This mural is the work of William Kozloff. He painted it on the North (back) side of Seed Lab in…read more2020 as part of the Alaska Mural Project in collaboration with the Anchorage Downtown Partnership. The mural depicts a native Aleutian woman, known as an Unangan, holding a skinning knife and wearing a bag that is used for preserving seal meat until they could get it back to the village where it could be processed. Kozloff aimed to bring attention to the impact of colonization on the Aleutians and what he called "the Century of Servitude" I love the purple and teal color scheme used in the mural. It is defiantly attention grabbing. It has some fine detail and showcases Kozloff's talent. 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. 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 murals in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

We were looking for a great place to find some quality authentic Alaskan art. This was the best…read morestore we had found during our two week trip. The works in here were wonderful!! And, we found a perfect piece at a very reasonable price. They shipped it very inexpensively but incredibly well wrapped. It arrived safe and sound and I love the story it tells.

While at the Captain Cook, we shopped here. Their main entrance is from inside the hotel so it was…read moreconvenient. They have a lot of Alaskan art and will ship any purchases. The lady was very friendly and chatted openly with us as she explained the location and fame of the individual artists. Good experience. High end art. Nothing plastic.

This attraction is located in front of the Anchorage visitor's Center. It is a metal abstract arch…read morededicated in memory of Robert L. Hartig, one of the principals of the law firm of Hartig Rhodes Hoge & Lekisch, a leading corporate and business law firm in Anchorage. The spiraling arch is made of stainless steel and granite and is the work of sculptor Roger Barr, who received the commission for the piece in 1985. It is illuminated at night, which I think makes it more impressive to view after dark. One of the arch's pillars are inscribed with the following: Spirit Bridge In Memory Of Robert L. Hartig 1928 - 1980 A Leader In Law And Community Affairs His Dedication Provided A Bridge For A New Generation In designing the piece Barr drew upon Hartig aviation background and went with somewhat of an aviation theme. Barr "sought to create a sculpture that would soar, reflecting and seeming to dissolve in the changing light, large but not massive." 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. Anyway, as with most sculpture that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a very long stop. Fortunately, most people visiting this attraction will be there visiting the Anchorage Visitors Center and this will be a subsequent visit. If you do choose to make this a destination stop, which I do not suggest, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

What a delight! Right from the start of our stay and throughout the whole time, all of the staff…read moremembers were amazing ~ helpful, smiling, and accessible. From the lobby to the room, the hotel is sparkling clean. The building is historic and the past comes alive with photos retelling stories of the Anchorage of old, and gorgeous paintings that capture the shifting light with remarkable beauty. The Historic Anchorage Hotel is an adorable and refreshing boutique hotel experience, very classy and designed with care down to the smallest detail, and with so much in walking distance. The best gift store with the most interesting curiosities in all of Anchorage is also right next door, with snacks and great Alaska-made finds. We had been wanting to stay here for a long time and now that we have, I am really excited to go back. Thank you for a wonderful experience!

This is a beautiful historic hotel filled with mementos of the last century. There are photos of…read morethe hotel from the early 1900's and its on the historic register. It's within easy walking distance of shops and restaurants with a walkable public art tour featuring artists like Robert Wyland and Hunter S Thompson. The entire staff is friendly and helpful and the manager, Terry, spent lots of time telling me about the 26 room hotel and the haunted history. She showed me her video of a chandelier with just a few of the crystals vibrating inexplicably and told us that some ghost hunters had told them there were 32 separate entities inhabiting the hotel. I didn't see anything strange but I love the stories. There's a basic fitness room and a beautiful bar area (but no liquor license) where the breakfast buffet is served. The breakfast is small but adequate with the star being the pancake machine that looks like a copy machine but spits out thin pancakes when you push the button. There was no fruit available but they do have water, coffee and tea available all day. The room was comfortable with the old timey vibe. The updates include a power strip with USB ports, a coffee maker (and tea provided) and a large flat screen TV. There's no air conditioning but the floor fan works well enough. We chose this hotel to be within walking distance of the train station and the train rolls in at 5:20am - blasting it's whistle for about a full minute. It leaves again at 6:45am but the whistle is shorter. I was exhausted and fell back to sleep quickly so it wasn't really a problem for me. The huge gift shop next store offers hotel guest 10% off and they have everything you could want. I would definitely recommend this very clean and comfortable, unique hotel with its attentive staff.

This is a sculpture that depicts three ships of the controversial explorer, Captain James Cook,…read morethat represent the 3 voyages of his exploration. There are bronze markers that are engraved with information of each respective voyage. The voyages occurred between 1768 and 1780, with him being killed during the third voyage in 1779. The piece sits in a little trench that is lined with medium sized rocks. It sits in front of the Anchorage Pel'meni restaurant and across the street from the Captain Cook Hotel. It was made in 1977 BY Josef Princiott, with the assistance of Susan Mckittrick, Jim Froehlich, and Dean Mctavish. This area seems to be heavy on Captain Cook, with this sculpture, the hotel, Cook Inlet and his memorial all within a few blocks from each other. It is a nice piece, but is showing signs of wear and tear. It could use a little TLC. Parking to get a closer look at this sculpture is very easy. There is metered street parking within a reasonable walking distance and well as tons of commercial parking lots and garages. Anyway, as with most sculptures 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, such as the Captain Cook Memorial, or The Alaska Victim Memorial, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

This sculpture is the work of Leo Vait of Homer, Alaska who made the piece in 2006. It is located…read morein downtown anchorage, in a small Plaza area in front of the Atwood State Office Building. It is a duplication of another piece, also by Valt, that is located in his hometown of Homer. The "bones" are arranged much like the whale bone huts in some of the native Alaskan villages. They are made of 3/16 inch steel, coated in zinc and then painted. The sculpture is part of the Alaska State Council on the Arts' a Percent for Art Dedication collection. I find this piece very unique and intriguing. It is illuminated at night and has some large rocks placed under it to add to its aesthetics. It is a simple piece and it reminded me of an exhibit at the Alaska Native Heritage Center, around the lake. It is in decent shape, especial for being 16 years old. It is definitely attention getting and hard to miss. 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. This is defiantly not a destination piece that you make a special trip to see, but is nice to take a look at if you find yourself in the area. Anyway, as with most sculpture 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 Land Management Center and Anchorage Tourist Center or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

Just like we just happened to arrive in Alaska hours before the summer solstice, we also happened…read moreto visit the Alaska Native Heritage Center on the day of the grand reopening of their Hall of Cultures. Although it was already special learning about the different dwellings around the property for each region of Alaska on their included tour and seeing demos of native dances on the stage, it was made even more special with the addition of the murals from different cultural regions and a gift for all guests that day in honor of that grand reopening day as a reflection of their culture. Quyana.

If you are interested in the native people of this area, you can't miss this. Most of the artifacts…read moreare modern creations from native artists, but each piece tells a story of the past and present. If you take the walk behind the main building, you can see how the different tribes lived. If you have an open mind and open heart, you will be touched. We were.

This mural was painted by William Kozloff in 2020 and is on a side wall of the Seed Lab,…read moreoverlooking a parking lot. It is between two other murals. It depicts a native woman, with glasses, dressed in traditional garb, wearing some Bluetooth headphones and taking a selfie with her phone. The phones light is on and you can see "JUST" tattooed across the woman's fingers on the hand holding the phone. The word "JUST" is also behind her head. I do not know the backstory of the mural, but the murals on the Seed Lab walls have to do with either climate change or the State's indigenous history. I am assuming that this one falls under the latter. Artistically, it is a very nice piece that is in great shape. I like Kozloff's use of color in the mural. It is very vivid and the colors really compliment each other. 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. And as I mentioned, it overlooks a parking lot itself. That is where I ended up parking at. 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 murals in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

There's a saying next to it that's counterintuitive to the painting. There's nothing "forward…read morethinking" about taking a selfie.

This sculpture is the work of Hugh McPeck and was dedicated in 2000, Y2K. It weighs 1,200 pounds…read moreand stands 8 and a half feet tall. It depicts, as its title insinuates, a bear with a raven perched on its head looking down on him. The sculpture sits out front of the Bear and Raven Adventure Theater an interactive play space where children can get to know Alaskan history. The sculpture is in great shape and has a fun vibe. It looks like the animals are having a grand time.It has a plaque that gives it some context and reads, "The Bear and Raven, The Raven whispers to the Bear, "I really enjoy watching you fish for salmon in Ship Creek". The Bear's large smile and tummy, indicates that he loves it too! This sculpture is dedicated to the fun loving spirit of all Alaskans. Legend has it when you rub the Bear's tummy it will bring you good luck." 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. Anyway, as with most sculpture 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 or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

The location is very convenient. It's in downtown and there are shops and eateries all in walking…read moredistance. The visitor center is also near by. If you don't mind walking a bit, it's amazing. The place is very nice. I like how there are also some tour businesses in the area. We were able to walk there to book some tours. The accommodation is nice, clean, convenient and I loved the decor. Kitchen has glasses, dishes, refrigerator, utensils as well as extra blankets, tv, and more. Recommended

I LOVE the Anchorage Museum. Yes compared to other large…read morecity museums it's on the smaller scale, but it's still fantastic. The Smithsonian Alaska exhibit is truly amazing, and such a great piece of history. Honestly my favorite part about the Anchorage Museum is the classes offered, the after hour events, the seed lab, the lending museum, (which is part of the seed lab) and the perks of buying a membership. There are so many cool classes offered for kids and adults and I feel like not that many people know about them. I'd encourage everyone to look up the events calendar on the website and see what they have coming up. Movie screenings, silent discos, Pink Floyd at the planetarium and then there are the member perks. They offer really cool behind the scenes tours and great discounts on classes and entry fees for members. They also offer free entrance days maybe once a month, so the price CAN be accessible to everyone.

The Museum is located in Downtown Anchorage, across from the Anchorage Mall, with an attractive…read morearchitectural design fronted by a lovely grove of birch trees. I found it odd that the Museum's underground parking is only available to patrons at night and on weekends. Given the temps and homelessness, pushing patrons onto the street/area surface lots seemed counterintuitive. While many of the Museum's galleries offer strong, sometimes dated, points of view (i.e. on COVID vaccination rates and opinions from 2020), the Museum has a loan from the Smithsonian collection showing Alaska native cultural heritage pieces on the 2nd floor. This history alone is worth a studious and extended visit. The "dog" gallery is equally captivating, and the cafe was both welcoming and refreshing. Areas designed for children, while mostly holding our 5 & 7 year olds' interests, were fairly rudimentary without consistently clear learning goals for the well-travelled. At $25/ea for a regular adult, it's a good one-time experience.