Having fun in Alaska
Not a hard thing to do. But to help you out with your plans a little, here's some suggestions we'd like to make.
First take a look at the options for Saturday afternoon tours, following the closing plenary. Be sure to let us know which ones you'd like to attend: we'll only make arrangements for those that get a sufficient amount of people signing up for them. A few of them (like the NORAD thing) will be arranged tours only, but you'll be able to do many of them on your own if they look intriguing.
Next, for those of you who have a little more time to spend and have transportation, we have a number of suggestions for activities in Anchorage and beyond.
First of all, we'd be remiss if we didn't point this out. Elton John is doing a concert in Anchorage on Weds, May 28th. Now if you're reading this after tickets go on sale on Monday, May 5, chances are you're too late to get tickets. But since we know you're more interested in attending our screening of Eskimo, we know you'll be here at the Consortium Library that night. After all, Elton John goes on tour regularly. But Eskimo, well, screenings of that with an introduction by a knowledgeable archivist, how often does that happen?
Places to go, things to see
In a totally non-scientific poll of a portion of the local arrangements committee, the following are our top vote-getters of things to do in and around Anchorage in non-conference hours (in vote-getting order)
1. Alaska Native Heritage Center. A must-see, unanimously agreed. Indoor and outdoor exhibits, check out the website for all the wonderful details of what they offer. And only about 10 minutes from campus by car.
2. Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. Tied for second place, if you want to see typical Alaska wildlife in an environment that is less zoo and more natural. About forty-five minutes south along the Seward Highway, the drive alone is worth it. (And the drive time is an estimate based on the likelihood of you getting stuck behind an RV on what is mostly a two-lane highway).
2. Wildlife or glacier viewing day cruise. Many companies provide these tours out of Seward (2 & 1/2 hours) or Whittier (1 hour, note RV caveat above on both estimated drive times). Alaska Heritage Tours has offered a discount for NWA members (info follows). Those panelists who voted for this preferred the Seward tours, but the Whittier tours are a decent alternative and closer, plus you get to drive the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel (NOT for the claustrophobic) if you go to Whittier. Just make sure if you do theWhittier option, you account for the Tunnel schedule in your drive time. And Seward is just a cool little town. Consider overnighting and doing a visit to the Alaska Sealife Center. For birders, the Seward day cruises are a must-do. A chance to beef up your life list with puffins, red-faced cormorants, oystercatchers, and many other types of migratory water fowl.
Alaska Heritage tours is offering the following discount:
20% off of Kenai Fjords Tours, Prince William Sound Glacier Cruises, and Mariah Tours
15% off of Seward Windsong Lodge, and Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge
10% off of any package trip
Call the reservations line (1-888-4-PUFFIN) and tell the agent you're with the NWA conference. Doublecheck the Sponsors page for links to their various websites.
4. Eagle River Nature Center. Tied for fourth place. Miles of hiking trails, lots of Alaskan flora, about a half-hour north and still in the Anchorage municipal limits!
4. Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. Named after a former governor and mayor, this runs from downtown out to Kincaid Park. Fully paved, fairly level, amazing views. Just be careful when you're speeding down the trail to be on the lookout for moose. You don't want to t-bone one. Really. Trust us.