Location: Anchorage
Top Things to do in Anchorage
Top 10 Museums in Anchorage, Alaska (AK)
Set amid the coastal Chugach Mountains, Anchorage defies popular visions of polar ice caps and frozen tundra. It’s also warmer than you think (averaging 65 degrees in summer), making conditions ideal for sight-seeing or taking on uniquely Alaskan opportunities like arctic biking or touring the fjords of Prince William Sound. In the winter, you can ski, dogsled or do both simultaneously by "skijoring," which is cross-country skiing while being towed by a dog. Hey, it's no crazier a winter sport than the biathlon.
Restaurants in Anchorage
1. Heritage Library and Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 8 reviews
Home to numerous Alaskan paintings and cultural artifacts as well as a small library with Alaskan literature.
2. Stephan Fine Arts Gallery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
3. Zoez Window Gallery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2 reviews
4. Alaska Native Medical Center Craft Shop
5. Arctic Light Gallery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 5 reviews
We have the only fine art nature photo gallery in the city of Anchorage. We feature images from Alaska, the Arctic, the American West and Hawaii, captured by our owner, award-winning photographer Carl Johnson. Visitors to the gallery are invited to enjoy our grounds featuring a vegetable garden, peony and perennial garden, rose garden, and wild habitat. Since visiting our gallery is an experience itself, we are an appointment-only gallery. Simply give us a call to arrange your visit!
6. Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 240 reviews
The Alaska Aviation Museum is located in the heart of Alaska aviation. It sits on the south shore of Lake Hood, the busiest seaplane base in the world, with more than 87,000 takeoffs and landings per year. A half-mile away is Ted Stevens International Airport, the air crossroads of the world. You can watch takeoffs and landings right from the museum. The museum presents one of the finest displays of Alaskan aviation history with many interactive displays, memorabilia, photographs, films and artifacts from personal collections of Alaska's pioneer aviators.
Reviewed By ransom007 - Anaheim, United States
The museum has free parking. You actually cross an aircraft taxiing area to get to the museum. It, frankly, does not look very impressive from the outside; but it is much more impressive once you get inside. There is an excellent history of flight in Alaska. There is a film about the Japanese invasion and occupation of some of the Aleutian Islands during World War II. There are several planes on exhibit inside the hangars that comprise the museum and several more outside. You can also walk across to the observation tower and watch and listen to the activity of the small plane airport. There is also a gift shop.
7. Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,555 reviews
Alaska's largest museum focusing on art, history, science and culture of Alaska.
Reviewed By bikegem - Penngrove, United States
Wow. We had a few hours to kill during Fur Rondy and decided to visit this museum and are we glad we did. It was one of the highlights of our trip to Anchorage. The art in this museum is amazing....from romantic naturalism to modern art (mostly done by Aative Alaskans), we were in awe of the depth and breadth of the collection. Especially loved the Idiot String art piece and the different paintings of the wonderful Alaskan countryside. Very skillfully displayed and arranged. The Smithsonian portion of the museum houses a very cohesive display of the different Native American Alaskan tribes, with examples of their tools, dress and artifacts, accompanied by interesting video presentations. My only complaint is that the light is very low in that portion of the museum (probably to enhance conservation) but for my old eyes, I struggled a bit. But that is just a niggly little point and shouldn't stop you from visiting! Also, the museum's restaurant and store are fabuluous!!!!
8. Wolf Song of Alaska
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2 reviews
Due to plans to evaluate upgrading our facilities, our museum, education center and museum gift shop will be closed until further notice.
9. Aurora Fine Arts Gallery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 8 reviews
10. Indian Valley Mine, National Historic Site
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 79 reviews
The main cabin, which contains the gift shop, and the assay building at Indian Valley Mine has some of the oldest structures built on the Turnagain Arm, and are listed as a National Historic Site. Indian Valley Mine offers visitors the opportunity to learn gold panning and browse through two historic cabins built in the early 1900's a small museum and gift shop, or simply sit back on one of our benches and take in the panoramic view of the Turnagain Arm.
Reviewed By pbossard
Excellent time looking around gift shop and stories told by Arlene and Roger are terrific. Also stayed at the Turnagain View Lodge which they run.
