I 100% recommend this information center to all first-time visitors to Alaska! They had so much…read moreinteresting information on Alaska's regions, climate, national parks, topography, and wild animals. And best of all: it's FREE! The staff there are very knowledgeable. If you had any questions about your Alaska itinerary or plans, they can help you figure it out. I also got to watch a documentary on the grizzly bears in Katmai National Park, which did a great job highlighting the bears in their natural habitat.

I really liked this Alaska Public Lands Center. It kind of serves as a visitor center for the…read morenational parks and other federal lands in Alaska. They have information on different places all over the state and interesting displays on Alaskan things like the northern lights, midnight sun and other things. For those with a national park passport, you can get a passport stamp here for the APLC and the one for Lake Clark NP. This place is conveniently located in downtown Anchorage across from the log cabin visitors center. I'd recommend checking this place out.

Tour Company: Alaska Vacation Store OR WHitsett Travel, 330 E. 4th Avenue, Suite 203, Anchorage, AK…read more99501 Tour Operator: Wigi Tozzi 1(877)MY ALASKA (692-5275) Travel Dates: June 30 - July 6 2013 Experience Title: WORST EXPERIENCE DUE TO TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE This was by far the worst tour company I have ever dealt with. The owner of AlaskaVacationStore - Wigi Tozzi - lacks courtesy, etiquette, customer service and professionalism. He has no idea what 'customer satisfaction' means. I am really surprised the way this company operates and how they still manage to be in business?? Experience Details: Made first enquiry call to Wigi and thought of him to be trustworthy tour operator. He sent impressive tour details and quoted a very high price. Even then, I fell for the plan and trusted him - BIG MISTAKE. As soon as I took the bait and made the commitment, his communication style changed from excellent to I-do-not-care attitude towards me. All communications were always one sided...initiated by me... never once did I get a call back from Wigi... Usually the vendor calls customer for payment, but in this case, surprisingly, I had to call him 10 times so that he can accept my payment and finalize the bookings. Due to the high price quoted by Wigi, I had to cut bear watching tour from my itinerary to save myself some money, at the end of the planning Wigi increased the quoted price anyways siting hotel unavailability and other reasons. He completed bookings very late in June even when I said YES in March. His strategy was to make me wait for 2 months, so that at the last moment he can increase price and I'll have no option but to say yes to whatever price and hotel changes he offers me. Terrible and shameless way to make money out of your clients! This has been by far the worst experience for me. AlaskaVacationStore works purely on commission basis and doesn't care what their customers wants. Wigi Tozzi is by far the worst tour operator I have ever done business with. He lacks courtesy, formal communication skills, ethics, and flexibility. He made me pick high priced hotels as part of the package and later charged the extra price to me. In our trip, we could not take the Talkeetna Air Taxi due to bad weather and I asked Wigi for refund. After 2 months of numerous frustration filled phone calls and emails, he finally refunded the amount. I work in service industry myself and after coming back from my Alaska vacation, at least 8-10 of my American co-workers, managers and friends made serious enquiries about AlasaVacationStore and I honestly told them - NOT TO DO BUSINESS WITH WIGI. 4 months of terrible customer service experience!!

From the owner: Are you ready for a thrilling getaway in the beautiful landscape of the Last Frontier? Then Alaska…read moreWilderness Travel, based in Anchorage, is the travel agency you want to connect with. Since 1984, they've been the leading agency for travelers looking for relaxing vacations and exciting tours. Whether you're here to visit and need lodging or you want to take part in their National Park tours, these travel agents will make sure your stay is one to remember. They have numerous packages and adventures to take advantage of that work for special occasions such as honeymoons, vacations, fishing trips, and more. The travel agents here will help plan your dream getaway, taking care of everything from flight arrangements and airline tickets to lodging and making sure you have the right travel insurance. Escape the stresses of life and contact Alaska Wilderness Travel today to arrange your vacation. Call (907) 277-7671 to speak with a representative or visit them online to learn more about their vacation packages.

I am an airline pilot and was staying at the Hilton right across the street from Anchorage Downtown…read moreTours. I walked in and asked about a 3 to 4 hour day tour of Anchorage. The owner, Russ, was very accommodating and set me up for a tour starting only two hours later. Eventually the group grew to three people and Russ picked us up at the Hilton promptly at 11. This was exactly what I was looking for. I spent a very enjoyable four hours with Russ, who grew up in Alaska and who knows the state backwards and forwards. Russ has a great deal of civic pride as well! Russ gave us a comprehensive look at the after-effects of the big earthquake during the 60s, where entire homes were moved up to two or three city blocks! The ground shifted so much it made a once perfectly flat neighborhood into a neighborhood with lots of hills! Russ has a sharp eye for wildlife, and besides mountain goats and sheep, we actually got to see a moose! Ross absolutely loves his home state, and you will learn a lot driving around with him. And have a pretty good time doing it, as well!

So TODAY's Alaskan Adventure... Hiking the Matanuska Glacier…read more My First hike in Alaska & WHAT a Breathtaking 3 mile hike it was! Thank You to Anchorage Downtown TourGroup http://downtowntourgroup.com & Paul for getting me to the glacier safe and sound & for the yummy lunch! On today's tour I learned that 99 million gallons of water flow under Matanuska Glacier each day; Glacial water comes out of her at 28 degrees & can freeze at 29 degrees; she is moving 12-16 inches a day(normal is 10 inches)and that a loud Popcorn sound IS never a good sound! Kimberlee at Travel with Kimberlee on FB.

Like the others who have reviewed, at first, Wigi seems very professional with a well-organized…read morecompany. The process of planning our honeymoon went relatively smoothly, and he even contacted us about an emergency in Alaska while we were there to see if we needed anything. Very nice of him. HOWEVER. For a couple days during the trip my wife was very sick, causing us to miss a zip line trip we had scheduled. Wigi promised that we could get a refund for the missed trip (close to $300) so I trusted him and we went on to have a great rest of our trip. Fast forward to almost a year and a half later, numerous attempts to reach him via phone, and plenty of emails with no response, we are still out $300. Avoid this company like the plague.

Tour Company: Alaska Vacation Store, 330 E. 4th Avenue, Suite 203, Anchorage, AK 99501…read moreTour Operator: Wigi Tozzi 1(877)MY ALASKA (692-5275) Travel Dates: June 30 - July 6 2013 Experience Title: WORST EXPERIENCE DUE TO TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE This was by far the worst tour company I have ever dealt with. The owner of AlaskaVacationStore - Wigi Tozzi - lacks courtesy, etiquette, customer service and professionalism. He has no idea what 'customer satisfaction' means. I am really surprised the way this company operates and how they still manage to be in business?? Experience Details: Made first enquiry call to Wigi and thought of him to be trustworthy tour operator. He sent impressive tour details and quoted a very high price. Even then, I fell for the plan and trusted him - BIG MISTAKE. As soon as I took the bait and made the commitment, his communication style changed from excellent to I-do-not-care attitude towards me. All communications were always one sided...initiated by me... never once did I get a call back from Wigi... Usually the vendor calls customer for payment, but in this case, surprisingly, I had to call him 10 times so that he can accept my payment and finalize the bookings. Due to the high price quoted by Wigi, I had to cut bear watching tour from my itinerary to save myself some money, at the end of the planning Wigi increased the quoted price anyways siting hotel unavailability and other reasons. He completed bookings very late in June even when I said YES in March. His strategy was to make me wait for 2 months, so that at the last moment he can increase price and I'll have no option but to say yes to whatever price and hotel changes he offers me. Terrible and shameless way to make money out of your clients! This has been by far the worst experience for me. AlaskaVacationStore works purely on commission basis and don't care what their customers wants. Wigi Tozzi is by far the worst tour operator I have ever done business with. He lacks courtesy, formal communication skills, ethics, and flexibility. He made me pick high priced hotels as part of the package and later charged the extra price to me. In our trip, we could not take the Talkeetna Air Taxi due to bad weather and I asked Wigi for refund. After 2 months of numerous frustration filled phone calls and emails, he finally refunded the amount. I work in service industry myself and after coming back from my Alaska vacation, at least 8-10 of my American co-workers, managers and friends made serious enquiries about AlasaVacationStore and I honestly told them - NOT TO DO BUSINESS WITH WIGI. 4 months of terrible customer service experience!!