Flight

Ted Stevens International Airport

Fly into Anchorage

Travel Note

Lodging

When looking for a place to stay, we recommend staying away from any lodging in or near Downtown Anchorage. Not only are hotels and Air BnB's in that area more expensive, but a few of the hotels are not as well - kept as their websites state. There is also a large homeless population downtown, so it's not the safest place to be. Hotels and other lodging in Midtown or South Anchorage are usually in safer, quieter areas and many tend to be cleaner and better kept. Wasilla and Palmer are roughly an hour North, and Girdwood is roughly an hour South, and the highways in either direction shut down frequently, and have heavy traffic daily. So we recommend finding lodging IN Anchorage.

Travel Note

Sight Seeing: In and Around Anchorage

There are a lot of beautiful sights to and fun places to visit in and around Anchorage. There are plenty of paths to walk, trails to hike , beautiful views, and dangerous wildlife in Anchorage itself. There are also several museums that focus on a variety of topics. The Alaska Zoo in South Anchorage is a wonderful place to visit and get to see some creatures native to Alaska (and a few that aren't). They often have rescued animals that they're rehabilitating. A little further out, the Eagle River Nature Center (where we took our gorgeous Engagement photos) has some breathtaking views of the Chugach mountains, tons of wildlife - make sure you take bear spray, they're everywhere - boardwalks over streams and rivers, and even a few pieces of artwork. In the Valley towards Palmer and Wasilla, there's the Reindeer farm, and further out than that is Matanuska Glacier, where Alissa has taken not only her mom and younger brother, but also dragged Alex and two of his nephews along on tours of the glacier. Denali National Park is North of Palmer and Wasilla as well. Make sure you fill your tank if you're going out past Palmer and Wasilla, gas stations are rare and expensive. South of Anchorage is Girdwood, one of the premier places to ski and snowboard in winter. Just like any small winter town, there's also plenty of delicious little restaurants and hiking trails open in the summer. Past that, there's the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, another zoo facility that lets you get a little closer to the animals, and maybe do a little less walking. Portage Glacier is in the same area, though now it does take a long hike to get out to.

Travel Note

Sight Seeing: Seward and Homer

Seward and Homer are popular towns South of Anchorage for sight seeing, tourism, shopping, and so much more. Seward is 3 hours South (give or take with yearly construction) and is home to the Alaska SeaLife Center, an aquarium and wildlife rehab facility. Alissa loves to go at least once a year. There's also some wonderful little restaurants to eat at, breathtaking views of the bay, whale watching tours, and some famous and fun events that happen annually (check out the Mount Marathon Race). Homer is 4 or 5 hours South (once again, give or take with yearly construction) and is where the famous Salty Dawg Saloon is located. The Homer Spit, which is one of the main reasons people end up going to Homer, is a long stretch of land lined with small local shops, cafes, restaurants, and even a tattoo shop and condos. It's a beautiful spot, and very popular. There are also beautiful places to camp, hike and explore around Homer. The drive down to Homer and Seward is a beautiful one, winding through breathtaking valleys, along sea cliffs that offer mind-blowing views, and winding through very picturesque small towns along the way.