Top cultural experiences in Anchorage on your Alaska cruise

Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city and a frequent embarkation point for an Alaska cruise, is one of the best places in the state to grasp the cultural richness of the 49^th state, especially in its museums. You’ll learn about native Alaskans, the influences of Russian fur traders, the sometimes chaotic and brutal history of the Alaskan Gold Rush, the pioneer aviators who helped unite the state, the great earthquake of 1964, and more.

Here are some of the best museums and other cultural experiences you’ll find in Anchorage during your Alaska cruise:

The Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center is the state’s largest, a compendium of the finest examples of Alaskan art and history, as well as hands-on science displays for kids. Want to get more detail on the late 19^th-century Gold Rush that brought hordes of would-be prospectors to the frozen north? Want to learn about the Russian fur traders who settled Alaska and left lasting cultural footprints there? Curious to know how Alaska’s first people arrived thousands of years ago and survived the brutal temperatures? It’s all there and much more: a planetarium with displays of the Northern Lights, touch tanks for kids to discover marine life, a selection of native Alaskan coats and ceremonial masks — some 25,000 objects in all, and growing.

And if you want to learn even more about Alaska’s first people, head to the Alaska Native Heritage Center, which you can visit on a joint ticket with the Anchorage museum. At the Native Heritage Center, you can watch native artists, wood carvers and seamstresses at work, chat with them about their crafts, enjoy dancing and storytelling demonstrations, explore different types of native houses, and perhaps even join in the craft-making and dancing.

At the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum, you’ll learn about a different kind of Alaskan heritage: flying. The vast distances between towns and cities in the Last Frontier required traveling to often-remote villages by small plane — piloted by daring pioneer aviators who defied bad weather and perilous conditions to complete their journeys. You can view restored vintage planes .and relive some of the tales of this singular feature of Alaskan history.

 Experience more Alaskan history and beauty. On Good Friday in 1964, Alaska was shaken by the strongest earthquake ever recorded in North America – a shattering 9.2 on the Richter scale that struck Prince William Sound about 75 miles east of Anchorage. The Earthquake Exhibit at Anchorage’s 4^th Avenue Market Place displays photos of the destruction, which was especially severe in the town of Valdez but was felt throughout the state and beyond. To get the full effect, you can then enter the Alaska Experience Theatre, where you’ll take a seat and hear first-hand accounts of the quake that shook the city for several minutes – and feel some of its power yourself (be prepared to shake!).. The theater also shows 3-D films that help you experience the beauty of Alaska from above, as well as marvel at the stunning Northern Lights displays that dance through the night skies in Alaskan winters and turn them green, pink and other hues.

The Wells Fargo Alaska Heritage Museum displays native Alaskan artifacts such as hand-woven baskets, a traditional sea kayak, traditional clothing, and paintings by Alaskan artists. It’s the largest such private collection in the state. You can also trace the history of the Alaskan Gold Rush here and learn about the role of Wells Fargo in it, complete with stagecoach.

To book your cruise to Alaska and discover Anchorage and other fascinating ports of the largest U.S. state, call our expert travel advisors today at (888) 804-CRUIse (2784), visit us at www.cruiseexperts.com or email us at info@cruiseexperts.com to find out the best deals. Summer 2015 Alaska cruises and cruisetours are already selling fast!

[googleplusauthor]