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Activities:
Anchorage has some interesting historic sights and museums including The
Anchorage Museum of History and Art and The Alaska Aviation Heritage
Museum. It is the starting point for the annual Iditarod - the
world-renowned dog-sled race. The Alaska Zoo is also worth visiting, as
is nearby Chugach State Park.
The Anchorage Opera has three productions per season. The Anchorage
Symphony is directed by Maestro Randall Craig Fleischer. You should also
visit the Alaska Documentary Theater, which produces a documentary and
drama of the great outdoors called, "Alaska the Greatland."
Attractions:
The Portage-Glacier Recreation Area provides a parking area with a clear
view across Portage Lake. Chugach State Park offers wildlife displays, wildlife
watching, nature walks, hiking, cross-country skiing, and is known for its
rivers, lakes, and view of the Chugach Mountains.
The Alaska Center for the Performing Arts occupies a modern
brick-and-glass building on a prime location in downtown Anchorage. The lobby is
decorated with Native Alaskan masks. IMAX films about wolves and Alaska are
shown daily in summer, along with a slide show on the Northern Lights. The
Center offers free tours on Wednesdays and Fridays at 1 pm. The park next door
has brightly colored flowers in the summer months.
The William A. Egan Civic & Convention Center building combines Native
Alaskan art and modern technology in a wonderfully complementary manner. The
lobby displays the beautiful "Beaded Sky Curtain," a tribute to Alaska's
Northern Lights.
Kincaid Park is a wonderful spot for winter activities: There are many
cross-country ski trails with different skill levels. In summer, the ski trails
become dirt trails for challenging bike rides.
Events:
January:
- Holiday Dolls and Toys Exhibit at the
Anchorage Museum concludes
February:
- Annual Fur Rendezvous Winter Carnival
March:
- Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race begins
- Tour of Anchorage
April:
- Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race continues
May:
- Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race continues
- Saturday Market begins
June:
- Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race concludes
- Saturday Market continues
- AWAIC Solstice Festival
- Annual Juneteenth Celebration
- Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon
July:
- Saturday Market continues
- Golden Days
August:
- Saturday Market continues
September:
- Saturday Market concludes
- Alaska Airlines Annual "Autumn Classics"
October:
- Alaska Native Heritage Center Annual Bridal
Fair
- Thursday Night at the Fights
- Make It Alaskan Festival
- OctoBear Fest at the Alaska Zoo
- A T-Rex Named Sue Exhibit
- Scared Scriptless Comedy Improv
- Annual Oktoberfest
- Nye Frontier Hockey Classic
November:
- All Alaska Juried Art Exhibition
- Thursday Night at the Fights
- Annual Dickens Holiday Food & Gift Festival
- Annual Crafts Weekend at the Museum
- Annual Crafts Emporium at the Egan Center
- Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout
- Tree Lighting Ceremony
- Holiday Dolls and Toys Exhibit at the
Anchorage Museum begins
December:
- Holiday Dolls and Toys Exhibit at the
Anchorage Museum continues
Landmarks:
Alaska Zoo: The state's only zoo, this small facility houses bears,
moose, musk ox, seals and other Alaskan wildlife, along with more exotic
species, including an African elephant. The star attractions are Ahpun the polar
bear and Oreo the grizzly bear, who live in the same cage and grew up together
at the zoo.
4th Avenue Theater: Much of the art-deco design has been preserved in
this 1947 movie theater, one of the few buildings to make it through the 1964
earthquake with little damage. Floor-to-ceiling brass and copper murals
depicting life in Alaska during the 1940s have been restored, as have the
ceiling lights that mark the Big Dipper. The Cook Inlet Players do a comedy show
here.
The Oscar Anderson House is one of Anchorage's oldest residences. This
small two-story house was constructed in 1915 by Swedish butcher Oscar Anderson.
It has been furnished to represent the city's early days. Guided tours last 30
minutes.
Earthquake Park marks the spot where 75 homes were destroyed when huge
chunks of land slid into Cook Inlet during the 1964 earthquake. A short trail is
well marked with educational signs and interpretive displays that provide
information about the earthquake (it registered 9.2 on the Richter Scale), local
geology, and native wildlife.
Tiny downtown Resolution Park surrounds a life-size statue of James Cook,
who sailed into Cook Inlet in 1778 in search of the Northwest Passage. A wooden
viewing platform and telescopes allow good views of Mt. McKinley and the Alaska
Range, along with several active volcanoes and the low summit of Mt. Susitna,
also known as the Sleeping Lady.
Museums and Exhibits:
- Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum
- Alaska Trooper Museum
- Alaska Museum of Natural History
- Alaska Public Lands Information Center
- Anchorage Museum of History and Art
- Crow Creek Mine
- Crow Creek Pass Trail
- Fort Richardson Fish and Wildlife Center
- Girdwood
- Heritage Library Museum
- Imaginarium
- Independence Mine State Historical Park
- The Resurrection Pass Trail
- Wolf Song of Alaska Museum and Information
Center
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