My family and I were fortunate enough to sneak in a quick camping trip over the recent Fourth of July weekend. By way of disclaimer, or perhaps confession, I should elaborate on my family’s idea of “camping”. First we load up the RV with roughly half of the contents of our Anchorage home and head south on the Seward Highway towards our favorite “camping spot” in Cooper Landing. Even with holiday traffic, and the obligatory stop at the Girdwood “Y” bakery for apple fritters, we made the trip in right around two hours. Okay, another confession, this “camping spot” I am talking about is really in the driveway of my brother-in-law’s house who manages and lives next door to the Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge. (more…)

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This summer, the Alaska Native Heritage Center is hosting some unique artists for a very rare project funded by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. In the next few months, the creation of four carved house posts as part of the Southeast village site completion, are to be installed on the existing posts inside the house. Traditionally in Southeast Alaska, carved house posts were inside many houses to tell stories of the clan. In recognizing that the Southeast house represents many clans throughout Southeast Alaska, each of the four cultural groups (Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian) will have one post to carve a story that best defines the culture though a central theme.  Interns, students, visitors and the general public can witness the entire process of traditional Alaska Native carving that will give each of the four cultural groups equal representation inside the house. Each carved house post will tell its own story through traditional Southeast artistry. Each post will exhibit a different aspect of Respect, the core Alaska Native value this exhibit will express. The separate posts will reflect Respect for the Environment, Respect for the Culture, Respect for Family and Respect for Self as were chosen by each group. (more…)

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Many Alaska bound travelers find themselves looking for a hotel near the SeaTac airport as part of their vacation plans. Some are beginning or ending an Alaskan cruise in Seattle or Vancouver, others opt for a stopover in route to or from Alaska. With this in mind I am happy to share with you a hidden gem of a hotel my family and I recently discovered near the Seattle Tacoma airport.

Our family is heading south from Alaska this week for a vacation with friends down in Georgia and Florida. We decided break up our flight down from Anchorage to Atlanta with a stopover in Seattle, and what a great idea that turned out to be. We had a pleasant flight down with Alaska Airlines arriving mid afternoon. We made our way to the hotel courtesy transportation area, now located across the sky bridge in the parking garage. After a quick call to our hotel and short wait, a gray Ford Flex car arrived and took us on the five minute ride to the Cedarbrook Lodge. The lodge has a real green commitment and using smaller vehicles when possible is just one of their efforts to keep it green. (more…)

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We’re giving away Gold this summer! Alaska Tour & Travel is celebrating this summer’s travel season by giving away an 1-Ounce, 24k Gold Official State of Alaska Medallion to the photographer who submits the winning photo to photos@alaskatravel.com depicting Alaska’s spectacular wildlife, scenery, people or adventure.  The 24K Gold Medallion, currently valued at over $1500, is made in Anchorage, Alaska at the Alaska Mint, owned by life-long Alaskan Michael Robuck and his family.  The Alaska Mint is located at 429 W. 4th Avenue, just a block away from the Egan Convention Center and the Anchorage Visitor Center Log Cabin, is worth a visit.   The northern most Mint in the world, The Alaska Mint produces its own art work and hand makes the medallions in their Anchorage shop.   The Alaska Mint is open every day, but if you visit the shop Monday through Friday, you can observe the craftsmen as they work on the Alaska State Medallions as well as other collectable items.  The Alaska Mint also has unique historical mining displays for viewing.

Last year, we celebrated Alaska’s 50th Anniversary of Statehood by giving away Sydney Laurence’s print “Legacy of Alaska” depicting Alaska’s Mt. McKinley.  In selecting the Gold Medallion as this year’s  photo contest award, we’re satisfied that we’ve chosen a high quality, unique, Alaskan made item that is symbolic of Alaska, The Last Frontier.  Last year’s winning photographer was Jim Allen from Dover, Florida for his photo entitled “The Fisherman”, an incredible photo of an Alaska Brown Bear.  For complete details and rules, as well as to view many of last year’s photos, rules visit www.alaskatravel.com/photo-contest.

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The most common question we get regarding travel to Alaska is what will the weather be like?  If only we could tell you for sure, but weather is difficult to predict.  Alaskan summers are cooler than many visitors are used to but it is still summer – a winter parka is not necessary!  Many travelers revel in the cooler temperatures.  Alaska is a big state so the weather does vary from region to region. Alaska is a great place to visit anytime of the year although most visitors come from mid-May to mid-September.  Mid to late May is a great value time to visit Alaska – the weather is warming up, the trees are blooming and the grass gets greener every day.  June is the driest time to visit Alaska and offers the most hours of daylight – June 21st is the longest day of the year.  July is peak season in Alaska and is the warmest month of the year.  August may be a little rainier but it is generally warmer than June and the bugs have decreased.  September offers cooler temperatures but beautiful fall colors. (more…)

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You may not think a visit to a museum would normally be on your list of must see places to visit in Alaska, but a visit to the Anchorage Museum earlier this week gave me reason to believe otherwise.  I am really excited about visiting the Anchorage Museum this summer as it has been under renovation and expansion for the last three years. The Grand Opening occurs on May 22nd for the new Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center, the Imaginarium Discover Center, and the Thomas Planetarium among other new features of the museum. (more…)

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Holland America, Celebrity Cruises, and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line all use the Port of Seward as the northern end of their 7-day Alaska Glacier Cruises sailing to and from Vancouver B.C.   Seward is a fantastic location to launch further explorations in Alaska to such locations as the nearby Kenai Fjords National Park and beyond to Denali National Park. Seward is located 127 road miles from Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city.  Important because Anchorage is also the location of the South-central Alaska’s only airport that has daily domestic and international flights.   Seward and Anchorage are linked both by highway and the Alaska Railroad so cruise passengers can choose to either travel by motor coach via the scenic Seward Highway or by the Alaska Railroad. A great option that Alaska Tour & Travel operates is the Park Connection Motorcoach, our scheduled, twice daily, motor coach service between Seward and Anchorage with same day connections to Denali as well.   (more…)

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Anchorage borders Chugach State Park, America’s third largest state park, and has over 225 greenbelts, local parks, other natural creek corridors within the Anchorage area which allow seasonal movement of animals throughout the area.  As a result, living among us within the Anchorage area are several thousand moose and sheep, a couple hundred bears, and many other animals.  Most residents of Anchorage have moose regularly visit their back yards and some residents see bear, coyote, fox and an occasional wolf in their neighborhoods, on the golf courses, or while biking along a local trail.  It may be a little more difficult for visitors to observe our abundant wildlife, but it is possible given the time and opportunity.   (more…)

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