What to do in Anchorage —
and on the drive everyone should take.
We get asked this at the counter every single day: "We've got a day or two in Anchorage — what's actually worth it?" Here's the honest local answer, from a family that's lived and driven here since 1977.
Anchorage sights & sounds
A full day, easily — museums in the morning, trails in the afternoon.
- Anchorage Museum — art, science, and the best introduction to Alaska Native cultures downtown.
- Alaska Native Heritage Center — living culture, dance, and village sites; worth the short drive northeast.
- Alaska Aviation Museum — bush planes on the shore of Lake Hood, the world's busiest seaplane base.
- Tony Knowles Coastal Trail — bike or walk it; moose sightings are a real possibility. Bike rentals downtown.
- Kincaid Park — where the Coastal Trail ends; trails, beach views, more moose.
- Flattop Mountain — the classic hike: short, steep, and the definitive view of Anchorage and Cook Inlet.
- Powerline Pass — the bigger day in the Chugach when Flattop feels too easy.
- Downtown shopping — 4th and 5th Avenue for gifts that aren't airport souvenirs.
Where the locals eat
The list we hand to hungry customers, in rough order of "how often we go ourselves."
- Moose's Tooth — the pizza institution; expect a wait, it's worth it.
- South Restaurant + Coffee House — breakfast before a Seward drive.
- Snow City Cafe — the downtown brunch line that moves fast.
- 49th State Brewing — rooftop, sightlines to Sleeping Lady, local beer.
- Glacier Brewhouse & Orso — neighbors downtown; seafood and wood-fired everything.
- Rustic Goat — west-side neighborhood favorite.
- Spenard Roadhouse — comfort food, close to our Spenard Road counter.
- Kincaid Grill — the dressed-up dinner pick.
- Humpy's — halibut and live music downtown.
- Pho Lena — the Thai/Lao answer to a rainy Anchorage day.
- Wild Scoops — small-batch ice cream; try the spruce tip.
- Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop — bread and pastry worth planning around.
- Double Shovel Cider Company — Alaska-made cider taproom.
- Local food trucks — downtown lunch hours in summer; follow the lines.
Along the road to Seward
127 miles of national-park-grade scenery with pullouts. This is the drive we build one-way rentals around — south along Turnagain Arm, over the pass, down to Resurrection Bay.
Beluga Point
Twenty minutes out of Anchorage. Bore tides, beluga whales in season, and Dall sheep on the cliffs above the highway.
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
Bears, bison, and moose at Portage — the surest wildlife stop, and the animals are rescues.
Byron & Portage Glaciers
The Byron Glacier walk is flat, short, and ends at ice. Portage Lake and its visitor center are next door.
The tunnel to Whittier
Drive through a mountain — one lane, shared with the railroad — and pop out at a fjord. One of Alaska's strangest experiences.
Girdwood
Ski-town-in-summer: short day hikes (Winner Creek), the Alyeska tram, and small-town food.
Exit Glacier
Just before Seward: the visitor center and the short hike to the only drive-up glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park.
Alaska SeaLife Center
Seward's waterfront aquarium — puffins, sea lions, and the state's marine rescue hospital.
Kenai Fjords by boat
Half-day and full-day glacier and whale cruises leave from the Seward harbor, a short walk from our counter.
All of this fits between two sets of keys.
One-way rentals between Anchorage and Seward may be available. Check with the brand when you book. (Dollar® is available in Anchorage only.)
