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| It's theme-park time: Pioneer Park lets you walk back to an era when gold was king and narrow-gauge railroads were the way to get around. You'll find museums, a riverboat, a native Alaskan village, a mining operation, and more. Play golf on the world's farthest north mini-golf course, or take a lazy ride on the Crooked Creek and Whiskey Island Railroad. |
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| Visit |
Open |
Cost |
Directions |
Contact |
| From 2 hours to a full day |
• Year-round; Gold Rush Town and Museums open 11:00am – 9:00pm Memorial Day through Labor Day) |
• Admission is free; additional cost for tours and activities |
Entering town via the Parks Highway, heading east, bear left on Boat Street, bear right on Karen Way, turn left on Airport Way and end at intersection with Peger Road. |
| Airport Way & Peger Road, Fairbanks |
| Ph: 907-459-1087 |
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| Great Alaska Bowl Company |
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| This unique store sells one-of-a-kind bowls made from the sturdiest of all the Alaskan hardwoods: the birch tree. Only the most carefully selected trees end up in the workshop. Up to seven bowls can be made from a single piece of wood, ensuring an identical grain pattern-and a rare and unique gift. Bowls are then dried, sanded, and dipped in a special oil so that they last a lifetime. The bowls are perfect for serving food or as an elegant display. Bring a photo and their experts can laser engrave your bowl with an image, name, or logo. |
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| Visit |
Open |
Cost |
Directions |
Contact |
| 20 min |
• Hours vary.
Summer: Approx. 9am – 7pm Mon – Sat, 10am – 6pm Sun |
Free |
Entering town via the Parks Highway, exit highway turning left onto Geist Road, right onto University Avenue, right onto Airport Way, left onto Old Airport Road, follow signs. |
| 4630 Old Airport Way, Fairbanks |
| Ph: 800-770-4222 or 907-474-9663 |
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| Get a close-up look at one of the world's engineering marvels. It took 70,000 construction workers and $8 billion of investment capital to build the famous 4-foot silver thread that snakes its way through 800 miles of Alaskan wilderness to reach the nation's thirsty refineries, crossing mountain ranges, earthquake zones, permafrost, and rivers. Some 420 miles of the pipeline are elevated (with 554 animal crossings), and outside Fairbanks is the place to see it. As you watch, consider this: Every hour, more than a million dollars of black gold flows through it. |
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| Visit |
Open |
Cost |
Directions |
Contact |
| 15 min |
N/A |
Free |
See the pipeline from the Fox Visitor Center on the Steese Highway, about eight miles north of Fairbanks. Or drive a segment of the rough-and-tumble Dalton Highway, which runs parallel to the pipeline. Continue north on the Steese to the Elliot Highway, which will hit the Dalton at mile 73.1, about 84 miles north of Fairbanks. |
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| Once a small dairy owned by a couple named Creamer, this land is now an extraordinary wildlife refuge. More than 100 species of birds and mammals call this wilderness home (sandhill cranes and mallards show up all summer), and there are miles of trails that meander through a variety of habitats. The Friends of Creamer's Field runs a small visitor center with exhibits and conducts guided nature walks. And don't miss the Alaska Bird Observatory at the east end of Creamer's Field, dedicated to understanding the dynamics of Alaska's 77 songbirds. |
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| Visit |
Open |
Cost |
Directions |
Contact |
| 1hr |
• Summer, Tuesday – Friday 10am – 5pm, Saturday 10am – 3pm
• Winter, Saturday 12pm – 4pm |
Free |
Entering town via the Parks Highway, heading east, turn left on Geist Road, left on University Avenue, and right on College Road. Head down College Road for another 2.4 miles. |
| 1300 College Road, Fairbanks |
| Ph: 907-459-7307 |
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| You'll have to think big when visiting the gardens on the campus of the University of Fairbanks: there's everything from 50-pound cabbages to pansies the size of small children. There are also dwarf species, specially adapted to the harsh Arctic climate. This peaceful sanctuary boasts an impressive collection of some of Alaska's 3,000 varieties of flowers, vegetables, and herbs. |
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| Visit |
Open |
Cost |
Directions |
Contact |
| 1hr tour |
May – September, 8am – 8pm daily, guided tours Fridays at 2pm |
• $2/guided tour
• $1/self-guided; children under 6 free |
Entering town via the Parks Highway, heading east, turn left onto Geist Road, left on Fairbanks Street, and left on Tanana Loop. Stay straight to go onto Sheep Creek Road/West Tanana Drive. |
| 117 West Tanana Drive on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus |
| Ph: 907-474-1944 |
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| Large Animal Research Station (LARS) |
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| Get up close and personal with the impressive muskoxen at the Robert G. White Large Animal Research Station, or LARS, at the University of Fairbanks. Near extinction in the 19th-century, the reintroduction of the muskoxen from Greenland worked. Now they roam all over the state, but the best place to feast your eyes on this ice-age creature is here, one of only five facilities in the world that studies the biology of the muskoxen. You'll also be able to check out the station's caribou and domesticated reindeer. |
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| Visit |
Open |
Cost |
Directions |
Contact |
| 1hr tour |
• Every day Memorial Day-Labor Day, tours at 1:30pm and 3:30pm;
• evening tours Tuesday through Saturday, 6:30pm;
• 30 min Mini Tours at 10:45am & 2:25pm daily ($6/adults) |
• $10 Adults,
• $9 Seniors,
• $6 Students,
• Free 6 years old and under |
Entering town via the Parks Highway, heading east, turn right on Noatak Drive, left on Sheep Creek Road, right on Miller Hill Road, and right on Yankovich Road. The station is about a half mile east on the left. Viewing is available year-round from the parking area. Binoculars are recommended. |
| 2220 Yankovich Road, Fairbanks |
| Ph: 907-474-7207 |
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| Devoted to all things ice, this museum will put you in a winter mood no matter what the summer temperatures are like. You'll see several large ice displays, a freezer you can go in to feel like it's 20 degrees below zero, a huge-screen slide show with the annual World Ice Art championships, and freezers with huge ice tableaux. |
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| Visit |
Open |
Cost |
Directions |
Contact |
| 1hr show |
June 1 – Sept 1, 10am – 6am (2004 schedule) |
• $10 (2004 pricing) |
Entering town via the Parks Highway, heading east, bear left on Geist Road, which becomes Johansen Expressway. Turn right on Nome Drive, left on Phillips Field Road, and right on Illinois Street. Continue on Illinois Street, then bear left on N. Cushman Street, and turn left on 2nd Avenue. The museum is one block from the Log Cabin Visitors Information Center. |
| 500 2nd Avenue, Fairbanks |
| Ph: 907-451-8222 |
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| Listen carefully among the wild brush and you can hear the whirl of some of the world's most powerful computers and minds. It's a fascinating look at computers and a fun hands-on visit to see what these magical machines can do. The computers are working on research relating to tsunami early-warning systems, Arctic region climate research, and human-computer interface. But the most fun comes in the weekly tours, where you can soar like an eagle over the Alaska's valleys, witness the devastating tsunami that followed the 1964 earthquake, or paint a digital picture in 3D. |
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| Visit |
Open |
Cost |
Directions |
Contact |
• 1hr tour
• 30 – min self-guided viewing |
• Guided tours, June 2 – Aug 25: Wednesdays, 1pm
• Self-guided tour of computer viewing area (Butrovich Building), year round: 8am – 5pm, Mon – Fri. |
Free |
• Guided tours meet at the back loading dock of the Rasmuson Library on Tanana Loop. Entering town via the Parks Highway, heading east, turn heading east, turn left onto Geist Road, left on Fairbanks Street, and right on Tanana Loop. Make a right on Taku Drive and park in the Taku visitor lot. Walk up the hill, take a right at the top, and find the first loading dock on the left.
• For self-guided viewing, follow the directions above until Tanana Loop. Turn left. Continue on Tanana Loop to Yukon Drive. Make a right. Butrovich Building and parking will be on your right. |
| University of Alaska Fairbanks campus |
| Ph: 907-450-8600 |
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| Alaska Public Lands Information Center |
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| Some 80 percent of Alaskan land is public space. And no one has more information on it all than the Alaska Public Lands Information Center. Stop by for trip-planning information, interactive displays, and movies on Alaska's wildlife, cultures, and destinations. Whether you like to hike, camp, hunt, fish, view wildlife, or take scenic drives, the center can point you in the right direction. You'll also find a variety of educational programs, special events, and family programs, as well as occasional native and local artist demonstrations. |
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| Visit |
Open |
Cost |
Directions |
Contact |
| 30 min – 1hr |
• Summer hours: 9am – 6pm daily (subject to change).
• Winter hours vary. |
Free |
Located in downtown Fairbanks on Cushman Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenue. |
| 250 Cushman Street Suite 1A, Fairbanks, AK 99701 |
| Ph: 907-456-0527 |
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| It's Christmas every day at this shopping mecca 13 miles outside Fairbanks. Come by for everything from smoked wild Alaskan salmon to North Pole clothes, official letters from Santa, and Rudolph ornaments. Shoppers have been flocking here since the 1950s, and 50 years later it remains an excellent stop for both kids and adults. You can take a few minutes and visit with Santa Claus himself. |
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| Visit |
Open |
Cost |
Directions |
Contact |
| 15 min – 1 hr |
• Summer hours: Approx. 9am – 8pm daily. Santa usually arrives a few hours after opening and departs about an hour before close. Winter hours for store and Santa vary. |
Free |
From downtown Fairbanks, it's about a 20-minute drive. Head south on Cushman Street and make a left on Airport Way. Take a right onto the Richardson Highway ramp and take the Steese Highway (AK 2) to North Pole. Turn right on North Santa Claus Lane, then left on St. Nicholas Drive. |
| 101 St. Nicholas Drive, North Pole, AK 99705 |
| Ph: 800-588-4078 or 907-488-2200 |
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