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Top Alaska hotels

Anchorage Hotels: 973 Reviews - 1457 Photos
Fairbanks Hotels: 379 Reviews - 473 Photos
Barrow Hotels: 139 Reviews - 142 Photos
Sitka Hotels: 188 Reviews - 276 Photos
Juneau Hotels: 404 Reviews - 849 Photos
Seward Hotels: 240 Reviews - 479 Photos
Denali National Park and Preserve Hotels: 350 Reviews - 572 Photos
Soldotna Hotels: 63 Reviews - 70 Photos
Dutch Harbor Hotels: 82 Reviews - 118 Photos
Kenai Hotels: 123 Reviews - 240 Photos
North Pole Hotels: 18 Reviews - 46 Photos
Girdwood Hotels: 97 Reviews - 159 Photos
Valdez Hotels: 111 Reviews - 167 Photos
Ketchikan Hotels: 242 Reviews - 529 Photos
Houston Hotels: 0 Reviews

Alaska Local Customs

A mural at Seward showing the Iditerod...

by jumpingnorman

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A mural at Seward showing the Iditerod...
by jumpingnorman
Anchorage has a bronze dog from the sled...
by jumpingnorman
Local Customs
by jumpingwithnorman
Local Customs
by jumpingwithnorman
Fishermen at Homer, Alaska
by jumpingnorman

Most Viewed Local Customs in Alaska

Crab Festival Kodiak

3 Reviews While not as wet as Crab Festival 2002 (See accompianing tip) 2003 suffered the wrath of wind on a few days. I suppose it was entirely appropriate as this years theme was "Gale Force Fun". Ha. Rides...

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Beach Fever Kodiak

5 Reviews When we went to White Sand Beach my son decided to build his version of Angkor Wat which we visited in Cambodia 2002. It was near the time we were going to leave so the fine details couldn't be worked...

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Fishing Kodiak

4 Reviews Halibut is a staple of Kodiak's fishing industry. Professional fishermen will bait as many as 2,000 hooks on their industrial line with individual shrimp, a painstaking process that often leads to a...

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Ice Breaking Lottery

by MyHollyDay

"I was so mad!" The Irish woman working at the roadhouse next to Tanana river told us. She was referring to the annual lottery of Nenana. Residence in the town of Nenana started this lottery of betting on the exact time(down to the minute) and date each spring when the ice on Tanana river breaks. When winter comes, surface of the river turns to ice, a tripole in the shape of a lighthouse is placed on the surface of the river right outside of the roadhouse. People take turn to keep an eye on it 24/7. The moment when this tripole tips over is THE winning time and date. The Irish woman said she had been in Nenana less than 2 years and was so happy to be able to participate in this game last year. She placed a bet of course. Around early april, she had to leave town for a couple of days. Worried that she might miss the action, she asked "the expert" (I would not dare to write his name...

Fishing and Seafood very important in Alaska

by jumpingnorman

I was flying into Alaska and the man beside me was a regular visitor of this 50 year old state (as of 2009), flying from Oregon to Alaska just for fishing! He said he was renting a 30 foot RV for the amazing price of only $75 per day and will drive around to fish...And seafood here is really fresh and they take pride in this -- you will order salmon in restaurants and they taste so fresh and not fishy at all! There's 34,000 miles of coastline, and my newfound friend on the plane said he has gone to remote places just to fish. Even being near a bear once --- and his wife and him being stuck at some remote area. Kinda scary but you could see he was excited talking about his adventures...The five species of salmon range from pan-size to 80 pounds (or 94 pounds as we saw in Soldotna's Visitor Center which had the biggest salmon caught). We saw a fisherman get a halibut which looked big to...

Alaskan Hospitality

by MyHollyDay

Can these be eaten raw? We asked the fish shop owners Ed and Sandy after we bought a few pounds of halibut from them. Both of them stepped closer to us with great interest. "Yes...I suppose" and started a round of discussion on whether the halibuts are deep frozen, if they were not deep frozen, how fresh are they....etc. We then found out these guys are one of the sashimi suppliers to cruise ships porting their town. Now the topic moved on to how many ways there are to eat fish raw that we know of? "Wait, give me a minute. Let me bring out some halibut sashimi, we can trade raw fish recipes by demonstration." Ed brought out a plate of neatly cut halibut and lemon juice. "Do you have wasabe?" Ed asked us. Although we did not think of bringing wasabe with us nor soy sauce, this fish tasting event were full of flavor, especially with a grain of alaskan hospitality. They shared with us...

Tough exterior, kind interior

by PA2AKgirl

Alaskans--those who have lived here their whole lives and those who came from Outside years ago--are, as a whole, the nicest people we've ever met. Anywhere we've gone, pretty much, the people we've never met before are helpful and treat you as a lifelong friend. They may appear a little rugged or tough and maybe even unapproachable but they all have stories and experiences they can share and want to hear yours. In the smaller towns this is especially true. When I first arrived in Sitka a few years ago, I didn't feel unwelcome for even a minute. Almost immediately, I was happy to be there. When I was interacting with tourists, I was proud to say that I now lived in this state. Anchorage actually is no different to me in this respect...we are always greeted with the friendliest smiles and endearing demeanor. Though isolated and sometimes harsh, Alaska brings out the "humanity" in a lot of...

The most beautiful Alaskan Calendar

by Matyas

Fireweeds are typical Alaskan flowers can be found all over the State. In Alaska, candies, syrups, jellies, and even ice cream are made from fireweed. Monofloral honey made primarily from fireweed nectar is particularly light and mild tasting. I've heard many times that we can deduce the weather from the fireweeds' length. If all petals appear on the fireweeds it means winter is coming in 4 weeks. At the same time I've been told different theories and stories so would be glad to hear the truth. Please drop me a line if you know something. Thanks:)

The route to the Klondike Gold Rush...

by Matyas

... the Chilkoot Trail. Many hikers' aim. I managed to find out more about this trail while in the local visitor centre. You can watch a short but very good movie of the Chilkoot trail and its history. Very interesting. The Chilkoot Trail, was the most famous route taken by prospectors and would be miners who made their way to the Klondike Gold Rush in the Yukon. It all started when gold was discovered in the year 1896 on Bonanza Creek, a tributary of the Klondike River, just 17.7 km ( 11 mi.) from Dawson City...continue.

Jackpot Halibut Derby !!

by Matyas

Well i guess the Halibut Derby is the most important event of Homer! While visiting this beautiful town enter the Jackpot Halibut Derby (visit the homepage for rules and requirements). The Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby began in the summer of 1986 as the brain-child of a committee dedicated to promoting business in Homer and enhancing tourism for the community. The Oregon man who won the jackpot last summer took home $48,504 for pulling in a 310 lb. halibut. You can check the result board just nearby the visitor centre. It was so much fun to see how big these animals are.

Alaska's Flag

by Matyas

Eight stars of gold on a field of blue— Alaska's flag. May it mean to you The blue of the sea, the evening sky, The mountain lakes, and the flow'rs nearby; The gold of the early sourdough dreams, The precious gold of the hills and streams; The brilliant stars in the northern sky, The Bear—the Dipper—and, shining high, The great North Star with its steady light, O'er land and sea a beacon bright. Alaska's flag—to Alaskans dear, The simple flag of a last frontier. A Native lad chose the Dipper's stars For Alaska's flag that there be no bars Among our culture. Let it be known Through years the Native's past has grown To share life's treasures, hand in hand, To keep Alaska our Great-Land; We love the northern midnight sky, The mountains, lakes and streams nearby. The great North Star with its steady light Will guide all cultures, clear and bright, With nature's flag to Alaskans dear, The...

The Pipeline - Alaska's Artery

by Matyas

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), usually called the Alyeska Pipeline in Alaska or the Alaska Pipeline elsewhere, is a major U.S. oil pipeline connecting oil fields in northern Alaska to a sea port where the oil can be shipped to the Lower 48 states for refining.The main Trans-Alaska Pipeline runs north to south, almost 800 miles (1,300 km), from the Arctic Ocean at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to the Gulf of Alaska at Valdez, Alaska, passing near several Alaskan towns, including Wiseman, Bettles, Livengood, Fox, Fairbanks, and Glennallen.Construction of the pipeline presented significant challenges due to the remoteness of the terrain and the harshness of the environment it had to pass through. Geological activity has damaged the pipeline on several occasions. Since its completion in 1977, the pipeline has transported over 15 billion barrels of oil.Summary Source: Wikipedia.

Population and languages

by Matyas

Just one among the many resons why I wanted (and still want) to visit Alaska. It's folks and different languages, cultures and habits. In the following I'd also like to share some basic info as the population concerns. This is a short summary for more information visit Wikipedia.The largest ancestry groups in the state are: German (16.6%), Alaska Native or American Indian (15.6%), Irish (10.8%), British (9.6%), American (5.7%), and Norwegian (4.2%). Alaska has the largest percentage of American Indians of any state.More than 90 languages are spoken in Alaska, including 20 which are indigenous to Alaska. The indigenous languages, known locally as Native languages, belong to two major language families. As the homeland of two of North America's major language families, Eskimo-Aleut and Athabaskan, Alaska has been described as the crossroads of the continents...

Top 3 Hotels in Alaska

Hotel Captain Cook Anchorage

9 Reviews and 246 Opinions Excellent amenities, with an excellent outlook. The higher the room the better the view, always ask...

Hotels in Anchorage

Westmark Baranof Hotel Juneau

4 Reviews and 83 Opinions We stayed twice in the past month for a couple of days each trip and found the front desk staff...

Hotels in Juneau

Sophie Station Fairbanks

1 Review and 93 Opinions We stayed at Sophie Station as part of our package tour and one night before the tour. It was clean...

Hotels in Fairbanks

568 Hotels in Alaska

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Abu Dhabi Local Customs

The Place

Reviews and photos of Alaska attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Alaska sightseeing.

Experience Alaska

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Local Customs: Cities in Alaska

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Questions and Answers

Q: Hello, I am thinking about flying to Fairbanks the long weekend 2/18-2/20/12 to view the northern light. Anyone has been...

A: The moon phases will be in your favour; new moon is on Feb 23. You have to be out of town and away from "light pollution", and of course there has to be good weather...

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