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    Pioneer Park

    3.7 (70 reviews)
    Open 5:00 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)
    Updated 3 months ago

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    09.01.23 entrance to the Pioneer Park Gold Rush Town
    May A.

    Rainy stroll in the park [Fairbanks AK] Most of the time that we were in Alaska rain was off and on. There was slight precipitation when we visited Pioneer Park. I think it's a theme park with its gold rush town and authentic log cabins and mining equipment... or is it a historic village with its museums and a huge sternwheeler SS Nenana that is docked? Is it an amusement park with the carousel and train that runs around the perimeter of the park? YES! It's all of the above and although we toured on wet grounds our visit was not at all disappointing. Each of the shop we visited were authentic pioneer log cabins that were built and occupied in the early 1900's. These were buildings moved from downtown Fairbanks. Some of them have little plaques with a short description of the cabin (original owner and when it was constructed). The shops offered local made jewelry, arts and crafts, handmade items... super cool! Some are food shops including an ice-cream shop. We also stopped by the Wickersham House Museum, Alaska's oldest home. We listened to a docent explain to us a short history of the house... home of Alaska's Pioneer Judge. He was both educational and inspirational. The home is filled with lovely delicate antiques. There are no admission fees in all the museums in the park but donations are accepted. Review #3134

    Inside President Harding's railcar
    Jonathan H.

    This seems like it would be better for families with kids, and less fun for just adults. It's a free area with lots of reproduction historical buildings and has restaurants and other exhibits as well. Still cool to check out and has some good food options here too!

    Look closely
    George M.

    I really like this park. I could see myself hanging out here with the kids a lot of lives here. We got there at 7:50 on a Sunday and it seemed like most places were closed down. Except the ice cream joint. The door was still open and we wanted to get some soft serve. Walk in the kid behind the counter is turning off the machines but tells us it's ok to order. They don't take Apple Pay so I run back to the car to get my wallet, come back at 7:57 and the door is closed :/ That little jerk aside. The park has a lot of things going on. I actually played the three hole disc golf course. Short but not as easy as it looks. I only had my glitch so want able to attack it with a full bag. Disc golf courses should be added whenever there is a chance The really cool part was since the sun doesn't set until after midnight, my kids were playing at 10pm with plenty of sunlight to keep them warm

    Steamboat replica
    Angela C.

    Reminds me of Travel Town in Griffith Park and Knott's Berry Farm combined into one. There's a park with a playground where you can host a party, but they also have the occasional train rides, and airplane museum, mini golf, a carousel, and shops in little houses that sell food. The old houses in Gold Rush Town were moved to this park after a great flood and they have been restored. A nice place to spend a few hours. I just wish the train rides were operating when we visited!

    Historic building collection
    Stephen P.

    I was disappointed in how few historic buildings seem to be in Fairbanks... apparently they all moved here! It's great to see them reused to host interesting shops and little museums. The Harding train is well presented, and the steamship needs heroic restoration but is still interesting from the outside.

    Skip this Ice-Cream joint
    James M.

    Had a great day, it was all open as it was a block party Saturday (lucky us). The park has a lot of history to enjoy with displays throughout the park. The President Harding's DenaliTrain Car (can go inside) is one of the big ones and the S.S. Nenana is also on display (needs some repair). We enjoyed a Train Ride around the park ($5), which was an experience - Locomotive is over a 100 years old. The Park is huge with a lot of stuff to see & do- definitely a great place to bring kids. I think we had the best visit due to block party as there was free donuts, and music !!! Our only complaint was the Gold Rush Ice-cream- my wife's chocolate was so bad she threw it alway, my niece also disposed of hers- I had the Huckleberry, and despite tasting as if it was thawed and refrozen- like a champ I ate it - LOL Overall a great spot to visit !!!

    Lots to do
    Tom B.

    If your in Fairbanks it's a must see and it was free with lots of parking. It's like a big amusement park I felt bad I was there out of season but the museum was open and so were a lot of the shops and a few restaurants. Great place to get you 10,000 steps in and see a lot of local history

    Entry of the park
    Dan L.

    We took the train from Anchorage to Fairbanks (another great experience I'll share later) and spent a day visiting museums and parks. Summer time in Fairbanks was a wonderful experience and the Pioneer Park adventure was nice. Let me start by saying that every person we met that worked here was so nice and informative about the park. The mosquito were not so friendly and the were huge! The park is in need of some repair though. I'm not sure if it was a off day or if the park is just not making enough money to maintain buildings and walkways. The river boat would have been nice to visit but it was closed for repair. I sure hope they are able to fix things up because it would really be a great place to spend an afternoon. I do recommend visiting and supporting the small little shops and restaurants that are open.

    The park map.
    Seth A.

    Pioneer Park is a charming little old-fashioned park to come spend a few hours at casually walking around and being transported back in time. I found Pioneer Park by simply having an extra day here in Fairbanks, Alaska before eventually driving down Highway 3 to Denali National Park. After my flight arrived in Fairbanks late the night before, I had this one day to rest, relax and see what Fairbanks was all about. Pioneer Park is located just on the outskirts of downtown Fairbanks, maybe a few miles away. Upon arriving here, it was free to park and then I just entered and ventured about. To best sum up Pioneer Park it's one of these vintage, classic western themed settings (sort of like an old movie set or amusement park) with tons of antique and old-time looking store fronts. And just to easily describe the surroundings here, I'll quote Wikipedia..."The park commemorates early Alaskan history with multiple museums and historic displays on site". So yes, simply strolling the grounds was an overall pleasant experience. I was here back in the middle of June 2021 and had a perfectly sunny day outside. It just felt good to hang out here and not do much. There weren't many visitors at all, so it was very quiet without feeling bombarded by tourists. There is no fee to enter the park. You can come and go as you please. Though, many of the museums and attractions do charge a small entrance fee. For me, I was only interested in browsing about the park and taking pictures, so I never paid for any of the activities. Summer hours are 12pm - 8pm. Here were some of the interesting highlights I appreciated.... - There was a giant-sized wooden sternwheeler ship boat worthy of exploring called The Riverboat Nenana. - A cool sign pointing in different directions highlighting distances away from Fairbanks for some major cities and countries. It's like one of these fun picture opportunities. For instance, Quebec, Canada was 3003 miles from here. Cairo, Egypt was 5897 miles from Fairbanks. And St. Petersburg, Russia was 3829 miles away. This sign was right up my alley, lol. - The Goldrush Ice Cream Stand - great for a midday snack and some ice cream. They also featured shaved ice flavors as well with names like Blue Alaska, Bubble Gum and Hawaiian Punch. - Pioneer Hall - you can buy Gold Rush souvenirs and keepsakes. Inside had a lot of history about Fairbanks. - Gold Rush Town - 35 restored buildings from the early Fairbanks days. The storefront facades here were memorable. I felt like I was walking through a western cowboy frontier land. - Crooked Creek and Whiskey Island Railroad - this part of the park had plenty of green grass suitable for picnics and lounging around. The Whiskey Island Railroad circumnavigates the park. You can step on the train tracks and again appreciate one of these vintage steamed locomotives. Some other possibly worthwhile areas that I didn't get to but according to the park guide sounded interesting... - Square Dance Hall - Pioneer Air Museum - Native Village - Big Stampede - Palace Theater In total, I'd say I spent about 2 - 3 hours just taking my time and wandering along the grounds of Pioneer Park. I really felt no stresses being here and that's the effect you'll feel from this timeless park that commemorates what was great about the Alaskan Gold Rush period in history. I'm glad I gave myself an extra day to explore about the city of Fairbanks. And I'd definitely recommend taking some time to come to Pioneer Park and appreciate getting a real feel experience for what life used to be like in the early 1900's.

    You lost?
    Sharon P.

    A plethora of pioneer relics, historical buildings including early Alaskan houses. Formerly called "Alaskaland", this nifty historic theme park attraction is a great way to learn a little Alaskan history and take in some of the vessels and dwellings of decades past. A number of the dwellings are mini museums that contain the household items of the owner. A handful of the dwellings are now occupied by vendors, think ice cream or gift shops. Take in a performance or show, meander through the maze of shops, restaurants and galleries. Loaded with whimsy and taxidermy too, but it's all good fun and worth a visit. Allow a couple hours, more if you plan to have a meal. Lots of special events which change daily so check the website for details. There's something for everyone including the kidletts. No entrance fee, free parking. Dog friendly.

    The Harding Car
    Germaly F.

    Honestly, I was quite disappointed. Pioneer Park does have much history with it, but actually come on a day when everything is open. Most of the biggest attractions like the railroad, salmon bay, and the planes from past years where closed. It's quite interesting seeing things from the past that you wouldn't expect in Alaska, but I wish I got to see more. It is a recommendable place to walk around and explore. There was a lot of unseen history.

    Winny H.

    Nice park area filled with lots of Alaska history. You have the railroad, Harding car train, steam boat, salmon bake, air museum, palace theatre, and gold rush town. It wasn't as crowded today but I'm looking forward to coming here during summer time when there are more activities. Dog and kid friendly.

    Mina R.

    Unfortunately we came here after they already closed it down for the season. Wish they had a sign outside saying so. If there was. We didn't see it. Lol. We still got to walk around and see what could've been :0 also known as ghost town. Maybe next time

    Entrance and plenty of parking

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    7 years ago

    This place makes me sad... there are so many possibilities and little cabins that can be great... but no one up keeps this park...

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    Review Highlights - Pioneer Park

    You have the railroad, Harding car train, steam boat, salmon bake, air museum, palace theatre, and gold rush town.

    Mentioned in 11 reviews

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    Golden Heart Plaza - Antler Arch

    Golden Heart Plaza

    4.3(3 reviews)
    1.6 mi

    Golden Heart Plaza is very attractive space along the Chena River waterfront in Downtown Fairbanks…read more Gayle and I recently stayed at the Springhill Suites across the street and enjoyed making this area a part of our walks. From there, it's easy to wander along the rive to the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center (with the Moose Antler Arch and Lend Lease Statue in-between), admire the Yukon Quest thatched hut or cross one of the 2 bridges to admire the historical Immaculate Conception Church. The Plaza commemorates the silver anniversary of Alaska's statehood in Construction was completed in 1987 and was widely funded throughout the greater Fairbanks community. The clock tower, donated by the Fairbanks Rotary Club in 1990, commemorates this organization's first fifty years of service to Fairbanks and the Interior. The pictured statue is Malcolm Alexander's "Unknown First Family," which in his words is "Portraying the family of all mankind, the family of Fairbanks, and the nuclear family, let this statue symbolize, for families present and future, the pride and dignity of this great land." A time capsule, to be opened January 3, 2059, is buried in the Plaza.

    Pretty plaza located next to the Yukon Quest cabin. There's a lot of historical information on…read moreplaques surrounding the plaza. It's located along the river so it's a peaceful place to relax, if you don't mind the homeless wandering around you and yelling at your kid like they did mine.

    Photos
    Golden Heart Plaza - Statue in the park

    Statue in the park

    Golden Heart Plaza
    Golden Heart Plaza

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    Pioneer Park - parks - Updated July 2026

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