Welcome to the most comprehensive online travel guide for Alaska, Western Canada and Northwest USA

 

1. See McKinley in a Whole New Way

 

One of the best-known names in Alaska flightseeing, Rust's Flying Service, offers a multi-day trip to Denali National Park starting in mid-June. The trip takes off from Anchorage and lands at Backside Lake, within sight of Mount McKinley and Ruth Glacier and amid the tallest peaks in North America. The trip includes roundtrip air transport from Lake Hood Seaplane Base to the foot of McKinley, several days of guided hiking inside Denali National Park as well as meals and required equipment. Visit www.flyrusts.com/national-parks-hiking.html.

 

2. Dive into New Exhibits

 

The Anchorage Museum always has something new going on, so be sure to visit this grand museum complex.  More information on the museum is available at www.anchoragemuseum.org.

 

With Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson just north of downtown, Anchorage is home to a strong military community. The Alaska Veterans Museum (AVM) in downtown Anchorage tells the stories of individual military service members through uniforms, artifacts, memorabilia, photos, posters and more. The museum’s flight simulator can model 200 different military and civilian aircraft. The museum is in the Fourth Avenue Market Place, but AVM is also raising funds for a new, permanent home already on the drawing board. For more information, visit http://alaskaveterans.com.

 

3. Get Chills Without Low Temps

 

Ghost Tours of Anchorage offers a tour of downtown Anchorage and its supernatural side. Guide and co-owner Rick Goodfellowl leads a daily 90 minute walking tour of Anchorage history and mystery. Goodfellow personally collected the tales of historical events, ghostly apparitions and weird happenings from the people who lived through them. For times and booking information, visit www.ghosttoursofanchorage.com or call (907) 27G-HOST.

 

4. Explore New Spaces in an Old Favorite

 

A popular shop, restaurant and attraction have each expanded. Sevigny Studios, the gallery run by popular Anchorage artist Katie Sevigny, moved into a new, bigger space in the fall of 2010 and is now able to display more works at once. Swing through the shop on Fourth Avenue, or get a taste of the artist’s work at www.katiesevignyart.org. A few blocks east on Fifth Avenue, Ginger expanded into an empty property adjoining the restaurant. The new bar and added tables are a perfect match for the restaurant’s cool aesthetic and Asian-inspired dishes. Peruse the menu at www.gingeralaska.com. The Alaska Native Heritage Center also has added a new meeting space, built in the style of the region’s Dena'ina Athabascans. With demonstrations of Native Alaska dance and sport, and traditional dwellings from all of Alaska’s Native cultures, the center is a “must” stop on any Anchorage itinerary. Visit www.alaskanative.net for schedule and bookings.