Anchorage

Understand

Let's be clear, if you are looking for the "real Alaska" this is not it, but you can see it from here. Anchorage is a city — a real city with freeways, traffic, giant malls, tall buildings, crime and most other things one expects to find in an American city. It is an important hub and the gateway to other marvelous areas including the Alaskan Interior and the Kenai Peninsula, but is not really a tourist destination. While it is not the administrative capital of Alaska, it is the economic capital. There are good places to eat and plenty of shopping, but the city is just that, a city. A great place to gear up for a trip, but it's not particularly "Alaskan" except for the weather and its spectacular setting.

Climate

Alaska is well known for its winters—but most visitors come in the summer, when the days are long and the temperatures are moderate. Many people consider the period between May and early September to be the best time to visit Anchorage. The month of June usually has the best combination of long days, good weather, and warm afternoons. As you would expect in the high northern latitudes, the longest days come around the summer solstice, 21 June, and they get quite short around the winter solstice, 21 December. In the summer, Anchorage gets up to 19½ hours of sunlight between 4:30AM and 11:30PM, the sun sets just before midnight especially early in the season. Under clear skies, the sky wouldn't get completely pitch black in June. At the start of winter however, the area only gets 5 hours of sunlight each day - sunrise can be as late as 10:15AM and the usually cloudy winter days further limit the amount of daylight, with sunsets around 3:45PM. The Anchorage-area climate, including the Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound, can see winter temperatures fall into the -20s and -30s (-30s°C) for a short spell. Summer temperatures typically average around 68 °F (20 °C) for daytime highs and 55 °F (13 °C) for overnight lows; though there are often occasions where temperatures rise to around 75 °F (24 °C) with nighttime lows up to around 59 °F (15 °C) in warm spells.

Visitor information Visit Anchorage website 1 Log Cabin Visit Anchorage Information Center, 546 W 4th Ave (at F St.), ☏ +1 907 257-2363, [email protected]. 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.. Visitor center. The visit of Anchorage's downtown information centers include the "Log Cabin Visitor Center" at the corner of 4th Avenue and F Street; and a second visitor center is located on F Street behind the log cabin. (updated Jan 2019)

Getting there

By plane

1 Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) IATA is served by many major American airlines. The main passenger airline that serves Anchorage is Alaska Airlines. Air travel is the cheapest and fastest form of transportation in and out of the state. Non-stop flights are available from Atlanta, Chicago O'Hare, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Newark, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle/Tacoma, and more locations in the summer. Many arriving and departing out-of-state flights are late-night "red-eyes," but there are often many daytime flights to and from Seattle. Anchorage is the fourth busiest airport for freight due to its location along "great circle" routes between Asia and the lower 48.

There are non-stop flights from Canada, Germany, Iceland, and airline hubs in the lower 48. The South Terminal (domestic) serves Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Condor (departures), Delta Air Lines, Grant Aviation, Sun Country Airlines, and United Airlines All regional intrastate carriers also use the South Terminal. The North Terminal (international) serves Condor (arrivals), Icelandair, and Yakutia Airlines. The Anchorage airport is connected to the Lake Hood Seaplane Base, but not Merrill Field. A shuttle bus runs approximately every 15 minutes between the North and South terminals. There are two visitor information centers in the Airport: one in the South (Domestic) Terminal, C Concourse, in the Baggage Claim Area, ☏ +1 907 266-2437, open daily; and one in the North (International) Terminal, ☏ +1 907 266-2657, open mid-May through mid-September. The main visitor center is in downtown Anchorage at 4th Avenue and F Street. The airport is 5 miles (8 km) southwest of downtown Anchorage. Taxis, shuttles, and rental cars are available. Route #40 of the Anchorage People Mover bus system serves the airport's North and South terminals once every 15 minutes on weekdays and 30 minutes evenings and weekends, connecting it with the downtown Transit Center (6th Avenue between H and G Streets).

By car Anchorage is also accessible from the contiguous United States (locally referred to as "the Lower 48") and Canada via road. The Alaska Highway starts in northern British Columbia and terminates in Fairbanks. You can get to Anchorage via either the Parks Highway from Fairbanks or the Glenn Highway from Tok (the first major Alaskan town after crossing the Canadian border). The Seward Highway serves traffic entering Anchorage from the Kenai Peninsula to the south and its Alaska Mari

Getting around

While not nearly comparable to the size of major world cities (the city is several thousand square miles, but most of it is uninhabited and mountainous), the developed part of the Municipality of Anchorage is fairly spread out and not very walkable—with the exception of the compact downtown area.

Most of Anchorage is built on a grid system laid out by the railroad: numbered streets run east-west, starting at First Avenue in the extreme north of the city (at the Port and train depot) and ending up in the mid-hundreds at the south edge of town. Lettered streets run north-south, starting at A Street in the middle of downtown and going up to the west; east of A Street, the street names begin with sequential letters and are named after Alaskan cities and towns (Barrow, Cordova, Denali, etc.) This makes finding yourself on a map fairly easy, although the system gets less coherent outside of the downtown area. The Seward Highway becomes Gambell and Ingra streets, while the Glenn Highway becomes 5th and 6th Avenues. You'll often hear Anchorageites use the following terms when describing areas of town. These areas used to be separate communities that merged as the city grew.

Downtown: the historic core of the city at the northwestern tip next to the waterfront, roughly north of 10th Avenue and west of Gambell Street. Home to most of the tourist activities, gift stores, hotels, and the railroad depot Midtown: the largely commercial area immediately south of Downtown roughly between 15th Avenue and Tudor Road (becoming more industrial south towards Dimond Boulevard) South Anchorage: Dimond Boulevard and south. Largely suburban and residential with some major commercial development west of the Seward Highway. West Anchorage: the area along the water southwest of Downtown, encompassing the historic Bootlegger's Cove and Turnagain residential areas, the famous Earthquake Park and the airport. Spenard: smashed between Midtown and West Anchorage and spilling over and overlapping the boundaries a bit, it used to be a separate city and catered to the racier aspects of Anchorage living. It's still a bit of a red-light district, especially along Spenard Road. Be careful at night. (The airport is at the extreme west end of the Anchorage peninsula and abuts the southwestern edge of Spenard.) East Anchorage: everything east of the Seward Highway and north of Tudor Road. Mostly residential; little of interest to the tourist except for the universities, hospitals, and (at the extreme northeastern corner) the Alaska Native Heritage Center. Hillside: part of South Anchorage, it'

See

1 Anchorage Museum, 625 C Street (downtown between 6th and 7th Avenues), ☏ +1 907-929-9200. Summer (1 May-30 Sep) 9AM-6PM; Winter (1 Oct-30 Apr) Tu-Sa 10AM-6PM, Su noon-5PM, closed M. The Anchorage Museum, the largest in Alaska, tells the multi-faceted story of the North, weaving together social, political, cultural, scientific, historic and artistic threads. With its major expansion in 2008-2009, it has become a must see. The museum features an extensive exhibit on the first peoples of Alaska, Alaskan history, a Discovery Center for hands-on exploration of the history and science of the North for all ages, and part of a Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center. A 25,000 ft² (2,300 m2) expansion features new gallery space for the museum’s art collection and exploration of art of the North. Adults $15, 0-2 free, 3-12 $7, Seniors/Military/Students with ID $10. Culture Pass Joint Ticket (admission to Alaska Native Heritage Center and Anchorage Museum) $29.95 (free shuttle from downtown and between both museums) summer only. (updated Jan 2017) 2 Alaska Native Heritage Center, 8800 Heritage Center Dr (off Glenn Hwy in northeast Anchorage, next to Bartlett High School), ☏ +1 907 330-8000. Summer (8 May-24 Sep) 9AM-6PM daily, Winter (29 Oct-16 Apr) Sa 10AM-5PM. Culture Pass Joint Ticket (admission to Alaska Native Heritage Center and Anchorage Museum) $29.95 (free shuttle from downtown and between both museums) summer only. This is much more than just a static museum of glass display cases. The various native Alaskan cultures are all represented in this center. A large stage holds native dance performances as well as other types of events for visitors. Behind the center, a short trail around the lake takes you to several stations that show aspects of life in each of the native Alaskan cultures with native guides with short demonstrations and happily answering questions. Back inside, many items such as artwork, kayaks and ulu knives are on display. A small theater runs various films and there is a gift shop (with a second location in downtown Anchorage). $24.95, seniors/military $21.15, children (ages 7–16) $16.95, children (6 and under) free. (updated Jul 2025) 3 FOAST Law Enforcement Museum (Alaska State Trooper Museum), 245 West 5th Ave, Suite 113 (downtown between C and B Streets), ☏ +1 907 279-5050, toll-free: +1 800-770-5050. M-F 10AM-4PM; Sa noon-4PM. The state's only collection of historical law enforcement memoribilia from not only Alaska but also the world. Free. (updated Jul 2025) 4 Alaska Veterans Museum, 411 W 4th Ave #2A (downtown), ☏ +1 907-677-8802, co

Do

1 Alaska Center for the Performing Arts (My Alaska Center), 621 W 6th Ave (downtown from G to F Sts), ☏ +1 907 263-2900. The Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, a performance venue (concert hall) opened in 1988, consists of three theaters and entertains over 200,000 patrons annually. Together with the Dena'ina Center (7th and F) and the Egan Convention Center (5th and F), these three facilities linked by covered walkways form a civic center in the heart of downtown Anchorage. (updated Jan 2017) Anchorage Summer Music Concerts, downtown Anchorage. The Anchorage Downtown Partnership hosts three weekly concert series in the summer (check locally for programming): Music for Little Ones, Mondays noon-1PM in Peratovich Park (WiFi access) at 4th Avenue & E Street; Music in the Park, Wednesdays noon-1PM in Peratovich Park (WiFi access) at 4th Avenue & E Street; Live After Five, Thursdays at 5:30-7:30PM in Town Square Park at E Street between 5th and 6th Avenues, featuring good eats and a beer & wine garden. Music is free. (updated Jan 2017) 2 H2Oasis Indoor Water Park, 1520 O'Malley Rd, ☏ +1 907 522-4420. (updated Aug 2020), 3 Alaska Public Lands Information Center, 605 West 4th Avenue, Suite 105 (kitty corner from the log cabin visitor center at 4th Ave and F St), ☏ +1 907 644-3661. Summer: daily 9AM-5PM; Winter: Tu-F 10AM-5PM. This center is staffed by National Park rangers. They also lead a through downtown, stopping at some statues and ending with a view of Cook Inlet. Free. (updated Jan 2017) First Friday Art Walk, 427 D St (downtown near 5th Ave). On the first Friday of every month, the art galleries downtown stay open late, sometimes host opening parties, to encourage people to do art crawls. This tradition was established in Anchorage more than 20 years ago to bring more visibility and visitors to the locals arts. First Friday generally happens from 5PM to 9PM or so. In the summer more than 1,000 people may take part in First Friday; the International Gallery of Contemporary Art (the event’s founding venue, D St near 5th Ave) and the Anchorage Museum see the largest turnouts. Check the local papers (like the Anchorage Press or the Anchorage Daily News) to find out what’s open on First Friday. Some are free, others may charge. (updated Jan 2017) 907 Tours, ☏ +1 907-947-9425. Cruises, glaciers and wildlife tours from Anchorage. The company is run by a local mom and pop who offer tours year-round. Some tours are half day and some tours are full day. Tours include pickup and any admission costs. Tour prices vary $70-200. (updated Nov 2016)

Wildlife

Buy

Almost anything that can be bought in Alaska can be bought in Anchorage. Ulu knives, hand-carved wood and ivory artwork, mukluk books, and knitted qiviut hats and scarves (made of wool from musk oxen) are all traditional Alaskan goods. Check for "Made in Alaska" labels. There are also myriad touristy gift stores downtown. Quality and selection varies.

1 Anchorage Fifth Avenue Mall, 320 W 5th Ave (downtown 5th and 6th Avenues between E and C Streets). M-Sa 10AM-9PM, Su 11AM-6PM. Usually considered Alaska's nicest mall, it is anchored on the west side (E St) by JCPenneys and attached (on the 2nd and 3rd levels via skywalk across 6th Ave near C St) to the only Nordstrom store in Alaska. A large airy food court is on the northeast corner of its top 4th level. Two parking garages are connected to the mallː the old JCPenney's garage across 6th Ave, via Penney's; and the 5th Avenue Mall Garage diagonally across C St with its new (2016) Rooftop Park. (updated Jan 2017) Anchorage Market and Festival. Sa Su (mid May-mid Sep) at 3rd Ave and E St (10AM-6PM), W (Jul-Aug) in the Northway Mall parking lot (11AM-5PM), Several hundred vendors offer all sorts of items in this large open air market. Items include fresh produce, fresh local seafood, prepared food, arts and crafts, souvenirs, etc. Some items could be found anywhere in the lower 48 but many items are truly Alaskan. Free. 2 Dimond Center Mall, 800 E Dimond Blvd (off Seward Hwy in South Anchorage), ☏ +1 907 929-7108. M–Sa 10AM-9PM, Su noon–7PM. The largest enclosed mall, over 8 blocks, in the State of Alaska. It is anchored by Best Buy; it also features an ice rink, movie theaters, bowling alley, and health club. 3 The ULU Factory, 211 West Ship Creek Avenue (north of train station near Bridge), ☏ +1 907 276-3119, toll-free: +1-800-488-5592 (outside Alaska), +1-800-478-3119 (within Alaska), [email protected]. Tour the factory, see the knives being made, and watch a demonstration about how to use them. From June to August, you can ride their free trolley from downtown to and from the factory. (updated Dec 2015) 4 House of Harley-Davidson Anchorage (Harley Davidson), 4334 Spenard Rd, ☏ +1 907 248-5300. Tu-Sa 10AM-6PM. While closer to the airport than downtown, you can call (+1 907-229-9120) for a free shuttle from downtown during the summer Th-Su. (updated Sep 2016) 5 Glenn Square, 3090 Mountain View Dr. (updated Jan 2019) 6 Tikahtnu Commons, 1142 North Muldoon Dr, toll-free: +1-833-263-5136. (updated Jan 2019)

Eat

Budget

1 Kriner's Diner, 2409 C St, ☏ +1 907 929-8257. Giant portions for little money ($4-15 per person), from Ted's Big Breakfast to Jenne's Reindeer Sandwich to the homemade Giant Cinnamon Rolls, you can't go wrong. It's home-cooking, the Alaskan way. 2 Yak and Yeti, 3301 Spenard Rd, ☏ +1 907 743-8078. Remarkably good Himalayan and Indian cuisine in Spenard. Five minutes from the airport. 3 Hula Hands, 4630 Mountain View Dr, ☏ +1 907 278-4852. Good, cheap Hawaiian and Tongan food. Another location on Fireweed. 4 Arctic Roadrunner, 5300 Old Seward Hwy, ☏ +1 907 561-1245. Second location at 2477 Arctic Blvd, ☏ +1 907 279-7311. An Alaskan institution and consistently voted Anchorage's best burger. Kitschy Alaskana on the walls, including plaques and portraits of longtime Alaskans and longtime Arctic Roadrunner customers. Also try the halibut burger and homemade onion ring pieces. Cash only; "no checks since 1972." 5 Sami's City Diner, 3000 Minnesota Dr, ☏ +1 907-277-2489. Daily 7AM-8PM. Run by local celebrity "Chef Al" Levinsohn, famous for his other restaurant in town (Kincaid Grill). City Diner has some of the best sandwiches in town; the monte cristo is to die for and the sliders are amazing. 6 Gwennie's, 4333 Spenard Rd, ☏ +1 907-243-2090. An Alaskan institution; must be seen to be understood. Down home Americana meets Alaska (think sourdough pancakes and reindeer sausage). Extremely touristy but also popular with the locals for good prices and big portions. Old-time Alaskan rusty things hanging on the walls. Taco King (3 locations). Possibly the best (and fastest) Mexican food in Anchorage (not saying a whole lot, but it holds its own against places closer to the border) and with insanely great (for Alaska) prices if you get the right thing. $6-8. 7 Taco King Northern Lights, 113 W Northern Lights Blvd, ☏ +1 907 771-6000. (updated Feb 2026) 8 Taco King Tudor, 3561 E Tudor Rd, ☏ +1 907 771-6000. (updated Feb 2026) 9 Taco King Huffman, 1330 Huffman Rd, ☏ +1 907 771-6000. (updated Feb 2026) 10 Cinco De Mayo, 111 West 38th Pl, ☏ +1 907-771-6000. Daily 11AM-10PM. (updated Feb 2026) 11 The Lucky Wishbone, 1033 E 5th Ave, ☏ +1 907 272-3454. M-Sa 10AM-10PM, closed Su. An Anchorage standard famous for their pan-fried chicken but also serving one of the better burgers in town. Try their shakes too. $6-10. 12 Tommy's Burger Stop, 1106 W 29th Place, ☏ +1 907 561-5696. Routinely voted the best burgers and philly sandwiches in Anchorage. 13 White Spot Cafe, 109 W 4th Ave (4th and A), ☏ +1 907 279-3954. The place is not much more than a small kitc

Drink & nightlife

Anchorage has many, many bars. Bars must close by 2:30AM M-F, 3AM Sa & Su under municipal law. Bars can stay open until 5AM in the cities of Palmer and Wasilla, about 45 minutes north. Anchorage also probably has more micro-breweries per capita than anywhere else (except maybe Portland, OR). All bars and restaurants in Anchorage are non-smoking. Also see "Bear Tooth Theatrepub", "Glacier BrewHouse", and "Moose's Tooth" under "Eat."

First Tap Thursday - On the first Thursday of each month, Bear Tooth Theatrepub celebrates a new Broken Tooth Brewing draft beer with live music. 1 Bernie's Bungalow Lounge, 626 D St (between 6th and 7th; across the street from Nordstrom's entrance), ☏ +1 907 276-8808. This is a fashionable and friendly "martini-and-cigar" type of place. Good place to sit outside on the lawn in the summer, or to go upstairs to the Paradise Room for a fancy place to have a drink (although the upstairs is often booked for private gatherings). It's popular with well-dressed young people and businesspeople (during the daytime). The evening crowd is generally younger and the bar is embracing a larger hip-hop crowd. Usually busiest after midnight. 2 Chilkoot Charlie's, 1071 W 25th Ave (in Spenard), ☏ +1 907 279-1692. This is the largest bar within about 1,400 miles (2200 km). It's a huge spot that is always busy on weekends. The outside facade is deceptively small - there is a map on their website to navigate through all 10 or more bars. There is usually at least one band playing every night (and usually a cover charge). Popular place to pick up dates, if you can hear above the noise. 3 Darwin's Theory, 426 G St, ☏ +1 907 277-5322. A quintessential "dive bar," Darwin's is popular with the locals. If you're interested in avoiding the generic tourist watering holes, Darwin's will wet your whistle. It's just a basic corner bar. Ask to see the photo book. 4 Humpy's Great Alaskan Alehouse, 610 W 6th Ave, ☏ +1 907 276-BEER (2337). Humpy's has dozens of beers on tap and a great pub food selection (esp. seafood) until midnight. It's popular with just about everyone. Beer-battered halibut—yum! 5 49th State Brewing Company, 717 W 3rd Avenue, ☏ +1 907 277-7727. Popular micro-brewery on the edge of downtown Anchorage. Good micro beers and decent pub food. Often have live entertainment. A treat is to sit out on the second floor landing on a sunny afternoon with excellent views of Cook Inlet and the Port of Anchorage. Sometimes you can see military aircraft doing training runs into Elmendorf Air Force Base. (updated Jan 2019)

Sleep

Since about 2000, major hotel developers from the Lower 48 have been building new hotels along C Street from International Airport Road to just north of Tudor Road, making this half-mile stretch of C Street a new "hotel row" in Midtown (about 3 mi (5 km) south of downtown and 3 mi (5 km) east of ANC).

Budget 1 Alaska Backpackers Inn and Hostel (Hostelling International Anchorage), 327 Eagle St, ☏ +1 907 277-2770. Dorm beds $25, single private $50, double private $60. 2 Spenard Hostel International, 2845 W 42nd Ave, ☏ +1 907 248-5036, fax: +1 907 248-5036, [email protected]. Check-in: Noon-11PM. This hostel is a bit of a way out of the center of town but is a really clean and friendly environment compared to the inner-city alternative. The staff is helpful, and you can help them around the hostel to earn a free night there if need be. It is serviced by PeopleMover route 7.

Mid-range 3 Homewood Suites by Hilton, 101 W 48th Ave, ☏ +1 907 762-7000, fax: +1 970 762-8000. 4 Motel 6 Anchorage - Midtown, 5000 A St, ☏ +1 907 677-8000, fax: +1 907 677-8640. According to the general manager, this one has the distinction of being the most expensive Motel 6 in the country, if not the world, during the peak summer season. Summer $153-179, rest of the year $119-139 single or double. (updated Apr 2020) 5 Puffin Inn of Anchorage, 4400 Spenard Rd, ☏ +1 907 243-4044. Bed and Breakfast 6 Jarvi Homestay, 14321 Jarvi Dr, ☏ +1 907 561-3349. When you want to appreciate Anchorage without concrete and crowds, try "a healthy way to stay". Calm, peaceful, low key. Great breakfasts, too. 7 TownePlace Suites Anchorage Midtown, 600 E 32nd Ave, ☏ +1 907-334-8000. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: noon. (updated Dec 2024)

Splurge 8 Anchorage Marriott Downtown, 820 W 7th Ave, ☏ +1 907 279-8000, fax: +1 907 279-8005. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: 11AM. (updated Apr 2026) 9 Hotel Captain Cook, 939 W. 5th Ave (corner of 4th Ave. and K Street), ☏ +1 907 276-6000, toll-free: +1-800-843-1950, [email protected]. 10 Dimond Center Hotel, 700 E Dimond Blvd, ☏ +1 907 770-5000. 3 stars 11 The Lakefront Anchorage Hotel (formerly The Millennium Alaska Hotel), 4800 Spenard Rd, ☏ +1 907 243-2300, [email protected]. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. (updated Aug 2020)

Go next

There are only two roads out of Anchorage, the Seward Highway which goes south to the Kenai Peninsula and ends/starts at Seward, and the Glenn Highway which goes northeast to Glennallen and continues as the Tok Cutoff to Tok where it ends at the Alaska Highway. The Glenn Highway junctions with the George Parks Highway about 35 miles (56 km) north of Anchorage, continuing northwest to Denali National Park and Fairbanks. Driving from Anchorage to Fairbanks usually takes 6–8 hours (356 miles (573 km)) and driving from Anchorage to Seattle, WA usually takes at least 3 days. The Alaska Railroad offers daily service between Anchorage/Seward, Anchorage/Whittier, and Anchorage/Fairbanks during the summer. The Anchorage/Fairbanks run (Aurora) offers flag drop service between Talkeetna and Hurricane - it is the only railroad in the U.S. that will pick you up if you flag the train from the side of the tracks. There are numerous small plane flying services which have scheduled flights to small villages, or the capacity to charter flights to different villages. For travel to villages outside of the south central region, it is usually cheaper to take a regular commercial flight to the appropriate regional hub (Bethel, Unalakleet, Dillingham, Unalaska, Kotzebue, Nome, Barrow, Fairbanks, or Juneau) and arrange to fly from there to your destination.

9 Alaska Car & Van Rentals, 854 E 36th Ave. A mom and pop rental company that offers low rates by not being at the airport. The only caveat is you must have your own car insurance. They are centrally located not far from downtown or the airport. They offer pickup and lower rates to military, NRA members and AAA members. (updated Sep 2016)