation area. Both lakes offer rentals and if you check the website, every so often Tanana Lakes Recreation offers free lessons for these activities, though you do usually have to register in advance. 9. FishingSpeaking of lakes and water activities, fishing is a popular activity all summer long. The lakes around Fairbanks are stocked with Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Northern Pike, Arctic Grayling, Arctic Char, and King Salmon. There are a few fishing equipment rental areas in town and you can purchase a fishing license online. Jon has had a great time trying different lures and methods and has proposed his own blog post on what he's learned. Let us know if this interests you! 10. Berry PickingLast but not least, berry picking certainly is a favorite summer past time for me! Starting in early June, the wild strawberries start to pop up! These tiny, sweet morsels are literally nature's candy! You'll also find wild raspberry bushes throughout the summer and as it get later in the season, the blueberries start popping up. Wild Alaska blueberries are actually a superfood! They hold 10x the antioxidants than the berries you'll find in any store and they're organic and FREE! Can't get any better than that! And even later in the season, you'll find low-bush cranberries - aka lingonberries - which are super fun to hunt for as well. There are many other edible berries that Alaskans will forage for but these are the most well known. No true Alaskan will give away their berry picking spot ;) so be on the lookout! They really are everywhere, if you know what to look for!
Summer in Alaska is short and sweet so it's only fitting that the sun never goes down, allowing us to cram all our favorite activities into this short season. If you haven't been to Alaska in the summertime, we highly recommend it! If you have been, did we get all your favorites in this list? Let us know what you would add! If you're interested in a one-on-one chat to help plan a custom trip to Alaska, check out our options here! Comments or questions? We'd love to hear them! Make sure to pin so you can come back to this post! Don't forget to follow us on Instagram for some of our day-to-day adventures and until next time, get out and explore where you live! It's no surprise that tourism is a major industry in Alaska. Fairbanks, being the second largest city in the enormous state is no exception. Many activities bring tourists to the area - some of the more well known being northern lights viewing, dog sledding, and that it's a great jumping off point for Arctic Circle tours and visiting Denali National Park. Even cruise ship excursions include visiting Santa's house in North Pole in their itineraries. These are all worthy reasons to visit Fairbanks but this post is dedicated to some of the major activities you can do that you may not know about! And so, in no particular order, here's 10 things you didn't know you could do in Fairbanks, Alaska. 1. Visit the Fountainhead Antique Car MuseumOkay, this one might actually be rated one of the top attractions in Fairbanks on TripAdvisor but we had to put it on our list because even a lot of locals haven't been to this gem. The Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum is home to 95 pre-WWII automobiles and is one of the premier vintage car museums in the world. They also have a vintage fashion collection that is considered to be the most extensive in the Pacific Northwest. Visiting this museum is literally like stepping back in time and it was so fascinating to learn about the unique challenges that were overcome with bringing automobiles to Alaska. It was truly fun for the whole family and we highly recommend a visit to this spot when visiting Fairbanks. Speaking of cars in Fairbanks, here's a completely random fun fact: Many car companies bring new car models to Fairbanks to test out how they will perform in the extreme cold weather! 2. Go Scuba DivingNot gonna lie, if this one doesn't blow your mind a little bit, then we don't know what will haha. At Test The Waters in North Pole, you can take a few different scuba diving courses including a 3-day ice diving certification course. Granted, we've never taken the course but we drive by this business frequently and it always intrigues us, so if you happen to do it, please let us know how it goes!! 3. Soak in some Hot SpringsChena Hot Springs is Alaska's most popular and accessible hot springs. It definitely is a popular tourist attraction but it's not always a well known thing to put on an itinerary for someone visiting for the first time, especially when there's so much do on the property. First off, the hot springs there are pretty decent, as far as hot springs go. They are also an incredible spot to view the northern lights if you happen to visit during aurora season! The grounds at the resort are beautiful and there are a lot of different activities to do including fat bike rentals, horse back riding, a few different sled dog tours, ATV tours, float trips, snow machine tours, ice fishing, and visiting the famous ice hotel (note that some of these are dependent on time of year). In our opinion, while we do recommend a visit here, we cannot, in good conscience, recommend an overnight stay here due to our own experience, or even a meal at their restaurant - which might make a visit a little difficult since it's about 90 miles into the middle of nowhere. But that being said, the adventure to be had there may just be worth it. 4. Take a river cruiseIn all the research we did before moving to Alaska, we didn't know you could take a river cruise along the Chena River until we arrived. And once we took the tour, we knew we had to recommend it to visitors! We actually did an entire blog post on it just by itself so you can read all about the details here. This all encompassing tour teaches all about the modern and even ancient history of the Fairbanks area. The tour starts and ends at "Steamboat Springs", modeled after a trading post but essentially a gift shop complete with Alaskan souvenirs and concessions. Even if we don't talk you into going on the cruise, this gift shop is worth a visit. Not only is it the best souvenir shop in Fairbanks because of their selection and prices, but here you can also enter the 40 below chamber and get a little taste of what Fairbanks is like during the winter. Entering the cooler set to -40 degrees is free but you can pay to get your picture taken next to the thermometer. 5. eat some thai foodThis one might seem a little strange but hear me out. With 24 Thai restaurants for the 32.000 residents, Fairbanks has been called the Thai food capital of the world. Many locals have their favorites but we recommend Thai House for indulging in this tasty cuisine. We'll take a regular delivery of the fresh spring rolls and curry, please! 6. Grab some Pickle PizzaSpeaking of food, this one is a must-eat! Made from scratch and baked in a wood fired oven, Hungry Robot is definitely the best pizza in town. While you can grab some classic favorites here, locals don't go for the "pepperoni and cheese." Specializing in unique flavor combinations, and different specials each week, this is a place you can't miss. Here you can find a "Thai pizza" referencing Fairbanks love for Thai food as stated above and even a "Gringo" complete with refried beans and ground beef. At the time of this blog post, the special this week is a "chicken and waffle" pizza but hands down, our favorite is the "Dilly Dilly" with a garlic cream sauce and LOADED with pickles. Don't knock it til you try it! It might very well become your favorite. 7. Watch a baseball game....at midnightThe Alaska Goldpanners are a collegiate baseball team that host the famous "Midnight Sun Baseball Game". Should your visit to Alaska be during the summer solstice (June 21), we recommend grabbing your sunglasses and catching the first pitch at 10pm for the Midnight Sun Baseball Game. Even though the game is played through midnight there is no need for lights because the sun never sets on this game. 8. Take a yoga class...with reindeerYou've heard of beach yoga, you've heard of goat yoga, but have you heard of Reindeer Yoga? This class is so fun, especially when taken towards the beginning of the summer season when the reindeer calves are only a few weeks old (so cute!!) While we highly recommend this activity, (and the instructor is great!) we do have to warn you that there may be more playing with reindeer and less actual yoga ;) 9. Attend the World Eskimo-Indian OlympicsOver the past 60 years, Alaskan natives have gathered in Fairbanks for the annual World Eskimo-Indian Olympics held every July. The games' purpose is to promote and preserve Alaskan Native Culture and as such, the games you watch here don't resemble what you'd see at the Summer Olympics. Many of the games stem from ancient traditions in the Alaskan Native cultures, including "The Four Man Carry" -testing for strength for hunters being able to carry the game caught while out hunting. Or the "Ear Pull" or "Ear Weight" games, designed to simulate the frostbite pain and test endurance of such an occurrence. Or my favorite, the "blanket toss" when contestants are tossed into the air by 40-50 people holding a giant seal-skin blanket and are judged by how they maintain grace and balance while being tossed high into the air. With all the ways to learn about the ancient culture of Alaska, this one has got to be the most entertaining! 10. Inspect the "Blue Babe"The "Blue Babe" is a 36,000-year-old mummified steppe bison that was perfectly preserved in the permafrost in interior Alaska from the Ice Age until it was discovered in the late 70s. It's so well preserved you can still see the claw marks and tooth punctures in the skin made by the America Lion that killed it so long ago. It must've frozen rather quickly so other animals couldn't eat it, giving us so many clues to the ancient past. The blue color of the bison comes from a mineral called vivianite that forms when minerals on the fossils react to the ground they're buried in, or maybe it was an ancestor to Paul Bunyan's beloved Ox ;) This incredible find is on display at the University of Alaska - Fairbanks (UAF) Museum of the North. Honorable Mentions
Win a rubber duckie race
Each summer, residents of Fairbanks participate in a rubber duckie race. 8,000 rubber ducks are dropped into the Chena River and race down to Cushman Street Bridge. Prizes are awarded to the first forty ducks, and the pink and yellow ticket holders associated with those duck's numbers! Pink tickets are $5 and yellow tickets are $10. You always know when the race is coming up because there are *giant* rubber ducks stationed at businesses around town that participate in selling entry tickets. We've had people ask if there is any gambling in Alaska. These are the only gambling activities that we know of and both a super fun :) We know there is so much to do and see in Alaska, and most visitors have so much to see and so little time, but Fairbanks really is in a league of it's own and we hope we put it on your bucket list! If you're interested in a one-on-one chat to help plan a custom trip to Alaska, check out our options here! Comments or questions? We'd love to hear them! Make sure to pin so you can come back to this post! Don't forget to follow us on Instagram for some of our day-to-day adventures and until next time, get out and explore where you live! You know I'm always down for a good family adventure, but sometimes this "Adventure Mama" needs a little recharge. A trip to pack for that doesn't include worrying that I didn't bring enough diapers or wipes or snacks or toys. An adventure that doesn't include worrying about "potty breaks" and nap times and who's taking the next turn sitting in the car with the kid that's having a meltdown ;) I was lucky enough to be able to take such a trip this last weekend and it was definitely one for the books! About 7 hours south of Fairbanks (or 2 hours north of Anchorage) sits the largest glacier in the U.S. that is accessible by car. Matanuska Glacier (pronounced Mat-tan-ooska) is 27 miles long and 4 miles wide. This glacier is the most popular roadside attraction between Anchorage and Glenallen, especially in the summer season when tourists flock to the site. I definitely have had this glacier on my bucket list for a bit but I was more interested in seeing it during the off season, when things are just a little more frozen and interesting - and easier to access. While there are a few areas to see the glacier, the only way to get up close and personal is through a guided tour. It was for this sole purpose that this trip was planned. I invited my best adventure friend along for the ride and we set out for our mom trip starting with a drive to Palmer, Alaska. We booked my favorite cabin in Palmer - at Hatcher Pass Cabins - to stay in for 2 nights. It was beautiful weather and a wonderful drive. We checked into our cabin with contactless check in and we were set for the night! Hatcher Pass Cabins come with full bathroom and kitchen amenities. We brought our own food for breakfast and lunch with the intention of eating out for dinner. I love these cabins because, even though they are right off the highway, they feel very secluded from being tucked away into the trees. They are clean and homey and make for a perfect, cozy, Alaskan stay. The next morning we slept in - mom trip must, obviously - and left around 10AM to arrive at Matanuska Glacier at 11:30 for our 12:00 tour with Glacier Tours. It was super easy to find with our GPS. The drive was gorgeous with views of the snow covered Chugach Mountain Range. Once we got off the highway to access the glacier, it was definitely maintained but not paved. With Spring right around the corner, it was a little pot-holey in places but not bad and only a short few miles to the tour check-in spot. We parked and went in to sign the waiver and pay the fee and then were directed to drive another 2 miles to the start of the tour. After taking a little bathroom break (because there are no bathrooms past this spot!) we drove to meet our tour guide and get outfitted for the elements. While we were instructed to dress for the weather (snow pants, coat, hat, gloves, scarf, boots, etc...) the tour company provided us with crampons, or ice cleats, for easy ice hiking. From living in the Fairbanks area, we weren't too concerned with being cold (actually we were more concerned with being too warm due to the differences in temperatures just from back home that we used to haha) but the lady who checked us in complimented us on being appropriately dressed and said that we'd be surprised at the number of people they have to turn away for not dressing for the occasion so keep that one in mind! After getting fitted with our crampons, we joined our tour group and started on our way. Being winter, the river was frozen over so it was easy walking across the ice to get to the face of the glacier. It was important to stay on the trail, though. The ice is tested constantly and the trail can even change day-to-day based on the movement of the ice so it is important to listen to the guide for the safest experience. Our tour was 15 people including the guide and the tour lasted close to 2 hours. It was a very mild "hike" and while our group didn't include children, there were a few groups ahead and behind us with multiple children so it is doable! Honestly, I'm not sure my kids would be able to stay on the path haha but I'll leave that to parent discretion. The guide told us about the glacier and how it's formed. He taught about the movement of the ice and mentioned how it looks different in the summer. He took us to some very picturesque views and we even climbed into a narrow ice tunnel, which was definitely a highlight! But the real show stopper was getting to the face of the glacier, which was truly spectacular. The glacier face is about 250 feet thick of ice and was an incredible sight! We took our time enjoying the view and then we followed a tight trail out to the river again where we were met with a few snow machines pulling sleds to bring us back to where we started our tour. It was an awesome adventure and so fun to cross off the bucket list! I'm not sure how the hike goes in the summer when things are...less frozen haha but I can't imagine it offers better views! If you can swing a trip in the winter season, we definitely recommend! Though I'm sure the summer season is okay too ;) The rest of our mom trip included stopping at the Poppy Lane Mercantile in Palmer. It's a cute little store full of Alaska-made products from local vendors to the state and is a great place to stop for some quality souvenirs. The next morning we slept in again and after a quick breakfast, we left for a gorgeous drive back to Fairbanks complete with a few glimpses of the elusive Denali Peaks. A few notes for if you do make this drive in the off-season...rest stops are not open so take advantage of the few gas stations you pass on the way! Want to check out some other glaciers? Check out our posts on Portage Glacier and Knik Glacier, Castner Glacier ice cave, or even Valdez Glacier Lake. If you're interested in a one-on-one chat to help plan a custom trip to Alaska, check out our options here! Make sure to pin for future reference and follow us on Instagram for more of our day to day adventures. Until next time, get out and enjoy where you live!
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AuthorWe're just a military family enjoying where we live, one PCS at a time. Follow us as we explore our current home, South Carolina, and beyond. The world is our backyard. Archives
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