An ideal way to see the points of interest in downtown Anchorage is to take a walking tour. A circular route—beginning at Old City Hall, original seat of the municipal government, and ending two blocks away at the Pioneer Schoolhouse, the first school in Anchorage—provides a leisurely stroll through the city's history. Principal attractions along the way include the Ship Creek Viewpoint with a view of the site of Tanaina summer fish camps. Nearby are the David Leopold House, built in 1917 for the city's first mayor; and Boney Memorial Courthouse, housing fine examples of nineteenth-century art motifs of Alaskan natives and animals. The Oscar Anderson House Museum in Elderberry Park is Anchorage's only historic house museum, and gives visitors a glimpse into the life of the family that occupied the home as well as Anchorage history.
Resolution Park, featuring the Captain Cook Monument, commemorates the two-hundredth anniversary of Cook's exploration of the area. Adjacent to the park are historic Anchorage homes, including the first permanent frame residence in the city. Located on the southern edge of downtown is Delaney Park, known as "The Park Strip," once a firebreak for the original town site and later the city's first airfield.
The Alaska Zoo features hundreds of animals; special attractions are the natural land habitat for brown bears and an aquarium for seals and otters. Points of interest in north Anchorage include St. Nicholas Russian Church. The oldest building in the municipality, the church is located at Eklutna, the site of the first Tanaina settlement east of Knik Arm; the cemetery's "spirit" houses are reminders of the blend of native tradition and missionary influence.
In south Anchorage are the Potter Section House and Crow Creek Mine, the first non-native settlement. An example of a nineteenth-century placer mine, Crow Creek is still in operation, and rental equipment is available for those wishing to pan for any gold that remains. Local fur factories provide regularly scheduled tours of their facilities. Sightseeing and "flightseeing" tours of the Anchorage area and day trips to attractions such as Mt. McKinley and Portage Glacier can be arranged through bus and air services.
Dating back to Territory days when opera was staged regularly and when the city had an orchestra before it had paved streets, the performing arts have been an integral part of life in Anchorage. The city's arts community, with more than 75 organizations offering cultural experiences ranging from classical music to native dance, provides a striking contrast to the surrounding wilderness. The Anchorage Concert Association, founded in 1950 to bring international performers to local audiences, is still active, sponsoring about 22 music, dance, and theatre productions each year.
Many of these performances are presented in the downtown Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, a modern complex housing four theaters, including the new Elvera Voth Hall, an 1,800 square foot performance and rehearsal space opened in 2003. A significant contribution to the Anchorage arts community, the center offers a year-round schedule of more than 600 events and furnishes a showcase for local performers. The center's resident companies include Alaska Dance Theatre, Alaska Junior Theater, Anchorage Concert Association, Anchorage Concert Chorus, the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra, Anchorage Opera, and Whistling Swan Productions.
Dance thrives in Anchorage with the Alaska Dance Theater, as well as Native American, Eskimo, and Russian folk troupes.
The Anchorage Symphony Orchestra, formed in 1946 and today featuring 80 musicians, hosts a September-to-May season with performances of classics and young people's concerts. The Anchorage Opera offers three full-scale opera productions per season. The Alaska Chamber Singers, a chorale ensemble of 40 voices, offer performances at various venues throughout the city.
Interest and participation in the visual arts has been encouraged in Anchorage by "1% for Art in Public Places," a 1978 law setting aside for the purchase of commissioned artwork at least one percent of construction costs of all public buildings. Since 1978, $5.8 million has been spent on 267 works of art in more than 100 buildings.
Museums and galleries in Anchorage specialize in science, history, and arts and crafts. Imaginarium is a science discovery center with a variety of hands-on experience exhibits, a 10-foot tall Tyrannosaurus Rex, a planetarium, and a pre-school learning area. The Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum traces the history of state aviation and prominent aviators, with a theater, observation deck, and historic planes. The Anchorage Museum of History and Art features a permanent collection of 17,500 objects and 2,000 artifacts; the museum is also responsible for a $5.8 million collection of 276 works of art viewable in public buildings around the city. In early 2005 the museum was in the planning stages of a 70,000 square foot expansion, funded by a private donor endowment to the tune of $50 million, with matching federal and state funds. The 15,000 square foot Alaska Gallery in the museum displays a collection of more than 1,000 objects of traditional and modern native art with demonstration exhibits. At the Alaska Native Heritage Center the visitor can explore five distinct Alaska Native cultures through interpretive displays, films, and daily performances by traditional storytellers. A trail from the Welcome House leads to Native Tradition Bearers—artists and performers at five traditional village exhibits surrounding a lake on the 26-acre grounds.
The year kicks off in Anchorage with the Annual Anchorage Folk Festival, offering more than 120 musical performances by local and guest acts, and the Great Alaska Beer and Barleywine Festival. February offers the Fur Rendezvous, known as the "Fur Rondy" (dating back to 1936 and one of the 10 largest festivals in the nation), a popular 10-day celebration of the annual fur-auctioning and social gathering of trappers and miners. The world-famous cross country Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race starts in downtown Anchorage the first Saturday in March. Also in March and coinciding with the Iditarod is the Tour of Anchorage, a cross-country ski event with varying race lengths.
April follows up with the Alyeska Spring Carnival & Slush Cup, and May brings the Alaska Native Youth Olympics. June events include the Three Barons Renaissance Faire and the Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon.
Live music can be heard all summer long on Wednesday and Friday afternoons from the park at Fourth Avenue and E Street. Other summer fare includes the annual July 4th Celebration and the Bear Paw Festival at Eagle River in July; August offerings include the Alyeska Blueberry & Mountain Arts Festival and the Arctic Thunder Elmendorf Air Force Base Open House and Air Show.
Among the fall highlights are the Alaska State Fair in late August and early September, followed in October by the Nye Frontier Hockey Classic. The year closes out with Thanksgiving weekend events that include an annual production of The Nutcracker by the Cincinnati Ballet and the Town Square Tree Lighting Ceremony, and in December the Anchorage International Film Festival.
The Wells Fargo Sports Complex at the University of Alaska Anchorage hosts Seawolves National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) hockey, basketball, and volleyball competition. The Alaska Aces of the East Coast Hockey League are based in Anchorage and play at Sullivan Arena. The Carrs Great Alaska Shootout collegiate basketball tournament is a major event that draws fans from throughout the state and nation.
Sled dog racing is the official state sport and Anchorage hosts several main sledding events. The world famous Iditarod Trial Sled Dog Race originates in Anchorage and runs more than 1,000 miles to Nome, the course taking from 10 days to a month to complete. The World Championship Sled Dog Races, the most famous sprint race, is held during the Fur Rendezvous and draws racers from all over the world.
With more than 162 parks covering 14,000 acres, residents have a multitude of choices for year-round and seasonal outdoor activities. Park facilities include shelters, pools, camping, more than 40 ball fields, 59 tennis courts, winter ice skating, and programming for recreational events. Mountain climbing can be pursued at the 500,000-acre Chugach State Park, situated within the city limits; hiking and horseback-riding trails are located in several other municipal parks. Salmon and trout fishing facilities are maintained on rivers, creeks, and lakes, and licensed hunting is regulated by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
During summer the midnight sun provides additional time for recreation. Popular activities include boating, kayaking, and river rafting on the flowing waters within the municipality limits. Free loaner bicycles are available for use on downtown bike trails; among other public facilities are 4 golf courses, 5 indoor pools, several lakes, and 49 tennis courts. With 120 miles of paved trails and 300 miles of unpaved and wilderness trail, Anchorage's extensive trail system attracts both residents and visitors. One of the most popular routes is the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, an 11-mile asphalt trail that runs from downtown to Kincaid Park (which has its own system of 43 miles of wooded trail). Flattop Mountain is a popular hike; both beginner and expert hikers can summit the 3,510 foot mountain (3 miles round trip) as a day hike. Cyclists and runners enjoy the multitude of trails in and around Anchorage. Runners have been traveling to Anchorage to participate in the Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon since its inception in 1974. Bicycling magazine called Anchorage's trail system one of the best in the United States.
Winter sports enthusiasts can find a wide range of choices, including dog sledding, ice skating, skiing, sledding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and skating on several rinks, including two Olympic-sized hockey rinks. Dog sled rides and tours are available through local vendors. The municipality maintains more than 200 miles of cross-country ski trails, including 40 kilometers lit for night skiing, plus sledding hills and snowmobile trails. Alaska's largest ski resort is 40 minutes from downtown Anchorage. Alyeska Resort boasts an annual average of 742 inches of snowfall and a lift capacity of more than 10,000 skiers per hour on its 9 lifts.
More than a dozen shopping centers, including five major malls, are located in Anchorage. Downtown's Fifth Avenue Mall houses major national retail chains such as Eddie Bauer, The Gap, Body Shop, and Banana Republic, but products native to Alaska are the major shopping attractions, with foods, ivory, jewelry, gold, furs, seal oil candles, and Eskimo and Aleut basketry among the most popular items. Shoppers can visit workshops to see fur styling, jewelry crafting, and wool making demonstrations. The Anchorage Saturday Market operates both Saturday and Sunday throughout the summer at Third Avenue and E Street. Shoppers will find fresh baked goods and vegetables, handmade jewelry and crafts, and unique Native art.
More than 350 restaurants in Anchorage offer a variety of ethnic cuisines. The local specialty is fresh seafood, particularly salmon, served at most restaurants in settings that offer views of mountain ranges and oceangoing vessels departing the Port of Anchorage.
Visitor Information: Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau, 524 W. Fourth Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99501; telephone (907)276-4118