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Points of Pioneer Park
A Fairbanks family favorite, the playground is located at the center of the park and is designed for several age groups with an animal train and three climbers. (Stay tuned for the new cable climber and ADA accessible play equipment scheduled for installation in the fall of 2011!)
Looking for a relaxed dinner after a busy day of adventures? Head to the Alaska Salmon Bake — the only one in Fairbanks — where you’ll enjoy all the food you like, surrounded by a historic park filled with old buildings and mining equipment. Take your pick of Fire Grilled Alaskan salmon, Beer Battered Cod, or prime rib, cooked to perfection.
These nightly music performances are sponsored by the Fairbanks Arts Association. They are held at the gazebo at 7 p.m. throughout the summer. Bring a chair or blanket to sit on as bench seating is limited. Admission: Free.
The Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts was built in 1967 and designed to resemble a southeast Alaska tribal hall. The masks on the outside represent animal spirits. Many people think the building looks more like a birthday cake, which is fitting since it was built for Alaska’s 100th birthday. Some Fairbanksans also refer to the center as the Pickle Barrel. The Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts is rumored to be haunted. The Alaska… ...more
On the north side of the park along the edge of the Chena River, sits Alaska Outdoor Rentals & Guides providing one of Fairbanks’ few, outdoor family adventure activities. Alaska Outdoors rents kayaks, canoes, and bicycles for half-days, a day, or by the week. In addition, they outfits adventurers and hunters for wilderness, fly-in trips, they have a retail store for paddling gear, and they are the local dealer for Thule cargo… ...more
Pioneer Park is home to an antique carousel that was built between 1915 and 1920, and brought to Fairbanks from Kirkwood, Illinois. The ride is open from noon to 8pm every day throughout the summer.
Pioneer Hall was designed to represent a fine 1900’s era building. It houses two historical attractions: The Pioneer Museum which is filled with fascinating artifacts of early Fairbanks. The settlers of Fairbanks probably would have been surprised if they had known their everyday utensils would one day be on display in a museum. Few of the museum’s pieces are a hundred years old. Not very old by most museum standards, but their value is… ...more
You can’t miss it — the museum looks like a round golden airplane hangar with a model aircraft from Air North mounted on beams outside in a simulated take-off. Inside, you’ll find a few of the earliest aircraft in the state from the 1930s and 1940s used in military, commercial, and bush flights. All this is interpreted for visitors by local experts, who have lived and breathed the aviation industry for decades in Fairbanks, and shared it here ...more
The Riverboat Nenana is a sternwheeler, nicknamed the “Queen of the Yukon.” She was commissioned by the Alaska Railroad and built in 1933. Her parts were made in Seattle and then shipped to Nenana, Alaska where she was constructed. She plied the Tanana and Yukon Rivers from 1933 to 1954, and her primary run was between Nenana and Marshall — a distance of about 858 miles. She also ran twice a month from May through September. The Riverboat Nenana… ...more
The gold rush that started Fairbanks relied heavily on an early railroad to quickly and efficiently move people and valuable goods along a string of mines and supporting communities. The Tanana Valley Railroad Museum illustrates the role of this railroad in Fairbanks’ first industry through historical exhibits, interpretive train rides, and on-site restoration.