One perk of my job includes discounted airplane tickets. This often means last-minute trips on my days off to places I never thought I would find myself. This past week that meant I found myself in Anchorage, Alaska with no plan or preconceived notion of what Anchorage had to offer. This is my favorite way to travel! I immediately took to google maps trying to find the hidden gems tucked away within the streets of Anchorage. Here’s how I spent 24 hours in Anchorage, Alaska, I hope you can pull some inspiration from this list and maybe even book a ticket to Alaska yourself!
Anchorage Airport
Can I just start by saying, I have been to a lot of airports at this point, but the Anchorage airport is one of the nicest I’ve seen! I’m always looking to save money while I travel which can lead to some interesting situations. In this case, it looked like me sleeping in the airport to save $200 on a hotel room. I had already settled in my mind that this was the move I wanted to make, that being said I wasn’t 100% sure how it would go down. It was the best “sleeping in an airport” experience to date! They had flights leaving well into the night so shops stayed open quite late, including a McDonald’s that was open 24/7. The benches didn’t have armrests allowing you to lay down flat. My only suggestion if your trying to save a dime would be to bring a light/small sleeping bag. It gets a little chilly but other than that everything is clean and the staff is really nice! Lots of people were sleeping around so you wouldn’t be alone in this venture either.
Ship Creek Overlook
Since I was trying to save some money, I decided not to rent a car. This meant my legs got a good workout while I walked everywhere. I took an LYFT to downtown Anchorage and walked from there. The first destination I found was Ship Creek Overlook. If you are wanting the classic Alaskan experience this is the place to be! You can watch as fishermen pull up the biggest fish you’ve seen! In fact, the fish are so big you can see them chilling in the water by just looking off the bridge. The best time to see the biggest fish is July through September. If you miss this window no worries, the walk along the river is still super pretty and there is still so much wildlife to see!
Port of anchorage boat launch
Coming to Alaska there was one thing that was a non-negotiable for me, I wanted to have a cup of coffee by the ocean! I looked on google maps and found the closest point I could to access the ocean. It turned out to be a small public boat lunch with a cute sitting area. They had adorable signs explaining the wildlife, you could see the mountains in the distance, and watch as the big fishing boats passed by. This ended up being my favorite spot I found on my mini adventure! It was calming and had a nice walk through town to get there. Even though the weather was a little rainy while I was there, it had a magical feel and was definitely worth the visit!
Alaska public lands information center
So I’m not a huge info center person, but this was actually really cool! They are located in downtown Anchorage and provide something to do if the weather changes. There are a lot of interactive displays for kids and adults alike. Plus a lot of information about the nature and history of Alaska. They have a nicely shot movie and a cute gift shop. This is also a great place to plan any adventure, as they have so many resources for anything you could want throughout Alaska! All the staff was super friendly and helpful. It’s completely free and perfect If you need something extra to do in Anchorage.
Here’s the link to their website if you want to learn more or get their updated hours! https://www.alaskacenters.gov/
CONCLUSION
Even though I was only in Alaska for a very short time, that didn’t stop me from falling in love with this state! This trip left me wanting to book my ticket right back. Now some takeaways I will mention…
- It’s definitely worth it to rent a car. The mountains are everywhere and even a short drive out of the city would be so worth the money!
- If you are traveling alone just make sure to be aware of your surroundings. I was alone and I would be lying if I didn’t mention there is a more uneasy side of Anchorage. Just use your head and you will be ok, nothing to fear or stop you from going!
- The lodging here is on the pricer end. There were only 1 or 2 reasonably priced places, but all the reviews mentioned bed bugs… no thank you. So just be prepared to pay upwards of $200 for anything bug free.
I hope these few hidden gems in Anchorage, Alaska got you thinking about booking a trip for yourself! Anchorage is a cool city to visit, I will say you probably don’t need more than 24hrs here but it’s sure worth the 24! Have you ever been to Anchorage? Where are your must-visit spots? Let me know!
Until Next Time – Olivia Grace❤️
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