Fantastic museum to learn about the Alaska and its people and culture…read more Whole family enjoyed. Got thru it in a little over 2 hours.

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.

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.

The best place to be is in the way to know the aim of the place. In the side of the museum. All…read moreinside is the way of the history of the battle in Alaska.

There are a lot of museums that my wife and I see, and there are some museums which only one of us…read moreis interested in. In those cases only one of us goes in, while the other waits outside. This is one museum which I alone was interested in seeing. Located right in downtown Anchorage. More of a World War II and post war military museum. I go in the front door and am greeted by the host, a millennial, the son of the museum curator. Right in front of me in a display case is a diorama of the a WW2 landing ship tank, with it's bow doors open and ramp down, for vehicles driving right onto the beach. There are also Higgins boats or LCVP carrying assault troops for landing on the beaches. Hanging from the ceiling are various WW2 aircraft models, including the B29 Superfortress, B24 Liberator, and the Lockheed Lightning. There is a display area with a small shore gun from the Japanese invasion of the Aleutian islands of Attu and Kiska, along with a battle flag of the rising sun, and various hand weaponry, including a rifle, pistol and a prized samurai sword! Another area has weaponry and pictures from the Vietnam War, and of the cold war, as fought in the waters off of Alaska. Highlight of the museum has to be the 1/72 scale of the WW2 Essex class fleet aircraft carrier, complete with Corsairs, Hellcats, Avengers and Helldivers. This model is over 10' long, and must have taken months to complete. $3 admission fee, takes me back in time, when I built model military airplanes and ships in 1960s Berkeley, during the height of the Vietnam War protests 15 minutes later my handler and wife antsy at the front entrance, starts pulling on my leash, wanting to go. You know who wears the pants in the house!

So I can't give a review based on going through the museum but what I can write on is the small…read moregift shop area and customer service while in there. We stopped by with a family member wanting to get a gift for her husband, who collects law enforcement trinkets. The AL Trooper Museum didn't disappoint. Plenty of items to choose from, t-shirts, sweatshirts, pins & mugs. I'm sure he'll be pleased with what was purchased. The young man at the counter was very courteous and helped her out and we were on our way. As for what I could see in the museum from the front, it looked pretty cool in there, jam packed with anything and everything related to Trooper law enforcement, complete with an actual car used.

I didn't expect to find this when I was exploring Anchorage, but I'm so glad I did! It was cool to…read morelearn about how law enforcement got started there. They have patches from other places, so bring one to make sure they have yours!

We arrived at the cutest museum, located right next to the water, with seaplanes constantly coming…read moreand going. The museum itself is a decent size, and we really enjoyed seeing so many different types of aircraft. One of the coolest parts was being able to walk inside one of the planes. The staff was extremely friendly, and the gentlemen restoring planes in the side building were a hoot. One of them took the time to explain how they are bringing these historic aircraft back to life using donations, which we thought was really neat. It's wonderful to see these planes preserved rather than discarded. The museum has a small gift shop, but they do not sell food or beverages. The location is fantastic because there is constant seaplane activity, and visitors can climb up to the tower for beautiful views of the surrounding area. Overall, we highly recommend this attraction, especially for families with kiddos who love planes. It was a fun and unique experience, and we would definitely visit again!

Finally got the chance to visit the Alaska Aviation Museum after passing by it numerous times over…read morethe years. This is a OK museum; if you are not an airplane enthusiast, you may find it a bit small and boring, but otherwise, it's a neat experience for those who are into aviation. There's a lot of different planes to look at here, from old airliners and single engine piston planes to military aircraft. The Alaska 737 and the mockup of a tower cab were both particularly interesting. There's a small kid's area that would probably keep younger kids entertained for 30 minutes or so. The admission price of $18 is a bit steep for what you get; I would prefer more like $14-$15 based on the size of the museum.

This museum is dedicated to the Alaskan State Police and predates them becoming a state. It does…read morenot have a designated parking area, but there is metered street parking and a commercial garage available within a reasonable walking distance. I don't mind paying to enter and they do offer military and law enforcement discounts, but many similar places that I have visited have been free. The museum has a small gift shop in front of the counter 5 exhibit areas. The gift store is small and sells hats, t-shirts, sweatshirt, patches and a variety of law enforcement books. The museum is very small, but they pack a lot in there. The main exhibit floor has the different uniforms worn by troopers, some of the weapons and equipment such as radios they used, a shout out to the US Marshals, and features a 1952 patrol car. The exhibit area behind the main one is dedicated to CSI and has equipment used in solving cases such as a breathalyzer, polygraph machines a squirrel machine (a machine used to get fingerprints off of plastic bags, a simulated crime scene, and a bust of George Taft, father of Alaskan forensics. Off to the side of the main gallery is 3 rooms. One features the women in Alaska Law Enforcement exhibit, another, called the Patch Room, which has a bunch of patches from different police department and agencies on the wall, and the last room is the Shoot, Don't Shoot Room, where they are playing a 55-minute movie on loop. This is a change of pace from your typical Anchorage attractions and is an indoor attraction that could be used to fill an itinerary on bad weather days. I enjoyed my visit here. They have a ton of artifacts and pictures to go through. If you skip the movie like I did, you can spend an hour or two here. Which is not a lot of time. It is still neat to see though and could be coupled with visits to the Anchorage Firefighters Museum, the Alaska Firefighters' Memorial, the Alaskan Public Land Center and other nearby attractions.

Perfect place to spend a couple hours! I've lived in Alaska my whole life and learned a lot about…read morelaw enforcement predating the Alaska state troopers & other police departments, the 1964 earthquake, and butcher baker. The "line of duty" wall is emotional, but it's wonderful to see our fallen troopers displayed in such a beautiful way. Admission and merchandise are fairly priced. And all proceeds go to a wonderful cause.

I thought I had written this review long ago... I didn't know this museum existed until I had to…read moreutilize one of the services in this native corporation building. For those who are unaware, most native corps in town have their buildings beautifully outfitted with indigenous displays of artifacts and information. Each Corp has its own preferences with regard to how and where it is displayed, who has access to it, if you are allowed to photograph it, etc. This particular Corp has set up a small, free museum on the ground floor with a lovely display of Alutiiq items.

What an amazing shop and owner . We were on vacation in…read morebeautiful Alaska when we pass an interesting shop with all kinds of artistically crafted items . Lamps goggles hats there was no end to the gift s you could buy

From the owner: Renegade Steam is a Steampunk Art & Gifts Studio located in downtown Palmer Alaska featuring an…read moreEmporium of Curiosities and Unique Gifts

There are a a lot of cool specimens a here but it's a little unusual, too. There are taxidermed…read moreanimals that are not from Alaska at all, and a series of molds of humanoid bones that mark evolutionary diversions through the millennia. --It was definitely interesting but could probably be laid out in a more cohesive way. I guess I'd say: go here with the understanding that you will see a lot of unique artifacts and animals. However, you might not be able to see how they are related/connected to one another... because, really, they're not.

Cute little museum with big personalities. Scavenger hunts are loads of fun. Great customer service…read morefrom front desk.