Things to do · Anchorage · United States
14 best things to do in Anchorage
14 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Skvader, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Anchorage are Anchorage Museum, Alaska Native Heritage Center and Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. Of the 14 picks below, 8 are free, 2 work on a rainy day and 8 suit children. Allow about 4 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Anchorage Museum
- Free sights
- 8
- Good on a rainy day
- Anchorage Museum
- Time to see the highlights
- 4 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anchorage Museum | Downtown | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Alaska Native Heritage Center | Northeast Anchorage | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Tony Knowles Coastal Trail | Downtown | 2–4 hours by bike | Free |
| Seward Highway along Turnagain Arm | Turnagain Arm | Half a day | Free |
| Flattop Mountain | Hillside and South Anchorage | 2–3 hours | Low cost |
| Earthquake Park | Turnagain | 45 minutes | Free |
| Lake Hood Seaplane Base and Alaska Aviation Museum | Airport and Lake Hood | 1–2 hours | Low cost |
| Ship Creek salmon run | Downtown | 30 minutes–1 hour | Free |
| Alaska Zoo | Hillside and South Anchorage | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Kincaid Park | Airport and Lake Hood | 1–3 hours | Free |
| Potter Marsh | Hillside and South Anchorage | 30–45 minutes | Free |
| Eagle River Nature Center | Eagle River | 2 hours | Low cost |
| Northern lights viewing | Chugach State Park | 2–4 hours | Free |
| 4th Avenue and the Log Cabin Visitor Center | Downtown | 1 hour | Free |
The 14 best things to do
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Museum · Downtown
1.Anchorage Museum
The state's largest museum covers Alaska's art, history and science. The Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center gallery displays hundreds of Alaska Native objects — tools, clothing, masks — on loan from Smithsonian collections, with input from Native communities. A hands-on discovery centre suits children.
Start with the Smithsonian gallery on the second floor; it gives the best background for the rest of an Alaska trip.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
Museum · Northeast Anchorage
2.Alaska Native Heritage Center
Run by Alaska Native people, the centre presents the state's major cultural groups through a gathering place with dance and storytelling, and six life-size village sites around a small lake showing traditional dwellings from the Arctic to the southeast. Artists often demonstrate carving and beadwork.
Time your visit for a dance or Native games demonstration, and talk with the hosts at each village site.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Art
- Kids
Waterfront · Downtown
3.Tony Knowles Coastal Trail
A paved trail of about 18 km from downtown along Cook Inlet to Kincaid Park, passing Westchester Lagoon, Earthquake Park and stretches of coastal forest where moose often browse. On clear days Denali is visible to the north. Bike rental shops downtown are steps from the trailhead.
Rent a bike and ride to Kincaid Park and back; keep at least 25 metres from any moose you meet.
- Time needed
- 2–4 hours by bike
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Iconic
- Active
- Views
- Outdoors
- Kids
Experience · Turnagain Arm
4.Seward Highway along Turnagain Arm
South of the city, the Seward Highway hugs Turnagain Arm between steep mountains and tidal flats, with pullouts at Beluga Point and Windy Point, where Dall sheep graze on the cliffs and beluga whales sometimes chase salmon. On big tides, a bore tide wave rolls up the arm.
Check bore tide timing tables and watch from Beluga Point; never walk on the mudflats, where glacial silt can trap people as the tide rises.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Iconic
- Views
- Nature
- Photo spot
Nature · Hillside and South Anchorage
5.Flattop Mountain
From the Glen Alps trailhead in Chugach State Park, a steep trail of about 5 km round trip climbs roughly 400 metres to a flat summit with views across Anchorage, Cook Inlet and, on clear days, Denali. The final section is a rocky scramble. Even the trailhead viewpoint is worth the drive.
Go on a clear evening in summer for long light, wear sturdy shoes, and carry bear spray as on any Chugach trail.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Active
- Views
- Outdoors
- Nature
- Photo spot
Park · Turnagain
6.Earthquake Park
A park on the Coastal Trail where the 1964 Good Friday earthquake — magnitude 9.2, the largest recorded in North America — caused a whole residential bluff to slide towards the inlet. Signs explain the quake, and trails wind through the slumped ground, now forest.
Combine it with a Coastal Trail bike ride; on clear days the park has a good view of Denali.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Outdoors
- Views
Experience · Airport and Lake Hood
7.Lake Hood Seaplane Base and Alaska Aviation Museum
Lake Hood and neighbouring Lake Spenard form one of the busiest floatplane bases in the world, with bush planes taking off every few minutes in summer. On the shore, the Alaska Aviation Museum shows restored bush planes and tells the story of flying in Alaska.
Watch takeoffs from the lakeside road on a summer evening, or book a flightseeing trip to see glaciers from the air.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Waterfront · Downtown
8.Ship Creek salmon run
Ship Creek flows through the industrial edge of downtown below the railroad depot, and in summer king and then silver salmon run upstream. Anglers line the banks in waders, and a viewing platform near a small dam lets visitors watch fish jump.
Visit in late June or July for king salmon or August for silvers; wear boots if you go near the muddy banks.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes–1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Nature
- Kids
- Off the beaten path
Zoo · Hillside and South Anchorage
1.Alaska Zoo
A wooded zoo in south Anchorage focused on Alaskan and Arctic animals, many of them orphaned or injured, including brown and black bears, moose, musk oxen, wolves and lynx. Paths wind through spruce and birch forest.
It is a reliable way for children to see moose and bears up close if wildlife does not appear on the road.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
Park · Airport and Lake Hood
2.Kincaid Park
A large forested park at the end of the Coastal Trail with dunes above Cook Inlet, mountain-bike trails and, in winter, one of the country's major cross-country ski trail networks. Moose are frequently seen, and the bluffs face Mount Susitna and the Alaska Range.
Walk out to the bluff by the chalet at sunset for views across the inlet.
- Time needed
- 1–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Active
- Nature
Nature · Hillside and South Anchorage
3.Potter Marsh
A wetland at the city's southern edge, part of the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge, crossed by a boardwalk of about 450 metres beside the Seward Highway. In spring and summer it attracts nesting ducks, swans and Arctic terns, and salmon can be seen in the creek.
Stop here on the way to Turnagain Arm, ideally in the morning or evening when birds are most active.
- Time needed
- 30–45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Nature
- Kids
- Photo spot
Nature · Eagle River
4.Eagle River Nature Center
At the end of Eagle River Road in Chugach State Park, the nature centre is the start of easy loop trails along the river, with beaver ponds and salmon-viewing decks, and the start of the long Crow Pass route. Naturalists explain local wildlife.
Walk the Rodak Nature Trail to the salmon-viewing deck in late summer, and keep alert for bears near the river.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Kids
Experience · Chugach State Park
5.Northern lights viewing
From roughly September to April, the aurora borealis can appear over Anchorage on clear nights, though city lights dim it. Visitors drive to darker viewpoints such as Glen Alps or north along the Glenn Highway, or join guided aurora tours further from town.
Check the aurora and cloud forecasts, wait until late evening, and dress for temperatures well below freezing.
- Time needed
- 2–4 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- After dark
- Nature
- Couples
Street · Downtown
6.4th Avenue and the Log Cabin Visitor Center
Downtown's main street has the sod-roofed Log Cabin Visitor Information Center, Alaska Native art galleries, outfitters and gift shops. It hosts the Iditarod's ceremonial start in March and, in summer, a weekend market with crafts and food stands nearby.
Pick up trail and tour information at the log cabin before heading out of town.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
- History
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Anchorage Museum and Alaska Native Heritage Center |
| History | Anchorage Museum, Alaska Native Heritage Center, Earthquake Park and Lake Hood Seaplane Base and Alaska Aviation Museum |
| Views | Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, Flattop Mountain, Seward Highway along Turnagain Arm and Earthquake Park |
| Outdoors and nature | Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, Seward Highway along Turnagain Arm, Flattop Mountain and Earthquake Park |
| After dark | Northern lights viewing |
| With children | Anchorage Museum, Alaska Native Heritage Center, Tony Knowles Coastal Trail and Lake Hood Seaplane Base and Alaska Aviation Museum |
| On a rainy day | Anchorage Museum and Lake Hood Seaplane Base and Alaska Aviation Museum |
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Anchorage?
Anchorage Museum. The state's largest museum covers Alaska's art, history and science.
+What can you do for free in Anchorage?
Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, Seward Highway along Turnagain Arm, Earthquake Park, Ship Creek salmon run and Kincaid Park. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Anchorage when it rains?
Head indoors to Anchorage Museum and Lake Hood Seaplane Base and Alaska Aviation Museum.
+What is there to do in Anchorage at night?
Northern lights viewing are best after dark.