Destination Guide | Alaska
AMAZING ALASKA
By Edward Readicker-Henderson
Once upon a time, Alaska was off the edge of the map.
The very name “Alaska,” in fact, shows this idea of distance, how far the place is from everywhere else: The word derives from the Native alakshak, “the land that is not an island,” as if the territory proper were in hiding.
But things have changed. Now, as local CVB president Lorene Palmer points out, “Juneau is just a short two-hour flight north of Seattle, so it makes holding a meeting in Alaska very doable.” And why does that easy access matter? Because “the rainforest, mountains, glaciers and amazing wildlife viewing offer meeting attendees an inspiring Alaska location,” she says.
Jennifer Jolis, director of meetings and conventions for the Fairbanks CVB, agrees. Alaska is simply “a profound and very different experience,” she says, “whether it’s the summer light, or the full moon in winter, or the northern lights.”
Oh, and year-round, the weather is better in most of Alaska’s premier towns than, say, in some cities in the Midwest.
Besides, walking outside for a coffee break and seeing bald eagles fly past surely beats watching traffic go by in a more common destination. And that makes it easy to get attendees excited about coming to the Last Frontier.
Fortunately, Alaska is actually a lot more convenient than it’s usually given credit for—although the state is built on a scale that doesn’t quite make sense to many people from the Lower 48. Larger than Texas and California combined, it covers an east-west distance almost as great as that between Disneyland and Disney World, an eye-opening comparison.
Rather than take on the state as a whole, then, meeting planners should consider one of Alaska’s three main regions: Anchorage and Valdez, in the central coast, the most populous part of the state; the interior, home to Fairbanks, Denali and Nome; and Southeast, the chain of islands along the Canadian coast, with the beautiful small towns of Sitka and Ketchikan, as well as the state capital, Juneau.
KETCHIKAN
So, exactly how close is close? Ketchikan, Alaska’s southernmost city, is closer to theSeattle airport than the average Seattle downtown commute—only 90 minutes.
Ketchikan (Ketchikan Visitors Bureau) not only has full-time assistance available for meeting planners, is also has the interesting habit of bragging about the town’s annual rainfall. Exceeding 150 inches (Southeast Alaska is technically classified as a “mid-latitudes rainforest”), it falls on a landscape that is probably the most lush you’ll ever see, with enough shades of green to make a leprechaun color blind. Ketchikan is also the place where it’s easiest to get in touch with Native traditions. The town hosts the best totem pole collections anywhere, at the Totem Heritage Center, Saxman and Totem Bight. Totem poles are not religious objects; they’re storytellers, memory carved into wood.
And, so, perhaps Ketchikan was the natural choice for the Bureau of Indian Affairs National Tribal Indian Reservation Roads Program Coordinating Committee that brought more than 75 people to town. “[The town] took the bull by the horns,” says Sam Thomas, who chaired the meeting. Along with local groups, the CVB “hosted a traditional dinner for us, had a welcome and reception for us; and for tribes that come from all over the country, it was big doings. They did a tremendous job.”
Thomas does note one other thing any planner should keep in mind about small-town Alaska: Especially in summer, “be careful preplanning exactly how much hotel space you’ll need.” In high season (generally May 15 through Labor Day), Alaska hotels regularly hit 100 percent occupancy.
For a venue that will keep your meeting memorable, Ketchikan offers the Ted Ferry Civic Center, a 4,500-square-foot site with a 1,500-square-foot stage. The ballroom can be divided into three smaller venues, each with full lighting and sound systems. As for the caterers, the kitchen is considered one of the best in Southeast Alaska.
JUNEAU
Ask people Down South what the capital of Alaska is, and likely only the geography buffs will get it right. No, it’s not Anchorage—that’s just the biggest city. Juneau, a town of 30,000 hugging the shoreline of Southeast, is actually where the state’s business gets done.
And that means they know how to cater to meeting professionals.
Juneau’s main venue is the Centennial Hall and Convention Center, with rooms ranging from 300 to 11,275 sq. ft. The center is right downtown, but then, one of the main advantages to Juneau is how many of its attractions are walking distance from the city center.
Or, let’s amend that: there’s also tram distance. For events with a view, the Mount Roberts Tramway can host a banquet for 250 in its Timberline Room, set high above town, overlooking the Gastineau Channel and Douglas Island. And on the way up, your attendees can check the trails below for bears.
If you really want to do something different for your meetings, why not take them outside? Auk Nu’s excursion boat accommodates up to 50, which means you can hold meetings with the most dramatic backdrop your attendees have ever seen: Tracy Arm, just south of town, where huge chunks of blue ice the size of shopping malls break off the glacial face.
Keep in mind that once visitors have seen the state, they are rarely in a hurry to leave. Lorene Palmer, of the Juneau Convention & Visitors Bureau, says, “Juneau’s dramatic natural environment makes it a unique convention destination. Because Juneau is also a popular vacation destination, the variety of tours and activities are incredible. Attendees often plan to stay several days beyond the meeting to make the most of their Alaska visit.”
Pan for gold, hang out with whales, kayak in the still waters off Douglas Island. When office hours are done, Juneau turns into a great big outdoor playground.
SITKA
Despite its attractions, Juneau wasn’t even on the maps when the Russians owned Alaska. Their capital was 90 miles or so west, in Sitka, maybe the most scenic spot in a state that keeps digital camera makers turning out more memory chips. Sheltered by a scatter of barrier islands, and lying in the shadow of the perfect volcanic cone of Mt. Edgecumbe, Sitka tops off its beauty with some of the best preserved Russian buildings anywhere. “Our unique heritage makes us a perfect location,” says Sandy Lorrigan, executive director of the Sitka Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Sitka is all about the view, and the town’s Harrigan Centennial Hall, has curtains behind the stage that open to reveal a window stretching across the entire back of the building, offering views of Sitka Sound. The building also features stunning acoustics in its 500-seat theater, home of the Sitka Summer Music Festival, which each summer brings world-class chamber music to the town.
Sheet’ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi Community House is located on Katlian Street, center of Sitka’s Native community. The Community House is built to resemble a traditional Tlingit or Haida dwelling, offering an open floor plan accented by classic Southeast Alaskan artworks—the carved cedar backdrop is particularly impressive—and staggered seating for 200.
Appropriate for what was once the region’s capital, Sitka is now the primo place for the national bird. The Alaska Raptor Center, just a few minutes from downtown, rehabilitates bald eagles and other injured birds. The center also has an 175-seat auditorium and an outdoor deck with views of the aviaries, ideal for parties and receptions. Want to impress your attendees? Get them up close and personal with the white head of an eagle, and then take them on an excursion to the nearby Sheldon Jackson Museum, a tiny room stuffed to the rafters with Alaskan history.
For an ocean-borne view of Sitka’s natural beauty, Allen Marine Tours runs ships that can accommodate up to 150 passengers. A perfect opportunity to combine business with a wildlife cruise, Sitka is one of the rare places in Alaska that has whales year-round, and sea otters are as common as lawn dandelions.
ANCHORAGE, VALDEZ AND KODIAK
Southeast is the Alaska of travel shows: islands and whales and glaciers. But the heart of the Alaska is Southcentral. Nearly half of the state’s population lives in or near Anchorage, taking advantage of the fact that only minutes from four-star restaurants are hundreds of miles of skiing and hiking trails. And how many other major cities offer salmon fishing right downtown?
Anchorage features more than 8,000 hotel rooms in all, and far and away the state’s greatest variety of meeting venues—as well as a central website to help planners, covering all major sites. The classic Alaska Center for the Performing Arts has three theaters, ranging from 2,000 seats to 340 seats. For smaller gatherings, the Anchorage Museum offers both its atrium space, with catering, and an auditorium.
Opening in October 2008, the Dena’ina Civic & Convention Center will feature a 50,000-square-foot exhibit hall, which can seat up to 5,000. The facility also has a 25,000-square-foot ballroom, which can handle 134 booths, 1,812 banquet seats, 1,664 attendees classroom-style or 3,180 theater-style. The even larger exhibit hall will seat up to 5,000.
Nearby is the newly renovated Egan Center, with more than 45,000 sq. ft. of meeting, exhibit and function spaces. For a truly big event, the Egan and Dena’ina will be connected through heated walkways, and can be used in conjunction with one another.
“What we’ve created is a pedestrian-centric area, where all our facilities are tied together,” says Shelly Wozniak, spokesperson for the Anchorage CVB. “Delegates are within just a few feet of their hotels, excellent shopping and tour activities, and more.”
As far as access goes, she points out that “we’re less than nine hours from anywhere on the planet. For meeting planners, the thing that’s so exciting is that Anchorage is ‘big wildlife.’ We have all the urban amenities, first-class treatment, but they can also experience that authentic Alaska adventure. Everything from glacier-viewing to flightseeing is right outside our door.”
A bit east of Anchorage lies the town of Valdez, population just under 5,000. The town has been blessed by two simple geographic facts: it’s on the shores of Prince William Sound, huge and sheltered, and a favorite hangout for everything from whales to a few million sea birds; it’s also the terminus for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Add in Alaska’s best heli-skiing mountains and the state’s premier theater festival—not to mention a couple dozen glaciers within easy excursion range—and Valdez is a little gem of a location or, as the town’s CVB (valdezalaska.org) says, “Even Mother Nature has favorites.”
The Valdez Convention & Civic Center includes a theater, grand ballroom and conference rooms totaling more than 18,000 sq. ft. The grand ballroom, seating up to 480, can also be divided into three fully equipped separate sections, as can the conference rooms.
For a unique Anchorage alternative, a one-hour flight south lands your group on Alaska’s “Emerald Isle,” the beautiful Kodiak Island. Outdoor activities and wildlife exposure abound, and the small city of Kodiak offers a wide range of accommodations and meeting venues, from full-scale hotels to remote wilderness lodges to the well-appointed Kodiak Auditorium. The Kodiak Island Convention and Visitors Bureau can help you find everything from meeting space to dinner options to chartering a boat for a group fishing trip.
DENALI NATIONAL PARK
Another option with easy access is to drive a couple hours north of Anchorage—or, perhaps even better, take a scenic train ride along the historic tracks of the Alaska Railroad—to Denali National Park and Preserve, six million acres of wilderness with just a single road cutting through a tiny portion of it. The park is home to Mt. McKinley, the highest point in North America—but nobody in Alaska calls it Mt. McKinley. Here, it’s either Denali or just The Mountain. And in the shadow of the mountain are wolves, caribou watching out for wolves, and Toklat grizzlies, quite comfortable with their place on the top of the food chain (think Garden of Eden without the snake having a slither-on part).
Right at the park entrance, balanced on a ribbon of land between the Anchorage-Fairbanks highway and the Class IV Nenana River, is a string of first-class hotels. This may well be the best spot in Alaska to combine the overwhelming physicality of the state with sheer luxury. Take meeting breaks to raft the rapids of the Nenana, try dog sledding (in summer, wheels take the place of snow runners), or go into the park to look for moose with antlers the size of Mini Coopers.
FAIRBANKS
By the time you’ve made it to Denali, Fairbanks is only a little bit farther along the road. Look at a population map of Alaska, and you’ll see that people have pretty much gathered along the coast. But Fairbanks is the exception. Home to the main campus of the University of Alaska, the town is practically smack dab in the middle of the state, the jumping-off point for the great, wild Bush, the part of the territory where bears outnumber people 10 to 1.
Although it is Alaska’s second-largest city, Fairbanks maintains a genteel frontier vibe, with a relaxed confidence. The town’s volunteer Golden Heart Greeters—easily identifiable by their bright yellow vests—go all out to personalize Fairbanks, whether it’s simply helping someone get to their hotel, or arranging private meetings between visitors and locals who share similar interests. “The spirit of Fairbanks means that the whole community goes to great lengths to help and make people feel welcome. We’re both very individual, and totally willing to share what and who we are,” says Jennifer Jolis, of the Fairbanks CVB Phyllis Sheffield, who brought the World Clown Association convention to Fairbanks, agrees. “I’ve never been anywhere where everything was so first class.” With more than 100 attendees showing up—“from as far as England and Greece, and even Texas,” she says, “we had the best time. We were there for the [spring] ice-carving championship, and they themed their whole thing as ‘the greatest show on ice.’ We could not have asked for a more perfect week.”
Fairbanks is anxiously awaiting the opening of the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center, a state-of-the-art facility that will also serve as a meeting place for Alaska’s tribal elders. But the new facility won’t make Fairbanks’ venerable Carlson Center obsolete: with 44,000 sq. ft. and a theater that can seat 1,600, plus a wide variety of breakout spaces, Carlson has a long history of putting together prime events.
Fairbanks is also home to the newly expanded Museum of the North, on the University of Alaska campus. Not only does the museum feature the best collection of Alaska artifacts under a single roof anywhere, it also has beautiful spaces for smaller gatherings. Due to the recent expansion, however, the museum can also handle large events that incorporate a reception or dinner. They’ve done formal sit-down dinners for up to 150 in the auditorium, with cocktails in the lobby, as well as receptions for 400.
NOME
Enough of easy access, though. What if you want to try something different? If that’s the case, go to the edge of the map with Nome, only a few miles below the Arctic Circle, and famed as the finish line for the Iditarod, Alaska’s legendary 1,049-mile dog-sled race.
Nome is pure frontier Alaska: people panning for gold on the beach, musk oxen wandering around the high school grounds, and people who don’t so much as blink if they see a reindeer riding in the back of a pickup truck. Conference facilities include Old St. Joseph’s Hall, a converted church that may well have once been attended by Wyatt Earp, who came here when the OK Corral faded from the news. Thanks to the Iditarod, Nome is well-prepared for guests, with more than 200 hotel rooms, and the single-best tour guide in the state, Richard Beneville, a former Broadway song-and-dance man turned explicator of oosiks (don’t ask).
FOX ISLAND
But what if even Nome is too close to the rest of the world? What if you want to have a meeting where nobody can get to you at all, no distractions but scenery and the sound of whale breath? Easy enough, if you go to Fox Island.
Tucked away in a corner of Resurrection Bay, south of Anchorage, Fox Island was once the hangout for famed artist Rockwell Kent—he liked to sunbathe nude in snowdrifts there. Now the island is home to Kenai Fjords Wilderness Lodge, with comfortable cabins, a massive main dining room perfect for meetings and, after the day-trip boats leave, nothing nearby for distraction but endless scenery. The perfect executive retreat.
Or to truly fall off the map, try Alaska West, run by Deneki Outdoors. On the shores of Kuskokwim Bay, a place few visitors ever venture, business gets done between excursions to some of the state’s richest fishing grounds. Forget the golf course: what would you rather do, sink a birdie or reel in a 65-pound salmon?
Edward Readicker-Henderson, honored by the Society of American Travel Writers as a Lowell Thomas Award winner, has written for National Geographic Traveler, Sierra and Art & Antiques. He has co-authored with Lynn Readicker, Adventure Guide to the Alaska Highway and Adventure Guide to the Inside Passage and Coastal Alaska, among other travel books. Back to Top
OTHER ACCESS:
But things have changed. Now, as local CVB president Lorene Palmer points out, “Juneau is just a short two-hour flight north of Seattle, so it makes holding a meeting in Alaska very doable.” And why does that easy access matter? Because “the rainforest, mountains, glaciers and amazing wildlife viewing offer meeting attendees an inspiring Alaska location,” she says.
Jennifer Jolis, director of meetings and conventions for the Fairbanks CVB, agrees. Alaska is simply “a profound and very different experience,” she says, “whether it’s the summer light, or the full moon in winter, or the northern lights.”
Oh, and year-round, the weather is better in most of Alaska’s premier towns than, say, in some cities in the Midwest.
Besides, walking outside for a coffee break and seeing bald eagles fly past surely beats watching traffic go by in a more common destination. And that makes it easy to get attendees excited about coming to the Last Frontier.
Fortunately, Alaska is actually a lot more convenient than it’s usually given credit for—although the state is built on a scale that doesn’t quite make sense to many people from the Lower 48. Larger than Texas and California combined, it covers an east-west distance almost as great as that between Disneyland and Disney World, an eye-opening comparison.
Rather than take on the state as a whole, then, meeting planners should consider one of Alaska’s three main regions: Anchorage and Valdez, in the central coast, the most populous part of the state; the interior, home to Fairbanks, Denali and Nome; and Southeast, the chain of islands along the Canadian coast, with the beautiful small towns of Sitka and Ketchikan, as well as the state capital, Juneau.
KETCHIKAN
So, exactly how close is close? Ketchikan, Alaska’s southernmost city, is closer to theSeattle airport than the average Seattle downtown commute—only 90 minutes.
Ketchikan (Ketchikan Visitors Bureau) not only has full-time assistance available for meeting planners, is also has the interesting habit of bragging about the town’s annual rainfall. Exceeding 150 inches (Southeast Alaska is technically classified as a “mid-latitudes rainforest”), it falls on a landscape that is probably the most lush you’ll ever see, with enough shades of green to make a leprechaun color blind. Ketchikan is also the place where it’s easiest to get in touch with Native traditions. The town hosts the best totem pole collections anywhere, at the Totem Heritage Center, Saxman and Totem Bight. Totem poles are not religious objects; they’re storytellers, memory carved into wood.
And, so, perhaps Ketchikan was the natural choice for the Bureau of Indian Affairs National Tribal Indian Reservation Roads Program Coordinating Committee that brought more than 75 people to town. “[The town] took the bull by the horns,” says Sam Thomas, who chaired the meeting. Along with local groups, the CVB “hosted a traditional dinner for us, had a welcome and reception for us; and for tribes that come from all over the country, it was big doings. They did a tremendous job.”
Thomas does note one other thing any planner should keep in mind about small-town Alaska: Especially in summer, “be careful preplanning exactly how much hotel space you’ll need.” In high season (generally May 15 through Labor Day), Alaska hotels regularly hit 100 percent occupancy.
For a venue that will keep your meeting memorable, Ketchikan offers the Ted Ferry Civic Center, a 4,500-square-foot site with a 1,500-square-foot stage. The ballroom can be divided into three smaller venues, each with full lighting and sound systems. As for the caterers, the kitchen is considered one of the best in Southeast Alaska.
JUNEAU
Ask people Down South what the capital of Alaska is, and likely only the geography buffs will get it right. No, it’s not Anchorage—that’s just the biggest city. Juneau, a town of 30,000 hugging the shoreline of Southeast, is actually where the state’s business gets done.
And that means they know how to cater to meeting professionals.
Juneau’s main venue is the Centennial Hall and Convention Center, with rooms ranging from 300 to 11,275 sq. ft. The center is right downtown, but then, one of the main advantages to Juneau is how many of its attractions are walking distance from the city center.
Or, let’s amend that: there’s also tram distance. For events with a view, the Mount Roberts Tramway can host a banquet for 250 in its Timberline Room, set high above town, overlooking the Gastineau Channel and Douglas Island. And on the way up, your attendees can check the trails below for bears.
If you really want to do something different for your meetings, why not take them outside? Auk Nu’s excursion boat accommodates up to 50, which means you can hold meetings with the most dramatic backdrop your attendees have ever seen: Tracy Arm, just south of town, where huge chunks of blue ice the size of shopping malls break off the glacial face.
Keep in mind that once visitors have seen the state, they are rarely in a hurry to leave. Lorene Palmer, of the Juneau Convention & Visitors Bureau, says, “Juneau’s dramatic natural environment makes it a unique convention destination. Because Juneau is also a popular vacation destination, the variety of tours and activities are incredible. Attendees often plan to stay several days beyond the meeting to make the most of their Alaska visit.”
Pan for gold, hang out with whales, kayak in the still waters off Douglas Island. When office hours are done, Juneau turns into a great big outdoor playground.
SITKA
Despite its attractions, Juneau wasn’t even on the maps when the Russians owned Alaska. Their capital was 90 miles or so west, in Sitka, maybe the most scenic spot in a state that keeps digital camera makers turning out more memory chips. Sheltered by a scatter of barrier islands, and lying in the shadow of the perfect volcanic cone of Mt. Edgecumbe, Sitka tops off its beauty with some of the best preserved Russian buildings anywhere. “Our unique heritage makes us a perfect location,” says Sandy Lorrigan, executive director of the Sitka Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Sitka is all about the view, and the town’s Harrigan Centennial Hall, has curtains behind the stage that open to reveal a window stretching across the entire back of the building, offering views of Sitka Sound. The building also features stunning acoustics in its 500-seat theater, home of the Sitka Summer Music Festival, which each summer brings world-class chamber music to the town.
Sheet’ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi Community House is located on Katlian Street, center of Sitka’s Native community. The Community House is built to resemble a traditional Tlingit or Haida dwelling, offering an open floor plan accented by classic Southeast Alaskan artworks—the carved cedar backdrop is particularly impressive—and staggered seating for 200.
Appropriate for what was once the region’s capital, Sitka is now the primo place for the national bird. The Alaska Raptor Center, just a few minutes from downtown, rehabilitates bald eagles and other injured birds. The center also has an 175-seat auditorium and an outdoor deck with views of the aviaries, ideal for parties and receptions. Want to impress your attendees? Get them up close and personal with the white head of an eagle, and then take them on an excursion to the nearby Sheldon Jackson Museum, a tiny room stuffed to the rafters with Alaskan history.
For an ocean-borne view of Sitka’s natural beauty, Allen Marine Tours runs ships that can accommodate up to 150 passengers. A perfect opportunity to combine business with a wildlife cruise, Sitka is one of the rare places in Alaska that has whales year-round, and sea otters are as common as lawn dandelions.
ANCHORAGE, VALDEZ AND KODIAK
Southeast is the Alaska of travel shows: islands and whales and glaciers. But the heart of the Alaska is Southcentral. Nearly half of the state’s population lives in or near Anchorage, taking advantage of the fact that only minutes from four-star restaurants are hundreds of miles of skiing and hiking trails. And how many other major cities offer salmon fishing right downtown?
Anchorage features more than 8,000 hotel rooms in all, and far and away the state’s greatest variety of meeting venues—as well as a central website to help planners, covering all major sites. The classic Alaska Center for the Performing Arts has three theaters, ranging from 2,000 seats to 340 seats. For smaller gatherings, the Anchorage Museum offers both its atrium space, with catering, and an auditorium.
Opening in October 2008, the Dena’ina Civic & Convention Center will feature a 50,000-square-foot exhibit hall, which can seat up to 5,000. The facility also has a 25,000-square-foot ballroom, which can handle 134 booths, 1,812 banquet seats, 1,664 attendees classroom-style or 3,180 theater-style. The even larger exhibit hall will seat up to 5,000.
Nearby is the newly renovated Egan Center, with more than 45,000 sq. ft. of meeting, exhibit and function spaces. For a truly big event, the Egan and Dena’ina will be connected through heated walkways, and can be used in conjunction with one another.
“What we’ve created is a pedestrian-centric area, where all our facilities are tied together,” says Shelly Wozniak, spokesperson for the Anchorage CVB. “Delegates are within just a few feet of their hotels, excellent shopping and tour activities, and more.”
As far as access goes, she points out that “we’re less than nine hours from anywhere on the planet. For meeting planners, the thing that’s so exciting is that Anchorage is ‘big wildlife.’ We have all the urban amenities, first-class treatment, but they can also experience that authentic Alaska adventure. Everything from glacier-viewing to flightseeing is right outside our door.”
A bit east of Anchorage lies the town of Valdez, population just under 5,000. The town has been blessed by two simple geographic facts: it’s on the shores of Prince William Sound, huge and sheltered, and a favorite hangout for everything from whales to a few million sea birds; it’s also the terminus for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Add in Alaska’s best heli-skiing mountains and the state’s premier theater festival—not to mention a couple dozen glaciers within easy excursion range—and Valdez is a little gem of a location or, as the town’s CVB (valdezalaska.org) says, “Even Mother Nature has favorites.”
The Valdez Convention & Civic Center includes a theater, grand ballroom and conference rooms totaling more than 18,000 sq. ft. The grand ballroom, seating up to 480, can also be divided into three fully equipped separate sections, as can the conference rooms.
For a unique Anchorage alternative, a one-hour flight south lands your group on Alaska’s “Emerald Isle,” the beautiful Kodiak Island. Outdoor activities and wildlife exposure abound, and the small city of Kodiak offers a wide range of accommodations and meeting venues, from full-scale hotels to remote wilderness lodges to the well-appointed Kodiak Auditorium. The Kodiak Island Convention and Visitors Bureau can help you find everything from meeting space to dinner options to chartering a boat for a group fishing trip.
DENALI NATIONAL PARK
Another option with easy access is to drive a couple hours north of Anchorage—or, perhaps even better, take a scenic train ride along the historic tracks of the Alaska Railroad—to Denali National Park and Preserve, six million acres of wilderness with just a single road cutting through a tiny portion of it. The park is home to Mt. McKinley, the highest point in North America—but nobody in Alaska calls it Mt. McKinley. Here, it’s either Denali or just The Mountain. And in the shadow of the mountain are wolves, caribou watching out for wolves, and Toklat grizzlies, quite comfortable with their place on the top of the food chain (think Garden of Eden without the snake having a slither-on part).
Right at the park entrance, balanced on a ribbon of land between the Anchorage-Fairbanks highway and the Class IV Nenana River, is a string of first-class hotels. This may well be the best spot in Alaska to combine the overwhelming physicality of the state with sheer luxury. Take meeting breaks to raft the rapids of the Nenana, try dog sledding (in summer, wheels take the place of snow runners), or go into the park to look for moose with antlers the size of Mini Coopers.
FAIRBANKS
By the time you’ve made it to Denali, Fairbanks is only a little bit farther along the road. Look at a population map of Alaska, and you’ll see that people have pretty much gathered along the coast. But Fairbanks is the exception. Home to the main campus of the University of Alaska, the town is practically smack dab in the middle of the state, the jumping-off point for the great, wild Bush, the part of the territory where bears outnumber people 10 to 1.
Although it is Alaska’s second-largest city, Fairbanks maintains a genteel frontier vibe, with a relaxed confidence. The town’s volunteer Golden Heart Greeters—easily identifiable by their bright yellow vests—go all out to personalize Fairbanks, whether it’s simply helping someone get to their hotel, or arranging private meetings between visitors and locals who share similar interests. “The spirit of Fairbanks means that the whole community goes to great lengths to help and make people feel welcome. We’re both very individual, and totally willing to share what and who we are,” says Jennifer Jolis, of the Fairbanks CVB Phyllis Sheffield, who brought the World Clown Association convention to Fairbanks, agrees. “I’ve never been anywhere where everything was so first class.” With more than 100 attendees showing up—“from as far as England and Greece, and even Texas,” she says, “we had the best time. We were there for the [spring] ice-carving championship, and they themed their whole thing as ‘the greatest show on ice.’ We could not have asked for a more perfect week.”
Fairbanks is anxiously awaiting the opening of the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center, a state-of-the-art facility that will also serve as a meeting place for Alaska’s tribal elders. But the new facility won’t make Fairbanks’ venerable Carlson Center obsolete: with 44,000 sq. ft. and a theater that can seat 1,600, plus a wide variety of breakout spaces, Carlson has a long history of putting together prime events.
Fairbanks is also home to the newly expanded Museum of the North, on the University of Alaska campus. Not only does the museum feature the best collection of Alaska artifacts under a single roof anywhere, it also has beautiful spaces for smaller gatherings. Due to the recent expansion, however, the museum can also handle large events that incorporate a reception or dinner. They’ve done formal sit-down dinners for up to 150 in the auditorium, with cocktails in the lobby, as well as receptions for 400.
NOME
Enough of easy access, though. What if you want to try something different? If that’s the case, go to the edge of the map with Nome, only a few miles below the Arctic Circle, and famed as the finish line for the Iditarod, Alaska’s legendary 1,049-mile dog-sled race.
Nome is pure frontier Alaska: people panning for gold on the beach, musk oxen wandering around the high school grounds, and people who don’t so much as blink if they see a reindeer riding in the back of a pickup truck. Conference facilities include Old St. Joseph’s Hall, a converted church that may well have once been attended by Wyatt Earp, who came here when the OK Corral faded from the news. Thanks to the Iditarod, Nome is well-prepared for guests, with more than 200 hotel rooms, and the single-best tour guide in the state, Richard Beneville, a former Broadway song-and-dance man turned explicator of oosiks (don’t ask).
FOX ISLAND
But what if even Nome is too close to the rest of the world? What if you want to have a meeting where nobody can get to you at all, no distractions but scenery and the sound of whale breath? Easy enough, if you go to Fox Island.
Tucked away in a corner of Resurrection Bay, south of Anchorage, Fox Island was once the hangout for famed artist Rockwell Kent—he liked to sunbathe nude in snowdrifts there. Now the island is home to Kenai Fjords Wilderness Lodge, with comfortable cabins, a massive main dining room perfect for meetings and, after the day-trip boats leave, nothing nearby for distraction but endless scenery. The perfect executive retreat.
Or to truly fall off the map, try Alaska West, run by Deneki Outdoors. On the shores of Kuskokwim Bay, a place few visitors ever venture, business gets done between excursions to some of the state’s richest fishing grounds. Forget the golf course: what would you rather do, sink a birdie or reel in a 65-pound salmon?
Edward Readicker-Henderson, honored by the Society of American Travel Writers as a Lowell Thomas Award winner, has written for National Geographic Traveler, Sierra and Art & Antiques. He has co-authored with Lynn Readicker, Adventure Guide to the Alaska Highway and Adventure Guide to the Inside Passage and Coastal Alaska, among other travel books. Back to Top
Getting There
BY AIR:- Anchorage is easily accessible by Alaska Air (alaskaair.com) from several gateway cities in the West, including Seattle, Phoenix and Salt Lake City. Northwest (nwa.com) has year-round service from Minneapolis/St. Paul, as well as seasonally from Detroit and Honolulu. United (united.com) flies from Denver, and from San Francisco and Chicago seasonally. Other options include US Airways (usairways.com) from Las Vegas and Phoenix, and Continental (continental.com) from Houston and Seattle. Air Canada (aircanada.com) flies from Vancouver to Anchorage seasonally.
- Fairbanks can be reached by Alaska Airlines, connecting through Anchorage or Seattle, or seasonally via Northwest from Minneapolis.
- Ketchikan, Juneau and Sitka are accessible via Alaska Airlines through Seattle.
- For Nome, connections are through Anchor-age, via Alaska Airlines.
OTHER ACCESS:
- Towns in Southeast Alaska are also connected by the Alaska Marine Highway (akferry.com); the Alaska Railway (akrr.com) runs between Anchorage and Fairbanks.
Not To Be Missed
- Check out the National Bird. Sitka’s Raptor Center and Ketchikan’s Deer Mountain Eagle Center use injured birds to help educate people on the dangers bald eagles still face. But to see them in the wild, anywhere along the coast, just look for white spots in the tallest trees. The truth is, in Alaska, it’s harder not to see bald eagles.
- See Denali. North America’s highest mountain—get close enough, and it looks like the horizon ends in a wall. See by train (akrr.com) or plane (flyk2.com). Flights include views of one of the deepest gorges in the Americas. Easy access from Anchorage or Fairbanks.
- Discover How Much Splash 30 Tons Can Make. Alaska has more coastline than the rest of the U.S. combined. A boat trip is the best way to see it all—and can make an interesting venue for meetings. From Anchorage, day trip to Resurrection Bay with Kenai Fjords Tours (alaskaheritagetours.com). Out of Juneau, Tracy Arm is the place to go, via Auk Nu (auknutours.com); from Ketchikan, Misty Fjords (mistyfjord.net); and from Valdez, Prince William Sound (stanstephenscruises.com). Any one of them offers glaciers, seals, otters and always a chance to watch a breaching humpback whale—60,000 pounds or so of animal leaping completely out of the water.
- Strike it Rich. Alaska was settled on the back of gold rushes. Nome, Juneau and Fairbanks were all rush towns, and still have places to pan for gold, as well as old mineworks and gold dredges to tour.
- See Who Came Here First. Alaska’s Native heritage is a strong force in the state’s daily life. The best place for a closer look is at the Alaska Native Heritage Center (alaskanative.net), right outside Anchorage. Reconstructions of traditional houses from around the state, regular dance performances and more.
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Back to TopFast Facts
| Population | 626,932 |
|---|---|
| Altitude | 135 ft |
| Temperature | 23°f - 57°f |
| Nearest Airport | Anchorage International Airport |
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