An excellent museum, particularly impressive collection of native Alaskan art and artifacts.read more

Is your cruise ship docked in Juneau and it's a gray, cold, rainy day (very possible!)? A trip to…read morethe Alaska State Museum is a great way to spend some time and get out of the elements! That's the exact weather we were faced with and we found the museum about a 15 minute walk from the port. This was the largest museum we encountered on our Alaska cruise and one of the best. Lovely displays of native art and key moments of Alaska history. Nice lockers for all your cold weather/rain gear as well! Definitely worth a visit.

We visited Sealaska Heritage, a Native nonprofit, in downtown Juneau. (It is easily accessible from…read morethe cruise terminal). The museum focuses on the story of Southeast Alaska's Native people that began 10,000 years ago and continues today. The centerpiece of the museum is a replica of a clan house, as well as exhibits with one-of a-kind Native art. Admission to the "Nathan Jackson Gallery Exhibit" was $7.00 for me; $5.00 for my elder (65+) husband (June, 2025). There is also a large shop with authentic, unique, and high-quality Native arts, as well as other souvenirs. Visits to the museum and purchases directly support Alaska Native artists, workshops, indigenous language revitalization, and cross-cultural programming. The building itself, as well as the tall totem poles outside, are photo-worthy. We have mixed feelings about our visit. It was confusing upon entering the building. The gift shop was on the left; museum on the right -- but it wasn't clear where to buy tickets for the museum. After buying the tickets in the gift shop, we proceeded to the museum. No staff were on-site. While well-maintained, it was quite small with only a few rooms -- the clan room/auditorium and rooms with individual art and artifacts. However, there was no context for the significance of these items to the Native cultures. Others have commented on the usefulness of on-site docents; unfortunately, this was not our experience. We're atreating our visit as a donation towards the objectives of the Institute; otherwise, the price of admission is high given the experience. As for free activities, it's definitely worth a visit to see the totem poles and to drop-in to the excellent gift shop.

This building stands out, so you cannot miss it if you are wandering around downtown Juneau. There…read moreis a very fine shop filled with quality Alaska carvings, art and artifacts. Well worth your perusal as it is a quality shop. The Nathan Jackson Gallery Exhibit is a collection of stories and art from the SE Alaskan native Americans. A very dignified docent takes you on a tour of a tribal meeting and living building, displays of native arts and historical video and slide shows. Cost is $7 for people aged 7 years old and up. Seniors are $4. You cannot enter without a paid ticket. Nothing is in depth, so it will not take you long to take it all in. But Alaska IS different from lower 48 cultures and peoples. Certainly this is well worth your time when you are passing through Juneau.

Cool little museum that appears to be family run. Emery for adults in $5 and we're not charged for…read morean 11 year old. Takes about 15 minutes to get through the museum. Best part was purchasing a plastic gold pan kit for $8 and then actually panning and finding gold flakes in the river below. Tip: Take taxi / ride share up to the mine and then walk back to town about 30 minutes, it's beautiful.

Fun adventure! Nice place to get a piece of history!! Great staff and neat sites to see!read more

Very accessible Visitor Center with views of the Glacier just a short distance from the bus and…read moreshuttle drop off location. Visitor center has an elevator to the 2nd floor that provides insight, views, and toilets. If in Juneau via a cruise ship you can access the park via both shore excursions and tour operators. No real complications on May 5, on that clear dry day, though 5 cruise ships were in port making the park entrance busy with both tourists and transports. It was a nice way to see a glacier, but the initial park area was crowded, so do not expect to escape from the bustle of tourists unless you explore deeper into the park.

Extraordinary! If you are in Juneau or coming into port from a cruise, you need to come here! I…read moreactually went at the end of April. It was raining, but just bring an umbrella! EXPERIENCE: You must do the Nugget Falls trail. It's flat, easy, and takes you to the waterfall in less than a mile. The waterfall is stunning. You will be very close to the glacier from there! The trail itself is a fairy tale. Greenery, ferns, moss, rocks, and small waterfalls surround you. You will want to stop and take pictures of everything! OVERALL: This is almost an emotional experience. I want to go back one day and I'm so grateful I was able to experience it.

A really steep walk but worth it for the views. The guide was very sweet and informative. Told us…read morethe best stories.

June, 2025. Alaska State Capitol in Juneau. *Quick. How long does it take to drive from Anchorage…read moreto the Capitol in Juneau? That was actually a trick question. The Capitol city can only be reached by plane or sea (cruise ship, ferry). *How tall is the Capitol dome? That was another trick question. Completed in 1931, the Capitol was originally constructed as a territorial and federal building. Upon becoming the 49th state in 1959, building ownership was transferred to Alaska to serve as the state Capitol. It currently houses the state legislature as well as offices of the governor and lieutenant governor. Due to its original purpose, the building lacks the traditional dome of most other state capitols. Juneau was a port stop on our recent Alaska cruise. My husband and I walked (uphill ) from the cruise terminal to visit the state Capitol building. (Note that there are no public parking lots in the area, and street parking is very limited). In addition to admiring its original (restored) 1931 art deco design, visitors can venture inside to explore historic displays, artworks, photographs, and cultural artifacts celebrating Alaska's rich heritage. Entry to the Capitol was easy, and admission was free. After being screened by security, we were given a Visitor's Guide, with the recommendation to start our self-guided tour on the top (5th) floor. Points of interest there are both the Senate Finance Committee and the House Finance Cmte rooms, as well as historical photographs showcasing the state's judicial divisions. The fourth floor houses Lawmaker's offices. The hallways are lined with historical newspapers highlighting important historic events in Alaska. The 3rd floor houses the offices of the governor and lt. governor. Of note on this floor is a unique map of Alaska crafted from a section of the 48" pipe used to construct the Trans--Alaska pipeline. The Hall of Governor's honors past leadership. The second floor is the central location for legislative activity. There are also artistic tributes that honor Alaska's history and leaders. The first floor accommodates the offices of the Senate President and the Senate Rules Chair. Finally, the ground floor is the unassuming entrance to the Capitol. See a replica of the Liberty Bell, stone-fired murals, ceiling accents, and a bust of Elizabeth Peratrovich, a champion for civil rights. Note that the legislature was not in session on the day that we visited so we had access to all of the committee rooms and non-private spaces. We were pretty much left alone to wander to enjoy the building and its historic and cultural contents. The building is air-conditioned and has plentiful restrooms.

We got off the beaten path when in port in Juneau to see the Alaska State Capitol building. They…read morefree offered tours on the hour you could register for or you could go on a self guided walk around on your own time. With our limited time in port, we opted for the self-guided. They had a cool movie room with the history of the state. They allowed you to view the house and Senate meeting rooms, as well as walk the halls with some interesting memorbilia and artifacts from the state. We saw the governor's office and some other interesting department offices. The marble bathrooms were also open to visitors and very nice and clean. A really interesting free stop if you're in port!

Juneau is the state Capital and the only way to get here is by boat or plane. That is why it is a…read moremust stop destination for every cruise ship coming to Alaska. Thankfully, the cruise ships dock close to the historic downtown. You can literally walk off the ship and right into the action. The day we arrived it was pouring down rain. Since we did not have any excursions planned here, we decided to stay on the ship. Sadly, this is the only port we missed because of weather.

We had a great experience here despite being berthed at AJ Dock, or the shipping container side of…read morethe port. It's about a mile walk, or a 4 minute shuttle ride to Downtown Juneau. This is when priority disembarkation comes in handy. Take advantage of it when given access. The complimentary bus drops you off near the Goldbelt Tram. This is the tour meet up point as well. It's all very organized. A tour isn't really needed if you just want to walk around this capital city. It's very walkable. The seawalk and park along the waterfront is very chill considering all the cruise ships docked there. It didn't feel overcrowded because it's an actual city (with a government) versus a "cruise destination" built for tourism. It's a great port of call! Everyone has a different experience. I love that our cruise ship was docked further away. It was so cool watching the seaplanes land and take off in the channel. We returned to the ship earlier just so that we could soak in these views from our balcony. We also wanted to prevent being in a long line to board the ship. It turned out to be a beautiful & sunny day in Juneau.

What can I say about Juneau that hasn't already been said? We know that it's Alaska's state…read morecapital. That's a given. What I thought was interesting is that you can't actually get to it by roadway. You can drive to Alaska, but at some point you will need to drive your car onto a ferry. Juneau is only accessible by air, or by water. With that said, it's a great city to visit by cruise ship. There's so much to do here for nature lovers and outdoorsy people. There are lots of shops, restaurants, bars, and museums that don't require a tour. The Goldbelt Tram tickets can be purchased in town if you want to explore Mount Roberts. Otherwise, there are tours that can be booked for glaciers, hatcheries, whale watching, dog sledding, fishing, and hiking. There are seaplane tours. We personally had a great time just watching them take off and land in the channel. We didn't get to stay too long. We had a whole morning to explore the city before heading to Dawes Glacier that afternoon. I was shocked that we didn't experience any rain that day. It was a beautiful and sunny day in Juneau. It's a very walkable town that I'd love to visit again.

3.5 stars I came in…read morevia the cruise port. Since my ship was the first of the season (too early by some peoples' opinions), the downtown area wasn't too crowded. I thought downtown is really cute and easy to walk around. There's plenty of gift shops & a ton of jewelry stores. There's a museum nearby that I didn't get to go in. It closes at 4pm. The views are stunning no matter where I looked. Definitely a city worth visiting at least once in a lifetime.

This was one of the three stops on our tour/excursion in early June 2026. Spent about an hour here…read morebut it could have been shorter as there was not much to see. Sadly, there were no salmon running yet, but we did get to learn about the different types of salmon and the important work the hatchery does.

This stop was included in our Juneau excursion that we purchased through celebrity cruises…read more You really only need about 30 minutes to see everything. There is a pier that overlooks the outside of the hatchery. It has gorgeous picturesque views. There is also the inside part of the hatchery where the young salmon are hatched. Last there is a gift shop that also has a tank with some interesting sea creatures as well as a petting tank. You can sample some of the smoked salmon in the gift shop. Overall, it was a unique experience, and we enjoyed it.