On a short trip to Seward to visit with relatives last summer, my family and I stayed at The Holiday Inn Express. We arrived late in the afternoon, after a hike at Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park near Seward. Our harbor view room was ready upon arrival and the kids were anxious to go swimming in the hotel’s pool.  Our room had views of the small boat harbor, but the hotel had a comfortable lobby with large two story windows looking out over the bay so we spent more time there visiting with our relatives then in our room. Our hotel room had two very comfortable queen beds, along with many other amenities.  Before having dinner at a nice seafood restaurant called Rays located next door, we stopped and watched the charter fishing boat captains come into the harbor and display their clients’ catch of the day – large halibut, fresh silver salmon, and ling cod prevailed as the primary fish caught.  (more…)

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The Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska is not likely similar to any aquarium you’ve ever visited and is distinctly different then a Sea World type theme park.  It is uniquely Alaskan and covers many things specific to Alaska like its eco-system, wildlife, sea life and even has an exhibit on the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. We visit the Alaska SeaLife on a regular basis.  Each and every visit we seem to discover something new.  The SeaLife center is a great family affair.  Admission is for $20 adults and $10 child (ages 4-11). The Center offers displays to keep the young minds entertained but also has informative displays for adults to learn from. The upper level is set up so you can explore everything from a salmon’s life span, touch tanks, an observation deck, and entry to three different wildlife exhibits called the Rocky Coast Gallery which has harbor seals, sea lions and sea birds.  (more…)

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This past summer my family from Maine was up visiting so naturally we took them on a day cruise into the Kenai Fjords National Park. There are many cruises to choose from but based on my experience, I recommend the 3:00pm departure. Since many visitors to Seward are only passing through for the day, or are busy taking one of the many fishing charters, they take one of the earlier departures which covers the same route but offer a more basic meal on board. Combined with an overnight in a Seward hotel the evening prior, the afternoon tour give’s you the opportunity to explore Seward in the morning, and then spend the rest of the day enjoying Kenai Fjords National Park while dining on prime rib and salmon. There are also fewer vessels touring the fjords in the afternoon which makes it a nicer experience as well.

What makes the mid-afternoon departure at 3:00pm unique is that they stop at Fox Island enroute to pick up freshly cooked barbeque salmon. For 2009, we hear they are adding prime rib to the menu. This is the same menu that is served for the 10:00am National Park Cruise which stops for a visit to Fox Island. The difference is that having the dinner on-board adds an elegant touch to a fine evening in Seward on a cruise. (more…)

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I recently took the family to Seward for the weekend. One activity that was on our list to do was to visit Exit Glacier which, outside of taking a day cruise to Kenai Fjords, is the most accessible feature of Kenai Fjords National Park. Exit Glacier is part of the Harding Ice-field which covers half of the National Park. From Seward we took a short 15 minutes drive up the Resurrection Valley along Hermain Leirer Road which follows the Resurrection River. The drive itself, which goes past the Seward Windsong Lodge made it worth while.Upon arrival we first visited the Exit Glacier Nature Center. The Nature Center provides great information on the various walks and more adventurous hikes available to further explore Exit Glacier along with the geological history of the Resurrection Valley and Exit Glacier. Rangers who staff the Nature Center also provide ranger-led hikes of the area at various times throughout the day, along with updates on glacier activity, weather. During the day that we were there, there were regular black bear sightings and the Rangers track and report these sightings so that visitors can be aware of their being in the area. (more…)

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