Bensmom Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 What kid-friendly stuff is not to be missed? We will be going in Aug. for an undetermined amount of time. In-laws live there, but they are not very helpful for planning! We need to see what kind of things there are to do and what size budget we need. (We will have to pay for the in-laws too. They don't get to do many things because it is never in the budget.). We are also open to going outside of Anchorage for short overnight trips. Our son is 10 if that makes any difference. TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juniper Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 It has been a number of years since I was up here, but some of the things I really liked were just outside Anchorage. There is a place you can go panning for gold and another would be to do a float trip on the Kenai River. If you are feeling very adventurous there is a scenic train that goes up to Mckinnely. If I ever took my family back up that is something I wouldn't miss. You can go up, stay in the cabins over night and then take it back to Anchorage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainbowSprinkles Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 What kid-friendly stuff is not to be missed? We will be going in Aug. for an undetermined amount of time. In-laws live there, but they are not very helpful for planning! We need to see what kind of things there are to do and what size budget we need. (We will have to pay for the in-laws too. They don't get to do many things because it is never in the budget.). We are also open to going outside of Anchorage for short overnight trips. Our son is 10 if that makes any difference. TIA Eagle River Nature Center Talkeetna (it's a couple of hours away, cute little place with interesting shops) Seward, there's a sea life center that's nice to see. take a day cruise if you can budget it-- lots of sea animals to see. the drive down to seward is very nice as well The Native American museum would be fun too in the summer time. You can take a guided tour outside and will go in the all the different kinds of housing Bear Tooth Theater, very affordable and you can eat while you watch you a movie Moose's tooth, just for the pizza :) All I can think of off the top of my head. We loved our years there! Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 You can go Halibut fishing out of Seward and/or take one of the glacier tours/wildlife tours out of Seward. IRBI knives is a family owned knife business. They have 3 generations making them at least they did a few years ago. It is between Anchorage and Seward. If you catch them when there aren't lots of other people around they will give you a tour of their shop. Very neat interesting people. The Alaska State Fair starts in late August and is really neat, it is in Palmer. Pack a lunch and take a drive over Hatcher's Pass. It is incredibly beautiful. Exit Glacier is a neat place to go and explore it is just outside of Seward. There are also cabins really close to there that can be rented by the night. There are tons of hiking and biking trails throughout Anchorage. Do be aware of moose and bear. We saw tons of moose when we lived there and heard of a few bear attacks but never actually saw a bear in town. Take a camera and binoculars with you when you go. Check out the bore tide although we ended up calling it the boring tide. Take a ride to the top of Alyeska on the tram walk around and have lunch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 Moose's tooth, just for the pizza :) My husband was there 5 or 6 years ago and still talks about this pizza. Also FYI, if you go on a glacier tour and bring back 48 pictures of glaciers, they will all look the same. I think for some of the tours and such, residents pay a substantially lower price than tourists, so if your in-laws will go with you, you might qualify for much lower prices than are posted. Terri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 We also hiked to Exit Glacier years ago and took a boat tour I think from Seward (around 1995). I can recommend those. We did some fishing at Seward. The Exit Glacier hike took several hours, IIRC. I vaguely recall a hike near Anchorage, Flat-top mountain. That should be do-able for a 10 y.o. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlaskaGrownFamily Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 The Imaginarium is interesting & fun for kids, a good rainy day activity. It's included with museum admission. You might be better off getting a yearly membership for your inlaws if you'd like to visit more than once. Free music in the Peratrovich Park downtown and at the Loussac library, last summer it was Wednesdays and Fridays around lunchtime. Good bands! Rent or borrow bikes and cruise the trail system. We love to hike/walk in town, too. Cheney Lake, University Lake (dog park, but it's very pretty), Kincaid Park, the coastal trail... Flat Top. Winner creek trail in Girdwood. Gorgeous, you can take a handtram over the gorge. On nice days, Goose Lake and Jewel Lake are the "beachy" spots in town, with lifeguards on duty. AK is expensive. Definitely take advantage of resident rates using your Inlaws to purchase tickets to attractions... Look into the Northern Loghts Coupon Book (find at Barnes & Noble) for excursions. Check Groupon for local stuff, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 Definitely stop by and say "hello" We're free entertainment for a day! There is also, in addition to the above mentioned: ice skating at Dimond Mall or one of the other rinks in the area (there are several), mini golf at Putter's Wild (3d glow in the dark), H2Oasis indoor water park - although depending where you're coming from this may not be too great. I second the state fair in Palmer and Hatcher's Pass. Just driving down the highway between Anchorage and Girdwood (Alyeska Mt someone previously mentioned is here. It's an hour outside of Anchorage) are lots of pull-overs where you can get out and look over the inlet or take short hikes. The boardwalk right after you leave Anchorage is a really neat place to walk and see all of the marsh birds. There is also a nice walk along the water starting in downtown Anchorage. They have bikes to rent or you can just stroll. There is also little markers depicting scaled distances of plantes in the solar system. That's fun for the kids and give Mom and Dad a chance to browse downtown while keeping the kids motivated to keep going. The Downtown Markets will also be open Sat/Sun during that time. Admission is free and you can spend an afternoon there browsing. Eagle River Nature Reserve has lots of fun programs in addition to just being a great place to walk around. It's very kid friendly with several level hikes. Eklutna Lake is pretty and good for camping. If you have access to the military base there are tons of things to do including renting cabins and canoes on the lake. The wildlife sanctuary just a little while past Girdwood is nice for a place to spend a few hours. Pottage Glacier is down that way, too. If you're interested, send me a PM with your address and I'll pick up some 'Things to do in Anchorage" publications and drop them in the mail to you. ETA: Of course, I also strongly second Mooses Tooth for pizza. And there is also Bear's Tooth, their sister site that is a movie/pizza experience. Editied again because I misspelled moose. Yikes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKshanmar Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 Wow.... Everybody did such a good job with suggestions, I hardly have to say anything at all! Since I've been running a B&B for 12 years, I get to plan lots of people's trips! We are out in Wasilla, which is 40 miles north of Anchorage, so I throw some things out there which weren't mentioned. Yes on Moose's Tooth Big yes on Hatcher Pass / Independence Mine! Musk-Ox Farm Reindeer Farm The Iditarod Museum If your kids might be into the mushing thing, several of the mushers do tours of their dog yards, which can be really neat. If any of those things sound appealling, let me know, and I can elaborate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 We are out in Wasilla, which is 40 miles north of Anchorage, We'll be out there at the Brett tomorrow and Sunday for a skating competition! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.