The Best Things to Do in Anchorage, the Way a Local Would Plan It

The best things to do in Anchorage, Alaska, start with the Anchorage Museum downtown, the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Northeast Anchorage, the Alaska Zoo on O’Malley Road and a hike in Chugach State Park, then spill into the restaurants and floatplane lakes of Downtown, Midtown and Spenard. Add the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, about 47 miles south near Portage, if you have a car and half a day. Below are 14 picks, each with what to do, how long it takes and the tip a local would give a visiting friend.

In Anchorage, the wilderness is not a day trip. Alaska State Parks says the western boundary of Chugach State Park, roughly 495,000 acres, sits about seven miles east of downtown Anchorage.

How we chose these picks

We picked places a local would actually send a friend to, and confirmed each one is open on its own official website in November 2026. Every pick is inside the Municipality of Anchorage, which covers so much ground that Visit Anchorage notes even Girdwood is technically part of it. Where something is a long drive from downtown, we say so. Hours and prices change with the seasons here more than most places, so treat every number below as typical and check the official site before you go.

Culture and history: where should you start?

Start downtown at the Anchorage Museum, then spend an afternoon at the Alaska Native Heritage Center; together they give you the state’s story before you go out and see the land.

1. Anchorage Museum (Downtown & South Addition)

What to do: The Anchorage Museum at 625 C Street in Downtown Anchorage covers Alaska art, history and science. Head to the second floor for the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center, which displays Alaska Native objects from the Smithsonian’s collections.

How long: Two to three hours.

Local tip: On the First Friday of every month, admission is free from 6 to 9 p.m., according to the museum. Standard adult admission is typically $25, with a lower Alaska resident rate. In winter (October through April) the museum is typically closed Mondays.

2. Alaska Native Heritage Center (Northeast Anchorage)

What to do: The Alaska Native Heritage Center at 8800 Heritage Center Drive in Northeast Anchorage has the Hall of Cultures indoors and six life-sized traditional Native dwellings around Lake Tiulana outside. In summer, culture bearers lead guided tours of the village sites.

How long: Two to three hours.

Local tip: The winter season (mid-September to early May) is self-guided, typically weekdays only, and runs on a suggested donation rather than a ticket price. Summer admission for adults is typically $30, and the center offers half-price tickets after 4 p.m. It is a short drive from downtown, so it fits in half a day.

3. Alaska Aviation Museum and Lake Hood (Spenard)

What to do: The Alaska Aviation Museum at 4721 Aircraft Drive sits on Lake Hood, which the museum calls the world’s largest seaplane base. You get four hangars of vintage aircraft and a restoration hangar where volunteers work on old planes.

How long: One and a half to two hours.

Local tip: Climb the museum’s Seybert Tower, which looks out over the floatplanes and plays the live radio feed from the Lake Hood control tower. Afterward, Visit Anchorage names Lake Hood and Lake Spenard, at the south end of Spenard Road in Anchorage, as prime plane-spotting locations.

Wildlife: where can you see moose and bears up close?

For guaranteed sightings, go to the Alaska Zoo inside the city or the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center at the southern end of the municipality.

4. Alaska Zoo (South Anchorage)

What to do: The Alaska Zoo at 4731 O’Malley Road has been open since 1969. It covers 30 acres of boreal forest, and its residents include polar bears, Amur tigers and Bactrian camels.

How long: Two hours.

Local tip: Hours shift every month, from typically 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in winter to 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. in June, July and August. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing. Alaska residents pay less, so bring your local friend’s ID.

5. Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (Portage, about 47 miles south)

What to do: The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is at Mile 79 of the Seward Highway near Portage. It is technically inside the Municipality of Anchorage, but it is about 47 miles from downtown. A 1.5-mile loop through more than 200 acres of enclosures takes you past rescued animals, and you can walk, bike or drive it. The center also runs a wood bison restoration program.

How long: Half a day with the drive along Turnagain Arm.

Local tip: From November through February the center is typically open only Friday to Monday; from May to mid-September it is typically open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you take a rideshare, the center advises asking your driver to wait, because pickups in Portage are usually not available.

Outdoors: what can you do without leaving town?

Hike Flattop in Chugach State Park, walk or bike the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, and watch anglers pull salmon out of Ship Creek right below downtown.

6. Flattop Mountain, Chugach State Park (Hillside)

What to do: Hike Flattop from the Glen Alps Trailhead in Hillside, at the edge of Chugach State Park. Visit Anchorage puts the climb from the trailhead to the rocky top at about 1,500 feet of elevation gain, so expect it to be steep. On a clear day you can see across the Anchorage Bowl to Cook Inlet.

How long: Two to four hours, depending on pace.

Local tip: Glen Alps parking is typically $5 a day (Alaska State Parks fees). The lot fills up on sunny weekends, so check the state’s Glen Alps webcam, which refreshes every five minutes, before you drive up.

7. Tony Knowles Coastal Trail (Downtown to Kincaid Park)

What to do: The Tony Knowles Coastal Trail is a paved path that runs about 11 miles along Cook Inlet from Downtown Anchorage to Kincaid Park, passing Westchester Lagoon, Earthquake Park and Point Woronzof. Visit Anchorage says it is not unusual to pass eagles or moose along the way.

How long: One hour for a short walk; a full afternoon by bike.

Local tip: For an easy first taste, walk from Third Avenue to Westchester Lagoon and back, about 3 miles in total. On a clear day, look north for Denali and Mount Foraker. Give moose plenty of room on the trail.

8. Ship Creek salmon (Downtown)

What to do: Watch, or join, anglers fishing for salmon in Ship Creek, a short walk downhill from Downtown Anchorage. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) lists it as a fish-viewing spot. ADF&G says king salmon are typically present from late May through July, and coho from August through mid-September.

How long: Thirty minutes to watch; a morning to fish.

Local tip: You need an Alaska fishing license, and rules can change mid-season by emergency order, so check ADF&G before you cast. The banks are thick tidal mud. Stay on firm ground and off the railroad tracks.

9. Alaska Center for the Performing Arts and the Delaney Park Strip (Downtown)

What to do: See a show at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, 621 W 6th Avenue in Downtown Anchorage. It has four venues and hosts theatre, music, dance, opera and comedy. Before or after, walk a few blocks south to the Delaney Park Strip, where Visit Anchorage suggests an outdoor yoga session.

How long: An evening.

Local tip: The ticket office is typically open Wednesday to Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. On show nights, the box office windows open 90 minutes before curtain. Enter at security on 5th Avenue near G Street.

Where do locals eat and hang out?

Locals send friends to Downtown for breakfast, Midtown for pizza and Spenard for a movie, dinner and a drink.

10. Snow City Cafe (Downtown)

What to do: Snow City Cafe, 1034 W. 4th Avenue, has served breakfast and lunch in Downtown Anchorage since 1998. Order the Kodiak benedict with red king crab cakes, or a pecan sticky bun to share.

How long: An hour, plus the wait.

Local tip: The cafe takes no reservations, but you can join the day’s waitlist online before you walk over. It is typically open daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

11. Moose’s Tooth Pub & Pizzeria (Midtown)

What to do: Moose’s Tooth Pub & Pizzeria, 3300 Old Seward Highway in Midtown Anchorage, is our pick for the pizza-and-beer stop to take a visitor to. It pours Broken Tooth beer.

How long: An hour and a half.

Local tip: Moose’s Tooth does not take reservations, so go at an off hour or call in a to-go order and eat at a park.

12. Cuddy Family Midtown Park (Midtown)

What to do: Cuddy Family Midtown Park is a city park in Midtown Anchorage, where Visit Anchorage pictures a playground beside a lake. In winter, Visit Anchorage says the park has a groomed skating oval (Midtown guide).

How long: Thirty minutes to an hour.

Local tip: Pair it with Moose’s Tooth. Pick up a pizza to go, then eat it by the water in summer, or bring skates in winter.

13. Bear Tooth Theatrepub (Spenard)

What to do: Bear Tooth Theatrepub, 1230 W. 27th Avenue in Spenard, is a dinner-and-movie theater. You order food at the counter with your seat number, and runners bring it to you during the film. Visit Anchorage calls it the city’s only dinner movie theater.

How long: A full evening.

Local tip: Seats are reserved and can be booked as singles or as booths for three or four. The main floor is 21 and over; families sit in the all-ages balcony. Arrive 30 to 45 minutes early so your food lands before the opening credits.

14. Spenard Roadhouse (Spenard)

What to do: Spenard Roadhouse, 1049 W Northern Lights Boulevard in Spenard, serves what it calls contemporary comfort food with a twist. Order the bacon jam burger, or ask your server about the bacon of the month.

How long: An hour.

Local tip: It is typically open daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., so it works for a late brunch before you head to Lake Hood. While you are in the neighborhood, Visit Anchorage says Spenard is named for Joe Spenard, a bootlegger and businessman who developed a resort on Lake Spenard in 1916, back when it was called Jeter Lake (Spenard guide).

How do you fit it all into two days in Anchorage?

This route groups the picks by neighborhood, so you spend your time on the picks instead of driving between them.

1. Day one morning: breakfast at Snow City Cafe, then the Anchorage Museum when it opens.
2. Day one midday: walk down to Ship Creek, then join the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail toward Westchester Lagoon.
3. Day one afternoon: drive to the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Northeast Anchorage.
4. Day one evening: pizza at Moose’s Tooth in Midtown and a lap of Cuddy Family Midtown Park.
5. Day two morning: hike Flattop from Glen Alps (check the webcam first).
6. Day two midday: the Alaska Zoo on O’Malley Road, close to the Hillside trailheads.
7. Day two afternoon: the Alaska Aviation Museum and plane-spotting at Lake Hood, then Spenard Roadhouse.
8. Day two night: a movie at Bear Tooth Theatrepub.
9. Bonus day with a car: drive the Seward Highway to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.

For more by neighborhood, see Downtown & South Addition, Midtown, Spenard, Hillside and Northeast Anchorage, or browse all Anchorage areas. Before you pack, check the Anchorage weather, and see what’s on this weekend.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the number one thing to do in Anchorage?

For a first visit, start at the Anchorage Museum at 625 C Street in Downtown Anchorage, then hike Flattop in Chugach State Park. Together they give you Alaska’s story and its mountains in one day.

What can you do in Anchorage in winter?

In winter you can visit the Anchorage Museum, the Alaska Zoo, the Alaska Aviation Museum and the Alaska Native Heritage Center, which runs on a suggested donation. You can also skate the groomed oval at Cuddy Family Midtown Park. Visit Anchorage says the northern lights are visible in Anchorage from September through April.

Where can I see moose in Anchorage?

Visit Anchorage says wild moose are often seen on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, in Kincaid Park and at Potter Marsh, especially in the morning and evening. For a guaranteed sighting, go to the Alaska Zoo or the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.

Is the Anchorage Museum ever free?

Yes. The Anchorage Museum is free from 6 to 9 p.m. on the First Friday of every month. Children 5 and under get in free at any time.

Do you need a car to see Anchorage?

Downtown Anchorage, Ship Creek and the start of the Coastal Trail are walkable, and People Mover buses serve the city. You need a car or a tour for the Glen Alps trailhead and the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, which is about 47 miles south.