Anchorage Points of Interest
An Alaska adventure should begin with a visit to the Log Cabin and Downtown Information Centers. Here, a friendly and knowledgeable staff provides helpful information, along with the occasional story of Alaska pioneer days. Directly behind the authentic sod-roofed cabin is Historic City Hall. Weekdays during summer, a guided historic walking tour departs from its lobby. Within walking distance there are numerous art galleries, specialty gift stores and countless small craft shops.
Nearby points of interest include several museums. The Alaska State Trooper Museum tells the story of the officers who brought law and order to the Last Frontier. The Anchorage Museum is a world-class facility with a fascinating depiction of Alaska's history and art of the far north. Open year-round, the Museum also features permanent and traveling exhibits, special programs and many annual events.
Each summer the Oscar Anderson House Museum opens its doors to visitors. One of the first houses to be built in Anchorage, many of the original artifacts belonging to the family remain in the home to this day.
Anchorage's only art deco building, the 4th Avenue Theatre, displays huge murals on the walls of the theatre depicting scenes from Alaska history. Each summer, trolley tours depart for Anchorage city tours.
Learn of Alaska’s diverse Native cultures through performing and demonstrating artists, films, displays, and exhibits at the Alaska Native Heritage Center. Experience the Welcome House and five traditional outdoor villages. A free shuttle departs from Heritage Gifts located downtown in the Village at Ship Creek Center.
Just outside of downtown, Earthquake Park commemorates the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake - the most powerful tremor ever recorded in North America. See where huge tracts of land slid into the inlet, destroying 75 homes. Downtown at The Alaska Experience Center a movie presentation of the 1964 earthquake is shown year-round, and visitors can gaze upon Alaska’s vast landscape and abundant wildlife in Alaska the Greatland. See the latest in IMAX presentations and dazzling displays of the Northern Lights, shown daily each summer, at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts.
More than 800 take-offs and landings occur on a peak day at the world’s largest floatplane harbor in the world, Lake Hood. Nearby, the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum displays vintage aircraft and tells the story of Alaska’s unique aviation history.
Visitors in search of wildlife are guaranteed to spot four types of Alaska bears, musk ox, moose, reindeer and more at the Alaska Zoo. Open year-round, the zoo offers a home for injured, abandoned, and endangered animals of the north. The Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge at Potter Marsh is another hot spot for spotting wildlife. A boardwalk allows visitors access to Anchorage’s precious wetlands. Signs depict the wildlife that thrives in the area, including waterfowl, salmon, moose, and a variety of birds.
For information on the many additional Southcentral Alaska points of interest, explore www.anchorage.net/attractions.
