The Explore All 50 States Project
Let's Go!
Driving around a new city looking for a place to eat especially when everyone is starving can be a daunting experience. We Yelp, and Urban Spoon and even Open Table, but our best suggestions always come by word of mouth, from some nice local person we happen to meet. And that's how we discovered a true culinary gem-Fuji Japanese Restaurant. Click Here to see their awesome website that will whet your … [Read more...]
So who doesn't have a dream to strike it rich? It's that spirit that propelled the huge gold rush that's a very important part of Alaska's and in particular Fairbanks' history. People have been mining here since the early 1900's and though techniques have changed over time, gold mining is still big business on the outskirts of this city in Alaska's northern interior. Gold Dredge 8 is a really great place to learn … [Read more...]
Reading all the reviews of the dining options in Fairbanks we were a little disheartened by the lack of overwhelmingly positive experiences. I combed through Yelp, Tripadvisor, and Urban Spoon searching desperately for a good dining option. There was so much negative, from rude service, to tasteless food, and way too expensive. The only place that had consistent positive reviews no matter where we checked was … [Read more...]
Ever have high hopes for an activity and it just doesn't pan out the way you'd hoped? Sadly that's what happened at the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center. We had read so many great things about this place, in fact on the plane ride to Anchorage I saw an ad that highlighted some of the awesome activities we could partake in. I was really looking forward to learning about the Athabascans, the Native … [Read more...]
The University of Alaska in Fairbanks is an amazing campus-where else can you major in Arctic studies? It is also home to a wonderful museum about all things Alaska, The Museum of the North. It was a rainy day in Fairbanks when we made our way up the hill to the museum which is housed in a wonderful contemporary structure. Once inside we discovered some really interesting exhibits. After buying our tickets we … [Read more...]
An Explore All 50 road trip would not be complete without a visit to the state capitol building and Alaska was no exception. Juneau is truly a small mining town and it just doesn't quite feel like a state capitol in the typical sense. But once you come to appreciate that Alaska is a sparsely populated place, it doesn't feel odd at all. When we visited, the capitol building was undergoing an extensive … [Read more...]
If you've been reading our blog, you know by now that ice cream is one of our favorite desserts and a must have on any road trip. As we were touring Juneau, we got an urgent craving for our favorite frozen treat. After asking a few locals where we should go, we were told to head over to the wharf to a Juneau original-Chilkat Cones. Chilkat cones offers a variety of ice cream flavors, smoothies, truffles and … [Read more...]
Alaska is one of the last truly wild places in the US but sometimes even Mother Nature needs a little boost. There is a huge demand for wild Alaskan salmon (in fact it is against the law farm any kind of fish in Alaska) so in order to make sure the stocks are not depleted, non-profits like the Macauley Salmon Hatchery are hatching salmon and releasing them in the wild. This is sometimes called "ocean ranching". … [Read more...]
There are few things in this life that can rival hiking on a glacier, I would even venture to say it was a life changing experience. And if that statement needed any validation, my jaded teenagers excitedly declared it "totally sick". Is there a higher compliment from a tougher audience? I think not. I decided early on this was a must do on our Alaskan road trip and it totally exceeded our expectations. The … [Read more...]
There is something about those little cars hanging precariously from a single solitary cable that always makes my heart beat a little faster. Looking up at the Mt. Roberts Tramway I asked my kids if they were game. When the answer was a resounding yes, I gathered my courage, bought our tickets walked up to the loading area. I knew that the views would be totally worth it, in addition to all the cool cultural … [Read more...]
