We visited Sealaska Heritage, a Native nonprofit, in downtown Juneau. (It is easily accessible from the 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. read more

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This building stands out, so you cannot miss it if you are wandering around downtown Juneau. There is 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. read more

So glad I stopped at Sealaska during my visit to Juneau. There is a $7 admission fee for adults. It won't take you long to get through the exhibits on display. This would be a good stop along the way to or from another planned activity or museum. I very much enjoyed the presentation by the female staff member about the mural on the wall in the lobby. This female is also Tinklit. She took the time to explain all of the symbolism within each areas of the mural. I love Native American art and culture. I especially love the Tinklit use of totem poles. If you're into Native American art & culture, don't hesitate on this one. There is also a nice gift shop next door to stuff your luggage even further with goodies and souvenirs for family and friends back home. I would visit here again during my next visit to Juneau! read more

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This place was fantastic! From the moment you walk in the door, there was an engaging tour guide with a passion for history, who was telling entertaining stories about the exhibits. The exhibits themselves were interesting, but made much more so by the storytelling and docents. The gift shop was also particularly good at this place, with loads of Native American art in forms that you'd actually want to take home and use every day. read more

Sealaska Heritage Institute - Cultural Center Near Me - Juneau, Alaska

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Great educational museum in Juneau centered around Native Alaskan culture. Not on any cruise ship tour. Great stop for independent traveler. Admission is nominal. The souvenir shop is even better! Primarily Alaskan made products. Its nice to know your tourist money is going to Alaska and not China. Staff in souvenir shop are friendly and helpful. We visited here in 2019 and 2024. Went home with great Native Alaskan art work. read more

Very nice people! The store has lots of nice items that you can't find in other stores. I liked their selection of books that I hadn't seen in other shops in town. The location is really close to the cruise ship port, so it's really easy to get it. read more

Beautiful artwork from native artisans. A lovely place amidst so many tourist souvenir shops.

I was a little bummed that most of the exhibits were closed when we stopped by here on our cruise. However, the staff did let us just head on in without paying anything - which was great! The exhibition we did see about sustainable fishing practices and the cultural significance of the salmon to the local Indigenous people was very cool. I also loved that they had a place to center Indigenous history and the endangered local languages. read more

A small museum that my husband and I stumbled upon on our short cruise ship stop in Juneau. I'm so glad we went in here! For $5 per person we were able to see an exhibit featuring a famous Native American totem pole artist named Nathan Jackson. The exhibit was small but had lots of his masks, costume dresses, drawings, and artwork on display. We even saw his original sketches of statues that he had carved for Ketchikan, a previous town we had just visited. There is also a small media exhibit where you can learn different stories from different tribes. Outside of the exhibit you can go inside another room and see what a clan house was like. Supposedly it looks like there is second floor to the museum but it was roped off. I think we spent maybe half an hour there but you can come back unlimited times all day until the museum closes. read more

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$5 exhibit fee. A really amazing cultural experience that could be done in 15-30 min, but if you like you can take your time. We enjoyed the story in the clan house, as well as the explanation given by the guide. I would have liked to spend more time here, and marvel at the cultural artifacts. read more

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Stopped into the store and found the museum. $4 for seniors but I would not have paid much more. It was interesting to see the artifacts and read about the culture. They have a movie section but we did not stay for that. Probably should have before entering the exhibit area. The totem poles outside are very cool. The original wood ones were also available to see. I do wish someone had been around with whom we could ask questions. Sept.11, 2018 read more

Performance of singing based on culture of heritage of Alaskan natives of he region, promoting, encouraging the continuation of native language and culture. read more

Sealaska Heritage Institute - Cultural Center Near Me - Juneau, Alaska

We just happened upon this when looking for a drug store nearby. Interested in jewelry made of wooly mammoth teeth, mastodon fossils or walrus whiskers, and support Native American art? Be sure to visit. Reasonable prices on a wide selection. read more

The exhibit on display was Alaskan Native masks. There were masks from all the regions of Alaska but little information about their purposes and no one around to ask. However, there was plenty staff to sell you something at the gift shop. read more