Great tribute to the history of Alaska…read more It is sad that people have vandalized it by breaking the marble and removing the placards. Too many people don't care about their history.

The Monument is on the way down the hill from the Downtown Hilton to the Alaska Railroad Depot…read more Locals call it "Ike on the Half Shell". I read the plaque, hung out at the "plaza" a bit, enjoyed the view, and wondered why there wasn't something more impressive to mark Alaska's entry into the Union.

This larger than life mural is part of a collection called Wyland Whaling Walls. It is the work of…read moreworld renowned environmental artist Robert Wyland, who in 1981, set out to paint 100 murals celebrating ocean life. It took him 27 years, but he did it, with the 100th being in Beijing, China. This mural was the 54th in the series. It was dedicated in 1994 and is a whopping 400 feet long and 50 feet, high. It is known as an Anchorage landmark and as is the case with most of Wyland's murals, it is very vivid and detailed. It overlooks a parking look and you really cannot see the entire mural in one vantage point. You will see some of Alaska's native marine life in the mural featuring a mom and calf Orca among other Orcas, some beluga whales, and a dolphin swimming and some seals sitting on a glacier. It is all set against a background of Alaskan mountains. It is gorgeous and considering it is almost 20 years old. It is in great shape. Parking to get a closer look is very easy. There is metered street parking within a reasonable walking distance and well as tons of commercial parking lots and garages. As I mentioned, it overlooks a lot Itself. Anyway, as with most mural that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a very long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. You may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area such as the 5th Avenue Mall, Town Square Park, and Anchorage Visitor's Center, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

If you've spent any time at all in North Anchorage "tropical paradise" is certainly not the first…read moreterm that comes to mind. This is truly a hidden gem inside Russian Jack Springs Park. You enter through the solarium, a little tropical oasis with two goldfish/koi ponds, an incredible display of tropical plants and trees, and a large birdcage with a tree in it. We enjoyed simply sitting on the bench here and taking it all in. Next is the main greenhouse. There is quite a collection in there, some of the plants and trees have clearly been there a very long time, there are cacti that practically touch the ceiling, trees spreading out overhead, and all manner of other tropical plants that you won't find anywhere outside within a thousand miles of here. And there are starts and seedlings as well, indicating this will continue to be the lovely hidden oasis it is for years to come. I've been to bigger and more grandiose tropical greenhouses, but to have this at all in Alaska is quite an accomplishment. And it's free. A great way to spend an hour or so.

Hidden Gem in the middle of winter. Wonderful place to…read morevisit, I can't believe I've never been here after so many years in Anchorage. (22+) Great for a field trip or just to observe and learn more! Perfect for an afternoon date in my opinion! There's Birds, Fishes & Endless Plants! Note, there's barely anyone on the weekdays but it may have just been my visit...Must!!! Plus: Mon-Sun //FREE Down: 8:00 AM-3:00 PM If you work full time during the week you'll need to plan a weekend visit, definitely worth it! Link to my VLOG http://youtu.be/nTvrMXsv4Vc

This memorial is situated downtown in the DeLaney Park strip (which used to be the first airport…read morefor Anchorage, way back when!) in-between the rose garden and the WWII memorial. Still, I bet most people haven't seen it. It's a series of granite plaques along with some beautiful landscaping...in the summer. I went to photograph it in the winter, and the snow adds its own charm. However, many of the plaques are not readable without some brushing and scrubbing. Too bad that it's not really maintained in the winter. The main plaques that are lit in the winter are a site to behold. There's an excellent etching of Dr King, along with a long list of sponsors that all pitched in to help get this thing built, back in the 90's. I'm so nostalgic for a time when almost everyone could rally behind a cause we all believe in, the sponsor list goes across all organizations and industries and was, 100%, non-controversial. Wait, am I nostalgic for...the 90's?! There is also a bust of Dr King but...I'm not a huge fan of it. It just doesn't look like him, in my opinion. If you showed me just the bust...I don't think I would know who it is. Anyway, this memorial is worth checking out.

I like the sentiment of this memorial, but it could be a tad better. The memorial was dedicated in…read more1998 and renovated in 2002. It is in a small plaza area and consists of a bronze bust of MLK and two curved walls with bronze plaques with stories of MLK and the civil rights movement on them. The bust is not the best or most detailed that I have seen of MLK. There is also a granite slab with an image of MLK laser etched into it, along with the donors for the project. It is the nicest part of the memorial. There is metered parking within a reasonable walking distance of the memorial. It is definitely not a destination stop though and should be coupled with a visit to the Alaska Veterans Memorial, which is separated from this one by a just large field. It guess the urban campers that set up camp behind the memorial, nor the marijuana they were smoking, does not help the cause either. Admitting the memorial needs a little TLC. It has been 20 years since its last renovation. The commemorative panels had been degraded by neglect, weather and vandalism. One is even missing. I always find time to pay respects to MLK and it pains me that I cannot give this memorial 5 stars, but it is in too bad of shape and the bust is not good.

We came to play mini golf!…read more I was actually surprised how empty it was for a Friday night. Nobody was playing any games and there were three groups total in the mini golf area. I think we spent maybe 30 minutes playing the 18 holes with two people. I like the theming of the golf areas, one underwater and one arctic. The holes were kind of simple, but a few had cool things sprinkled in. Maybe 4 total had something cool. It was $9 for 18 holes, each person. No 3D glasses were offered but don't really need them.

We had a kids Birthday party here it's November and yes it's cold outside. But it's FREEZING INSIDE…read morethis building. All of the kids were miserable cause they were freezing we all had to wear our full winter gear inside. It's so dark in the "party room". 9/10 of the arcade games did not work. Definitely not worth the money. $200 to rent the "room" and then $20 per person/ kid on top of that to golf. It was just pathetic to be completely honest. They are many other places to host bday part events that are well worth the money and price. I wouldn't recommend this or do it again.

This is a nice, tasteful and respectfully done memorial. It does not have a designated parking…read morearea, but there is metered street parking available within a reasonable walking distance. It is located right next to Fire Station 1. This memorial, which was dedicated in 201, honors the State's first responders that have made the ultimate sacrifice. It features a bronze statue of a firefighter in turnout gear, hold a hose and ready to fight a fire. The statue is very detailed, you can actually see the icecicles hanging from the firefighter's helmet. They look so real. The statue has a cement pedestal in front of it with a bronze plaque with the Firefighters Prayer on it. There are 6 walls low brick walls that are surrounding the statue. Two walls are joined together at the center and has an EMS and firefighters cross above them along with a bell. The walls have bronze plaques on the with the name of each State hero engraved on them. There are a lot of blank space and hopefully, it will stay that way. The plaza that the memorial sits is well maintained and in excellent shape. It was constructed completely with private donations and funds. The ground is made of brick pavers and has some lights counter sunk into it to provide nighttime illumination. This is a fitting tribute to those everyday heroes. This is not a big time consumer, but is neat to see and could be coupled with visits to the Anchorage Firefighters Museum, the Alaska Law Enforcement Museum, and other nearby attractions.

I stumbled across Dos Manos thanks to a TikTok video and knew I had to check it out right away--and…read moreI'm so glad I did! This gallery is such a gem in Anchorage. It's filled wall-to-wall with incredible art from so many talented local artists, and it has such a warm, welcoming vibe when you walk in. If you're looking for unique ways to decorate your space, they have beautiful prints that instantly brighten up a room. I also loved the selection of cards, stickers, and fun gift items--perfect for grabbing something special for a friend (or yourself!). It's the kind of place where you'll find something new and inspiring every time you stop by. Supporting local artists while picking up one-of-a-kind pieces? Definitely a win-win. Dos Manos is officially one of my favorite new finds in Anchorage.

Great shop in Spenard! First time being in here, and only because we had a gift card! It is a…read moregallery with different art pieces by different artists, but much more than that it is a gift shop that sells tons of locally made items. If you need a gift for a birthday, baby shower, or the holidays, come by this shop and you just might find something. They have a kid section, they have a room with Corso prints, and a cool staircase with art upstairs. I will definitely be back. The worker was a young guy just sitting behind the counter on his phone not interacting with anyone shopping, but he was nice when we check out. Picture was $60 and the cup I think was $18.

We booked the 7.5-hour cruise online, and the check-in process was smooth. We didn't realize until…read morewe got on the boat that our seating was assigned in a table and shared with two other people. The window seats at the tables are first come, first served, so that's something to keep in mind. The service was good, and everyone throughout the tour was very helpful and kind. The captain and crew were great and provided lots of interesting information about the surrounding area, wildlife, and glaciers. They also offered a tequila tasting when we reached the glacier area, with the tequila served over glacier ice, which was a unique touch. At the end of the cruise, they gave us a complimentary brownie, which was a nice little treat. Drink price and quality plus hot dog that we ordered were good. When booking online, we had the option to choose our meal, and we requested a gluten-free turkey club. Unfortunately, when our section was called for food, the gluten-free meal wasn't ready and took quite a while to arrive. Also the regular snack option included chips and a granola bar, while the gluten-free option came with two bags of chips instead. It would have been nice to have a little more variety for the gluten-free option. Overall, we really enjoyed the cruise, the scenery, and the wonderful staff. It was a memorable experience and I would recommend it.

We had a party of 7 - we got split up and the table we had to share with ...didn't want to share…read moreand were so rude. I would have a staff member present for this awkward table assignment - we did call and went in person the day before to avoid such a debacle and were brushed off. Shane remedied the situation and did comp us a glacier margarita (thank you for that ) the crew was great , but management should reconsider the seating assignment versus the "you get what you get " or mitigate and prevent uncomfortable situations among the guests. However, the weather was great - our captain was great and the crew was great !

If you find a stray dog you might as well ignore it, don't pick it up because there is nobody that…read moreworks here that will be able to help you. They have drop off boxes for the times they are not open but if you can't get the animal to do what you want you will be s.o.l and are likely to be bit. And don't bother calling anchorage 311 because they don't care about animals loose in the community to be hit by cars either.

When I went, it was a long wait, but the patience and kindness the employees had were beyond…read morebelief. The wait is worth it to adopt one of their amazing pets. I adopted my dog from here and won't ever regret it. Their website is updated hourly, phone lines open to contact, and great hours to meet and greet with their pets.

Security is Tough!! Just wanted to see the Alaska Centers Wildlife Museum inside the federal…read morebuilding. Great gift shop with a multitude of information on the state of Alaska. Very educational and informative and free.

We were doing a walking tour and we walked into the Federal building. There was a fantastic…read moreexhibit on the Alaska land act. There was much info. We spent about 1.5 hours there. Highly recommend!