One Hundred Fifty+ (150+) Things to Do
In and Around Anchorage (Summer)

[Click here for abbreviated list]

(Items listed alphabetically, with second number referring to order on the original list)

FLat top

Our "back yard", 15 minutes from town to the trail head at Flat Top Mountain (June 2000)

(Always subject to weather)

  1. (70.) Take a tour by AIRBOAT - Airboats "R" Us (Eagle River) 907-694-2981, Alaska Airboat (Wasilla) 907-376-6183.
  2. (112.) Watch commercial AIRCRAFT LAND AND TAKE OFF directly over your head at Woronzoff Point. Wind conditions determine which runways are active. Point Woronzoff may be reached by driving Northern Lights Blvd. to its' westernmost end. (FREE!)
  3. (99.) Bend your neck at the Elmendorf AIR SHOW, (FREE!) Call 907-552-8151.
  4. (44.) Learn about Alaska bush pilots and AVIATION at the Aviation Heritage Museum, 4721 Aircraft Drive (At Lake Hood) - 907-248-5325, or Museum of Alaska Transport & Industry, Mile 47 Parks Highway - 907-376-1211.
  5. (56.) CLIMB Mt. Alyeska by tramway for a spectacular view of Cook Inlet-
  6. (35.) Visit the diorama ANIMAL EXHIBITS at Ft. Richardson-907-384-0437* or Elmendorf Air Force Base,-907-552-2282.
  7. (98.) Visit AVIATION CONFERENCE at the Fedex hanger,
  8. (40.) Play BASEBALL in Delaney Park, (FREE!)
  9. (139.) Watch a BASEBALL GAME played by the Glacier Pilots,
  10. (13.) Watch for BEARS, live & wild by chance encounter above Eklutna Lake, McHugh Creek, and Chugach wilderness areas east of Anchorage, live and caged at Alaska Zoo-4731 O'Malley, 907-346-3242, or Big Game Alaska, 907-783-2025, dead and stuffed at the international airport, museum at Elmendorf (see ANIMAL EXHIBITS), Alaska Fur Exchange-4417 Old Seward Hwy, (907-563-3877, and several museums in Anchorage.
  11. (123.) Scare yourself by reading one of the many books on Alaska BEAR TALES available at the Z J Loussacc Library, 3600 Denali St., (907-343-2975, bookstores such as Cook Inlet Book Company, 414 W. 5th Avenue, Anchorage (907-258-4544), Barnes & Noble Booksellers-200 E. Northern Lights Avenue (907-279-7323), Borders Books-1100 E. Dimond Blvd. (907-344-4099). Also, remember that videos on Alaska are available from these sources and from video stores around town.
  12. (47.) Watch BEAVERS building their home at Campbell Creek-Summer, follow Campbell Creek from Arctic Blvd. and westward. (FREE!)
  13. (69.) Meet new people and share experiences at a BED & BREAKFAST. Many are available, too numerous to list here. There are over 200 listed in the yellow pages of the Anchorage telephone book. Check with Anchorage Convention and Visitors Center-524 West 4th Avenue (907-276-4118). They can be reached at their web site at www.acvc.org.
  14. (151.) Savor the taste of Alaska home brewed BEERS. Available at more than 50 liquor stores, two dozen bars, numerous restaurants, and grocery stores. There are an amazing number of home brews from Alaska, to be sampled by contacting with one of the local lounges.
  15. (1.) BELUGA whale watching from Beluga point (Best in May and August, at high tide). These white whales may also be spotted while flight seeing, but boating is not available in the Knik and Turnagain arms due to wide variations in the tides (as much as 38 feet difference between highest and lowest tides). (FREE!)
  16. (64.) BIKE riding one of the numerous bike trails, city or mountain. Rentals are available from Affordable Bike Rental-2904 Aspen Dr., (907-243-6050), Bicycle Shop-1035 Northern Lights, (907-272-5219), Cyclesights-5th and M, (907-344-1771), Downtown Bicycle Rental-(907-279-5293), and at Girdwood and Eklutna Lake.
  17. (60.) Play BINGO. There is no state lottery in Alaska, so the 15 bingo and pull tab sites are popular and offer an opportunity to win relative small prizes. Consult yellow pages of telephone book for locations.
  18. (8.) BIRDWATCHING at Potters Marsh, West Chester Lagoon, and elsewhere. Summertime is when birds arrive in Alaska from all points south, even from Central and South America. (FREE!)
  19. (14.) Pick BLUEBERRIES at Arctic Valley, off the Glenn Highway just north of Anchorage. The berry picking area is 7.5 miles from the Glenn Highway -Arctic Valley exit. Other areas are located in wilderness portions of Chugach State Park, east of town. (FREE!)
  20. (81.) Read your way through one of the many BOOKSTORES in Anchorage including Cook Inlet Book Company, 414 W. 5th Avenue, Anchorage (907-258-4544), Barnes & Noble Booksellers-200 E. Northern Lights Avenue (907-279-7323), Borders Books-1100 E. Dimond Blvd. (907-344-4099), and Walden Books-5th Avnue Mall and University Mall (907-276-2522 or 907-561-7644) among the largest. There are another 38 bookstores of various types listed in the yellow pages.
  21. (111.) Watch a BORE TIDE roll in near Bird Creek.(FREE!)
  22. (45.) Relax in the cool woods at the BOTANICAL GARDEN by heading east on Tudor Road, past Boniface to the Campbell Airstrip turnoff. The garden will be on your left. (907-
  23. (125.) Build and FLY MODEL ROCKETS OR AIRPLANES. Bring your own, or purchase at the Alaska House of Hobbies-585 Ingra, (907-272-5651), or Hobbycraft,-800 E. Dimond, (907-349-5815).
  24. (78.) Explore new vistas with friends aboard a BUS TOUR from Anchorage to Alyeska, Portage, Seward, and other points south, or north to Denali, Fairbanks or Prudhoe Bay. Twenty sources are listed in the yellow pages. Try Alaska Direct Bus Line-(907-277-6652), Alaska Windsong Lodges (907-245-0200), Alaskon Express (907-277-5581), Homer Stage Line (907-235-7009), or Gray Line of Alaska (907-277-5581).
  25. (122.) Rent a CABIN to add a real WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE to your visit. Hope cottages . If you want a real wilderness experience check with the state of Alaska for cabins that cannot be reached by car or train, and some cannot be reached by boat or floatplane. www.state.ak.us.
  26. (54.) CAMP in the cool woods, and listen for bears rummaging around at night at Eklutna Lake....
  27. (116.) Create your own WALKING CANE from natural willow. A very interesting version requires you to obtain a variety called the diamond willow to be dried, stripped and cured. These can be purchased already made into canes by visiting souvenier shops.
  28. (18.) Paddle a CANOE or kayak. Rent from Alaska Kayak-6921 Brayton Dr., (907-522-7710), REI-1200 W. Northern Lights, (907-272-4565), Alaska Mining & Diving-3222 Commercial Drive., (907-277-1741), Bill's Cat House-Big Lake, (907-892-7875), Easy Ride Rentals-Big Lake, (907-892-6888), Fast Cat Rentals-Big Lake, (907-892-7063), Sail-N-Fun-Big Lake, (907-892-6298), Whittier Outfitters-Whittier, (907-472-2363).
  29. (39.) See the historical Anchorage Memorial Park CEMETERY, 7th and Cordova. 343-6814.
  30. (29.) Show the kids the only CHOCOLATE WATERFALL in Alaska at Sourdough Mining Company. (FREE!)
  31. (77.) Get closer to your maker at a local CHURCH, or synagogue.
  32. (58.) CLIMB Flat Top mountain or Near Point to see what's on the other side. (FREE!)
  33. (138.) Listen to MUSIC in the park, an on-the-grass concert. (FREE!)
  34. (95.) Look for CONSTELLATIONS and count the stars (There are more of them in Alaska, you know). (FREE!)
  35. (90.) Participate in Alaska CRAFT work projects using leather, beads, fur, or other materials.
  36. (7.) Enjoy a terrific meal and view of the sea port at the CROW'S NEST.
  37. (46.) Travel the Seward highway just south of Beluga Point to see the DALL SHEEP. (FREE!)
  38. (27.) DANCE the night away at a local lounge
  39. (135.) Laugh with friends and relatives at a DINNER/VARIETY SHOW
  40. (35.) Visit the DIORAMA animal exhibits at Ft. Richardson (includes fish hatchery, museum, cemetery, and golf course-384-2019) or Elmendorf Air Force Base (summer, by appointment only-552-5755)
  41. (126.) DISCOVER what a moose nugget, oosik and billikin are, and what they have to do with Alaska
  42. (130.) DISCOVER why the "housands of miles between the United States and Russia" as described by our Secretary of State only looks like two miles - Look at a large world globe, or visit a bookstore for map information. There is also a surprising amount of information on the Diomede Islands available on the Internet. Little Diomede is U.S. territory (part of Alaska), and Big Diomede is Russian. The two islands are 2.5 miles apart, in the Bering Sea. The mainland distance from Russia to the United States is 56 miles. The nearest Russian reactor is in Bilibino, about 750 miles west of Nome, Alaska.
  43. (108.) WALK A DOG(FREE!)
  44. (17.) Drive a DOG SLEDDING team (Yes, even in summer!)
  45. (94.) DROWN in the mudflats (Definitely NOT recommended, but could happen if you are dangerously careless). The water that is four or five feet below your head when standing in the mud at low tide will be thirty feet or more above your head at high tide. There are two high tides a day. The total range of water depth is greater then anywhere else in North America, except the Bay of Fundy. When the tide is coming in it has the force of a swift river, which a victim is not likely to withstand. A bore tide can be a six foot high wall of water traveling at ten knots. Therefore, the amount of time required for a successful rescue is much shorter then most people would expect. If you see someone in distress call 911 immediately. There is extraction equipment if the individual can be reached before the tide returns, but there is little time to complete a rescue.
  46. (132.) Make a native DRUM from natural Alaskan materials. Visit the Alaska Native Heritage Center, and several of the local museums for ideas and instruction. A serviceable drum may be made from ten inch concrete forms from the lumbar yard, and animal skin available from the Black Elk store on south Old Seward highway.
  47. (50.) Envy EAGLES as they soar overhead. Eagles are fish scavengers, so are most likely to be seen near water where there are lots of fish or fish scraps. In Anchorage they are sometimes seen at University Lake, on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, and along Ship Creek. There are other locations out of town where the probability of seeing an eagle is much greater, such as along the beaches near Girdwood and Portage, off the Seward Highway southbound. (FREE!)
  48. (96.) Visit the EARTHQUAKE MUSEUM exhibits
  49. (127.) Sample ESKIMO CANDY
  50. (21.). Experience a SIMULATED EARTHQUAKE
  51. (22.) Visit the earthquake display at EARTHQUAKE PARK(FREE!)
  52. (53.) Discover the Athabascan Spirit Houses at the EKLUTNA CEMETERY on your way to Eklutna. Lake..Eklutna is 26 miles from Anchorage, by way of the Glenn highway north.
  53. (103.). Practice your marksmanship at an indoor FIRING RANGE
  54. (48.) Visit the Fort Richardson state FISH HATCHERY (includes museum) 384-2019.
  55. (62.) Go fresh FISHING in local streams or lakes
  56. (62.) Go salt water FISHING in Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay
  57. (58.) Climb FLAT TOP MOUNTAIN or NEAR POINT to see what's on the other side(FREE!)
  58. (104.) Visit the FIREHOUSE and safety store(FREE!)
  59. (120.) TIE FISHING FLIES and test them on the real thing
  60. (100.) Watch FLOATPLANES takeoff and land at the worlds largest seaplane base(FREE!)
  61. (88.) Smell the FLOWERS found all over town(FREE!)
  62. (144.) Watch for bees at the Garden Club FLOWER SHOW
  63. (86.) Rent an airplane and FLY YOURSELF around the area
  64. (12.) FLY-IN FISH by floatplane from Lake Hood
  65. (85.) FLY A KITE - One you bought ready-to-fly, or one you made yourself
  66. (125.) Build and FLY MODEL ROCKETS or airplanes
  67. (4.) FLIGHT-SEE the area by helicopter or fixed wing aircraft
  68. (101.) Fly a PARAGLIDER
  69. (5.) Fly an ULTRALIGHT aircraft
  70. (150.) Toss a FRISBEE along the ridge uplifts in Cook Inlet(FREE!)
  71. (73.) Buy a natural FUR coat, hat, or stole to keep you warm next winter
  72. (61.) Visit the Matanuska, Knik, Eklutna, Portage, or Exit GLACIERS
    • Drive to Matanuska Glacier via the Glenn Highway to Palmer, then the Valdez highway to the glacier (45 miles)
    • Drive to the Portage glacier via the Seward highway south to Portage (37 miles)
    • Drive to the Exit glacier via the Seward highway south to the north end of town of Seward (119 miles)
    • Fly over the Knik and Eklutna glaciers via small aircraft from merrill field or Birchwoods airport. Flying time from Anchorage to the glacier area about twenty minutes. Check Flight Seeing sources for telephone numbers.
    • Hike to Knik or Eklutna glaciers. Contact Department of Forestry for details.
  73. (15.) Play GOLF on one of the areas dozen or so public golf courses
  74. (16.) Play MINIATURE GOLF with the family at one of Anchorage's three miniature golf courses
  75. (142.) Hunters and competitive shooters won't want to miss the Summer GUN SHOW
  76. (66.). Prolong your life by visiting one of the HEALTH CLUBS
  77. (2.) HIKING any of the trails in town or in the mountains (Consult topographic map, available from Barnes & Noble, or any of the hiking books there or in library at 36th and Denali - 343-2975.
  78. (143.) Attend the HISPANIC SUMMER FESTIVAL at Delaney Park
  79. (23.) Tour HISTORIC HOMES in Anchorage
  80. (39.) See the HISTORICAL ANCHORAGE MEMORIAL PARK Cemetery
  81. (37.) Check out the HISTORY AND ART MUSEUM
  82. (51.) Ride the HORSE DRAWN CARRIAGE downtown
  83. (59.) Bounce around on the back of a HORSE on a TRAIL RIDE
  84. (156.) Pitch HORSESHOES
  85. (80.) Float above the Anchorage Bowl in a HOT AIR BALLOON gondola
  86. (91.) Go ICE SKATING at one of the seven ice skating rinks in Anchorage
  87. (28.) Take the kids to the IMAGINARIUM
  88. (72.) Watch a large screen IMAX SHOW
  89. (57.) Attend a cultural festival with IRISH TRADITIONS
  90. (65.) Drive a JET SKI
  91. (134.) Sound off with KARAOKE
  92. (18.) Paddle a canoe or KAYAK
  93. (141.) Canine aficionados may want to sit and beg at the Alaska KENNEL CLUB DOG SHOW
  94. (97.) Attend group events at KINCAID PARK
  95. (85.) Fly a KITE - One you bought ready-to-fly, or one you made yourself
  96. (115.) Attend classes to learn to speak a native Alaskan LANGUAGE
  97. (124.) Practice KNOT TYING skills that you will use in camp
  98. (110.) Make a LIST of all the Alaskan WILDLIFE you see on a day trip
  99. (43.) Go exploring at the LOCOMOTIVE PLAYGROUND(FREE!)
  100. (82.) Find out where you are, or where you are going by visiting the USGS MAPSTORE
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

[Click here for Page 2 of the detailed list]

Not all activities on the list may be available subject to weather conditions, your own health status and physical condition. You will not see a double rainbow if there is no rain, for example, and if you are physically unable to climb a mountain you will not see the sunset from the peak of Flat Top Mountain. Some activities, such as renting an airplane to fly yourself, or fishing require specific licenses or other credentials.

NOTE: In addition to the activities listed Anchorage has all of the usual amenities for every day life necessities including modern health care facilities, banks, post offices (airport post office is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week), libraries, barbershops, malls, grocery stores, dry cleaning and laundromat, e-mail and fax services, and shipping services by Fedex, UPS, Air Courier, or DHL.

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