Alaska Vacation Home: Anchorage Attractions

Top Anchorage Attractions

Things To Do in Anchorage

Anchorage attractions are plentiful!

We Alaskan's say that "Anchorage is only 10 minutes from Alaska. It is said, tongue in cheek, of course. Anchorage is the gateway to the rest of Alaska. It is Alaska's airway and roadway hub.

Many Alaska vacations start and/or end in Anchorage. Don't be in such a hurry that you fail to spend some time discovering all the things to do in Anchorage.

It is never a matter of there being enough to see. It is a matter of how much Alaska can you fit into a 24 hour day!.

Pick Up An Anchorage Activities Map

You can't miss them. From the Anchorage Airport Visitors Center to every hotel lobby, you will find a fold out map called the Anchorage Activities Map. Pick one up!

It has a great map showing many of the Anchorage attractions and, basically, what to do in Anchorage.

Top Anchorage Attractions

Log Cabin Visitors Center

Located Downtown on 4th Ave, The Anchorage Log Cabin Visitor's Center is the perfect place to begin any tour of Anchorage.

Here, and at the Public Lands Information Center, you will find Alaska maps, brochures, visitor info and more.

Location: 4th Avenue and F Street 1-907-276-4118

Alaska Native Heritage Center

The Alaska Native Heritage Center is a 26-acre complex that showcases the eleven cultural groups (Natives) that call Alaska home. It features 6 full-sized Alaska Native dwellings, games, Native dances, Native art a whole lot of fun. Don't miss The Alaska Native Heritage Center

Summer 2009 May 10, 2008 - mid- September 2009 Open Daily, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Anchorage Museum of History and Art

Alaska's largest museum depicts 10,000 years of Alaska history, including native subsistence lifestyles, European exploration, Russian-American history and contemporary times. The museum gift shop features unique works from Alaska artists and artisans.

Where: 121 W. 7th Ave Open: 9am - 6pm summers Costs: $8 Adults $7 Seniors 17 & under Free

Website Phone: 1-907-343-4326

Resolution Park - Captain Cook

Resolution Park commemorates Captain Cook's exploration of Alaska's Cook Inlet in 1778. Incidentally, this was the same year that he reached Hawaii.

Captain Cook was killed in Hawaii, on that very trip.

A very intrique wood blank structure offers a fantastic elevated view of The Cook Inlet and, on a clear day, Mt. McKinley .... the highest peak in The United States.

Free Open 24hrs a Day Location: 4th and L Street

Potter Marsh

Potter Marsh is located just south of Anchorage. As you leave Anchorage, south-bound, there is no way that you can miss this Anchorage attraction.

This wildlife sanctuary is a popular bird-watching location. It's elevated boardwalks and interpretive signs make Potter Marsh a great place to see the more than 130 bird species that migrate through and/or nest in the area.

Some of the species include bald eagles, trumpeter swans, red-necked grebes, horned grebes and an occasional pair of pacific loons.

The last time we were there a Bald Eagle was doing a "fly by". I shot two short video clips of this Anchorage attraction, before my batteries ran out. Don't you hate when that happens? :(

Located just south of Anchorage

Earthquake Park

This Anchorage attraction is the site where huge tracts of land slide into the ocean Inlet, taking 75 homes with it, during the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake.

The quake centered 80 miles from Anchorage. It is the most powerful earthquake in North American history.

According to what I've read, the 1964 Anchorage earthquake released 10 million times more energy than the atomic bomb that devastated Hiroshima and 80 times more energy than the 1906 San Francisco quake.

Today, visitors can still see signs of the broke up earth. There are some great interpretive signs to read, as well. The park is an easy quarter mile walk from the parking lot.

Great views of Anchorage are to be had from this location.

Date: March 27th, 1964 at 5:36 p.m. - Only 131 deaths, most due to Tsunami(Tidal Wave)

Ship Creek

Ship Creek is a very popular place to fish. Located in the downtown area of Anchorage, Ship Creek is popular for tourist and locals alike.

Whether you want to fish, or just watch, this is the spot.

Several fishing derbies happen here during the summer!

There is a foot bridge, over the creek, perfect for observation.

Tip: Polarized sunglasses make seeing the salmon easier!

Located: Near downtown train depot. King's run mid-May thru June. King fishing closes mid-July

Lake Hood Floatplane Hub - To be added soon

Alaska Wild Berry Park and Theater - To be added soon

Eagle River Nature Center - To be added soon

Anchorage Coastal Trail System - Click to See Anchorage Coastal Trail Video! After click, scroll down a bit.