As always, 3 Barons is an event our family looks forward to and enjoys immensely. Lots of laughter,…read morelearning and great food and frolic, which are an excellent combination. Some of my favorite food trucks always come to this event - Russian and Turkish foods. I also tried a new one this year, yummy crab cakes! I really enjoy the SCA fighting demos. In the evening add a touch of mead and bawdy pirate tunes and it makes for a perfect day.

This is a beautiful stop to take in wonder expressions of nature on paved pathways. Easily…read moreaccessible for all. The plants have been arranged and cared for in a way that really sets a mark for a visit to Anchorage.

I LOVE the ABG, they have so many amazing seasonal events and educational series you could spend…read morealmost everyday there and never get bored. The spring and summer blooms are absolutely beautiful, and in the winter they have spooky autumn walks and holiday themed Christmas light walks. It's affordable to get in and even more affordable to buy a family pass. If you haven't stopped by you should give it a try. Keep your eye on their socials for upcoming events, they do sell out fast so if you see one you want to go to jump on it.

Alaska native Heritage center - this was cool and informative. We saw dance demonstrations and a…read moreyoung man showing us a traditional competition. We learned about the different style of homes the natives built and lived in. And how they were treated when the government took over in 1800's to indoctrinate them into western ways. If you've watched Yellowstone than this is seeing it come to life even more with the photos and details. This was an enjoyable visit and I highly recommend.

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.

I had kind of forgot about our little gem of a theater Cyrano's!…read more To be completely honest the last time I went to a play here was when it was still downtown. I feel terrible I've neglected our wonderful little art house. The theater itself is so perfect and intimate, you feel absolutely immersed in the action when you're there. The volunteer staff is as friendly as could be, and amazingly helpful. The concession stand features LOCAL soda brewer Beach Tribe Sodas by Mike Jipping as well as Alaska made chocolates. They also have complimentary bottled water for patrons. The ticket prices are very reasonable. *pro tip- call them directly to purchase your tickets and skip the "booking fee" center ticks charges.

This is a terrific local theater with well curated shows and delightful acting. The theater is…read morequite small and probably sits somewhere in the vicinity of 75-100 people. This means there really isn't a bad seat in the house. I was introduced to Cyranos in December of 2022 when I came for The Twelfth Night. The ability of actors and actresses to perform Shakespeare is, to my understanding, the measuring stick of truly superb acting. And the performers were excellent. They applied well thought out subtext and demonstrated an excellent command of the original language. I was hooked and could not wait to return for more plays. Since then, I have returned for two additional plays: The Book Club and First Day, the Musical. In addition to great acting and singing, the stage designs show an attention to detail and lots of forethought. Each time, I feel like I am walking into a brand new setting. Add the excellent lighting and sound folks back stage, and it's a truly amazing experience. Every performance I have viewed also comes with a new and exciting art gallery on display. The artwork is always intriguing. Additionally, they have a box office with coffee, tea, locally made soda, and a few snacks. I highly recommend this theater. They are doing an excellent job. I will caution you on one thing: parking. It is sort of a nightmare. This is not the place to try and show up at the last minute. Come early and expect there to be some Tetris involved in finding a spot. In winter with large snowfall, the road where many park becomes even more difficult to navigate.

I'm glad a spot like this exists in Anchorage…read more It's an event space that seems to mostly showcase all-ages concerts. The ambiance is lacking though. It's a little dank and musty, the bathrooms aren't great. No alcohol available for purchase. Which is kind of tough when you're at a concert.

I come here basically anytime there's a show, the atmosphere is very homey and welcoming, shows are…read morea good price, even in such a small venue the mosh pits are awesome, there's a few cozy couches in the corner of the room too, and they usually have games to play and a wall to sign with is very fun.

If you can enjoy the annual kitschy, trashy, sleazy, funny affair that is "Christmas in Spenard",…read morethen, congratulations, you're a true resident of Anchortown...and maybe even Spenard. This show is all about life in Alaska, in Anchorage, and in "The 99503". It used to be held at Taproot, which used to be called "The Fly By Night Club, which was owned by Mr Whitekeys, who is the main figure behind this show. Topics include: - Local politicians - Tiny-handed Presidents - Skinny Dick's Halfway Inn - Spam - The cold - A harmonica wildlife solo - Wasilla, and what a dump it is And also: Skinny Dick's Halfway Inn. I don't want to say anything more, for fear or spoiling the fun. It's a great way to share some laughs with friends and family when the days are short and dark. It's just a bummer that it's now held in "The 99501" (RIP Taproot). Seems wrong for Christmas in Spenard to be in...downtown.

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.

In my Frommer's 2010 Alaska Cruises & Ports of Call guidebook, this theater is listed as being…read morefree. For our relatively short day in Anchorage, we jumped at it based on that fact. But it's not even close to free anymore, if it ever was. We ended up buying a combination ticket (one of the two 30-minute shows plus the 15-minute show about th 1964 earthquake) for $11.95 each. That sounded pretty steep for 45 minutes of edutainment, but we figured that it was worth it to get some exposure to some of the Alaskan sights that we didn't get to see from our cruise excursions. But the quality of the films was mediocre. Of the two thirty-minute films, we chose the Journey to Alaska and Northern Lights Adventure double feature, but in retrospect we should have chosen Alaska Wild! since we were interested in animals. Our film played like a 15-minute infomercial for the Alaska Tourist Bureau (I swear, "Come to Alaska" was uttered at least a dozen times in various forms) followed by a 15-minute docu-mercial about/for some photographer who specializes in shooting the aurora borealis. Don't get me wrong--the footage in both films was beautiful; it's just that the narrative content was superficial and uninteresting. And kind of awkwardly commercial. I enjoyed the earthquake film better, although it is extremely dated. However, the content was interesting and I felt that they did the subject justice in the short time frame. A seismographer explained the physics of earthquakes and the geologic situation in south-central Alaska; several eyewitnesses related unique accounts of their experiences; and original footage and photography illustrated the terror and destruction of the event. The gimmick here is that the small grandstand lurches and shakes for half a minute or so during the show, to mimic the earthquake experience. It was fun, but it didn't add much, and I was kind of annoyed that the noise of the mechanism completely drowned out the film narration during that time. The earthquake-related displays that they have in the lobby help to flesh out the story of the event and are good for killing time until your show. The people are nice and they have a small snack/gift shop...but there are probably better and/or cheaper things to do with 45 minutes in Anchorage.

My husband and I had a great experience watching the aurora/northern lights recorded footages. It…read morefelt like we were there with the videographer, Todd. For us, it was great to see the lights in a big screen for a small fee.