Visitors Guide

Welcome to Fairbanks and Interior Alaska, a fascinating land rich in gold mining history, outdoor wonders and friendly people.

At its heart, Fairbanks is a river town, and downtown’s Golden Heart Plaza is the easiest spot to enjoy the Chena River as it slowly meanders downstream.

Experience more than 100 years of Interior Alaska history through photographs, newspaper clippings and artifacts at the Fairbanks Community and Dog Mushing Museum, located in the Co-Op Plaza at 535 Second Ave.

Interior Alaska summers are made for bike lovers. The combination of the midnight sun, balmy temperatures, clear skies and epic views provide a perfect environment for two-wheeled adventure. Whether you choose a leisurely pedal through area neighborhoods or a longer trip into the gentle hill…

It can get pretty warm in Fairbanks during the summer when the sun is shining almost 24 hours per day, but one place where you can cool off is the Fairbanks Ice Museum.

With a wide variety of cultural programs and educational exhibits, the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center informs and entertains while giving visitors a glimpse into life in Interior Alaska.

Downtown Fairbanks is rife with entertainment, but for activities tailor made to teach kids, the Fairbanks Children’s Museum is the place to go.

The trans-Alaska oil pipeline, one of the most ambitious construction projects ever undertaken, stretches hundreds of miles across some of the roughest and most remote terrain in the world.

North Pole, 14 miles southeast of Fairbanks, is home to one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Interior, the Santa Claus House. You can also find an historic gospel radio station, KJNP, and top-notch Chinese food at the Pagoda Chinese Restaurant and Bar, which has been featured o…

You don’t have to be a gearhead to go the auto museum.

Taking a walk with a reindeer has become one of the Fairbanks area’s most popular year-round attractions.

One of the true natural gems of Fairbanks is Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge.

For more than a century, people have been heading to Chena Hot Springs to soak up the mineral springs. Today, they also can tour ice carvings and geothermically heated greenhouses and ride behind a team of sled dogs. All are open year-round.

Looking for a unique way to take in the grandeur of the Alaska landscape? You might want to think about taking a ride on the Alaska Railroad.

Sternwheelers, floatplanes and dog mushing were once the main transportation systems in Interior Alaska.

Staff Report

You’ve spent a long day under the Midnight Sun seeing as many of the sights and sounds Fairbanks has to offer.

The bounty of the state’s harvests can be found all over Interior Alaska, especially at our farmers markets.

The arts world thrives in Fairbanks, and summer offers its share of performances, concerts and events to fill your cultural need while in Interior Alaska. Many of the productions feature local performers as well as guest artists who travel to Fairbanks for a chance to perform on our stages. …

Pioneer Park offers a little bit of everything for visitors to the Golden Heart City.

Pioneer Park offers visitors numerous opportunities to take in the deep and rich history of Fairbanks and Interior Alaska. Museums and facilities in the park showcase aviation and railroad history, as well as some of Fairbanks’ storied buildings.

The University of Alaska Museum of the North, home to more than 1.5 million artifacts and specimens, six galleries, and a mummified steppe bison, is taking measures to improve accessibility in preparation for the summer tourist season.

The Large Animal Research Station out at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has the only captive research musk ox herd in the world and a reindeer herd too, just for good measure.

The Alaska Goldpanners take the field in June for their 60th season of summer college baseball.

Located on the West Ridge of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Georgeson Botanical Gardens is an oasis of color and calm with a stunning view of the Tanana Valley and Alaska Range. Sure to please, this 5-acre garden is alive with a profusion of flowers, herbs, trees, shrubs and vegetab…

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Midnight Sun Run is one of the highlights of the annual Midnight Sun Festival in the Golden Heart City.

Inhabitants of the Golden Heart City can find just about any reason to celebrate, but celebrating the discovery of gold in Fairbanks is one of the biggest reasons to take to the streets, and the Chena River for that matter, and enjoy the long summer days.

Arrrrrrg, ye maties. This year it’s talk like a pirate at the Tanana Valley State Fair. Or take a selfie with a pirate — there will be a few strolling around all 10 days of the fair, according to Executive Director Mahla Strohmaier.

The dance competition has been one of the most popular events in the long history of the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics.

The Interior offers a few options to visitors who want to play a round of golf.

By Amanda Bohman

The first military air show in Interior Alaska in more than 10 years takes place this summer on July 13.

Before it spills into downtown Fairbanks, the Chena River flows through a wild landscape 30 miles west of town.

When an Alaskan says “the mountain is out” there is no doubt which mountain is filling the horizon. It is the tallest mountain in North America —Denali— a magnificent sight when it emerges from the cover of clouds.

The 92-mile road into Denali National Park and Preserve runs from the Parks Highway to the former mining community of Kantishna.

Dreams come true at Denali National Park for kids who want to become a junior ranger. All they have to do is complete a series of activities.

One of the best ways to absorb the grandeur of Denali National Park is to see it from the air. A number of flightseeing companies provide that unique service. Contact them individually for details of their tours.

The Denali Highway offers one of the most scenic drives in Alaska, with frequent reminders of the region’s glacial past.

On a hot summer day, there may be no better way to experience Fairbanks than by floating the Chena River through town. Grab a cooler, rent a boat, don your life jacket and relax for the afternoon.

The subarctic is not the same as Africa’s Serengeti, but I can see why people expect a similar action-packed wildlife safari experience when I see marketing materials for Alaska.

The Fairbanks area offers hiking opportunities from in-town nature walks to long ambitious treks. Here is a sampling of popular hikes in order of length and difficulty.

The Interior is covered with rivers and lakes filled with fish, including salmon, trout, grayling and pike. These Interior freshwater species are good eating, can be fun to catch and seldom require much equipment to bring in.

Mary Shields is a legend in the mushing community. She was the first woman to finish the Iditarod, running the race in 1974, its second year. (Lolly Medley also ran the race that year, but finished 29 minutes behind Shields. It took both women 28 days to cover the race trail.) Since then, Sh…

By Erin McGroarty

A trip north up the Steese Highway from Fairbanks takes you through some of Alaska’s richest gold country as you make the 155-mile drive to Circle City, located on the Yukon River.

There may not be any snow on the ground, but visitors can still get a taste of Alaska’s state sport — dog mushing — under the midnight sun in Interior Alaska.

The aurora borealis, commonly known as the northern lights, are a splendid sight, with their green, red and purple hues. The lights can be seen in Fairbanks and Interior Alaska for about eight months a year, from mid-August to mid-April.

Visitors to Alaska often like to get off the beaten path, and there are few roads that provide that opportunity better than the Dalton and Elliott highways.

It takes a little more than two hours to drive the 123 miles to Denali National Park and Preserve from Fairbanks.

Staff Report