Located on the shores of Lake Hood, the world’s busiest floatplane
base, the museum’s mission is to display, preserve and honor Alaska’s
aviation heritage. Find exhibits of bush pilot history and military
aircraft, hundreds of photos, aircraft engines and a flight simulator.
An F-15 fighter, 737 airliner and other planes are displayed outside.
A world-class museum in the heart of Anchorage, the Anchorage Museum
at Rasmuson Center houses a trove of Alaska art, history, science and
Alaska Native artifacts. A 2010 expansion is showcased in the
Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center, Imaginarium Discovery Center, Thomas
Planetarium and ConocoPhillips library along with Muse restaurant. The
Alaska Gallery is a timeline of Alaska history that includes a twisted
girder from the ’64 quake and a cross-section of the Trans-Alaska
pipeline.
The center shares the heritage of Alaska’s 11 major indigenous
cultural groups. Visitors experience the culture firsthand, including
performances of song, dance, stories and tours of traditional Native
village sites.
A visit to the museum is a journey back in time. Come see dinosaur
skeletons, dig fossils and learn about prehistoric humans at the only
museum in the state dedicated to Alaska’s prehistoric past.
From “Muktuk” Marston’s Tundra Army of “Eskimo Scouts” to veterans of
recent conflicts, the museum educates through its collection of more
than 100 personal stories from service members and veterans. Each story
is unique, but together they inform, educate and inspire for generations
to come. Displays include models of World War II ships, aircraft and
gear.
With more than 900 artifacts on display, the Alaska Heritage Museum
has one of the largest private collections in the state. Originally
assembled by the National Bank of Alaska, the collection includes items
from several major Alaska Native cultures: St. Lawrence Yupik, Inupiaq,
Athabascan, Alutiiq, Aleut/Unganun and Tlingit. The permanent exhibit
also includes examples of traditional Native clothing, a full-size
Bering Sea kayak, an outstanding collection of paintings by Alaska
artists and a 50-ounce gold nugget.
Located on Fourth Avenue at the site of some of the most graphic
destruction from the 1964 quake, the theater has displays both inside
(admission charged) and outside. A short historical movie plays in the
“Safequake” theater, where you’ll get a shake from the seats.
A real 1952 Hudson Hornet patrol car, a booking mug shot of Steve
McQueen and tools of early law enforcement in Alaska are in this
downtown museum operated by the Fraternal Order of Alaska State
Troopers.
Oscar Anderson owned a butcher shop from the earliest days of
Anchorage’s founding in 1915. His house, the first wood-frame home in
Anchorage, is packed with things that show how early Anchorage residents
lived. Restored to its 1915 appearance, the home in Elderberry Park is
on the National Register of Historic Places. Tours are given of the
home; check with the Visit Anchorage Information Centers for the
schedule.
This octagonal mountaintop museum, once the upper terminus of Alyeska
Resort's first chairlift in 1960, first served as a warming hut and
later as a popular mountain gathering place, complete with restaurant
and lounge. Today, the Roundhouse symbolizes the importance of outdoor
recreation to this valley’s legacy. The museum is open year-round with
historical displays and spectacular views.
4 comments:
What did Steve McQueen do?
Reckless driving, in 1972. Apparently racing up & down 4th Avenue, doing "brodies" and scaring people half to death. :)
Very impressive. How many have you had the opportunity to explore?
Cathy, the only two I haven't visited are the new Veterans Museum & the Oscar Anderson house.
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