Morris Thompson Cultural & Visitors Center

Beautiful Cultural Center! The staff was very kind and helpful. There is also a Fairbanks exhibit that explains all the basic history of the city.

Nice place to check out to give you some ideas about Fairbanks and Alaska, as a whole. It's free.

Exhibits telling the story of Fairbanks, its community past and present, and showcasing beautiful, meaningful art through the decades. A great little gift shop with true Alaskan souvenirs, too! Highly recommend for visitors!

Our driver Joe was fantastic. Very informative on the history of Fairbanks as we drove around. Going through the museum Joe explained how the history of Alaska was formed. When his next tour was cancelled he gave us extra time to go shopping at the North Pole. I recommend this tour to anyone and please ask for Joe to be your guide.

Great in information center right on the river and near the antler Arch! Also a great Visitor Center if you need to pick up Flyers to learn about attractions in the area. Very well curated museum /cultural center.

Beautiful grounds outside, love all the mosiacs and flowers! Inside, a feeling of communion. Learned so much about the area: animals, history- both past and present, indigenous peoples' contributions and beliefs. Great video of Coal Creek mining. Looking forward to Fridays talk by the elders. Thank you! Rangers give helpful advice and the Alaskan Geographic gift shop is awesome! Cultural center is free!

The Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center is an incredible place to explore the history, culture, and seasonal life of Interior and Arctic Alaska. The exhibits are impeccably done, the cultural programs are thoughtful and engaging, and there’s so much to learn about the land and people. It’s a true hub for discovery + the welcoming, knowledgeable staff make the experience even better! Was invited to check out the The Army vs. Air Force Commander's Cup hockey game from one of the staff which was also a major highlight of the trip!

This is a nice facility and it’s free to enter and watch some educational videos and walk the self guided tour of Alaska history and facts. Not very exciting but it’s worth an hour visit before you walk the downtown area. The staff is nice and informative. It’s right by “antler arch”, so you can see that as well. VictorB

This is a GREAT visitors center! The center is sort of four different attractions in one: 1) An information center with helpful volunteers and lots of pantalets for local businesses and attractions, 2) A small museum that tells all about the four seasons in Fairbanks (extremely well done!), 3) A theatre that shows films about the local area, and, 4) A library of sorts that has tons of topographical maps for all of Alaska. I just love coming in here and "exploring" all the maps, they are so interesting! Also, don't forget to visit the "moose antler arch" out back!

What an absolutely amazing place. The museum was top-notch, and there were people there to discuss much of it. If you are looking for the history of the area and lots on the culture--this is it! This is a MUST-SEE place in Fairbanks! The exhibit halls were truly wonderful. There was excellent information on other things to do in FB and anywhere else in Alaska. If you are anywhere near this and do not go, you are missing out on a gem!

Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center. Fairbanks, Alaska. June, 2025. This is a MUST STOP for visitors to Fairbanks. My husband and I were there for two full hours, and still didn't see everything that we were interested in! The Center features a very well-designed EXHIBIT HALL that walks visitors through the seasons that guide the lives of Interior Alaska's residents, as seen through diverse histories, cultures, and livelihoods of Alaskan peoples. The THEATER cycles through a series of educational movies. We watched an excellent 60-minute film about the peoples of Alaska, but passed on the other movies only because we were limited in time. There is also an Alaska Geographic Bookstore; AK Public Lands Info Center; Visitor Info for Fairbanks; and an Alaska Native Gift Shop. AND, that's only what's inside! Outside. There's a historic log cabin, outdoor Athabaskan artwork, and the Antler Arch made up of more than 100 moose and caribou antlers. And, it's FREE!

Came in here for a couple minutes and honestly did myself a disservice. They have done a really good job of capturing the vibe and history of the area. I had told my kids we were going to Pioneer park before coming here so although they did have some interest at first when the entered the visitors center, they left me wanting more.

This is a very nice stop to make to get your bearings on Fairbanks history, the people and culture and also learn about local attractions and businesses.

This was our first stop on our trip and it totally provided us all the information needed to create a realistic itinerary. We stopped in on a Friday afternoon, the space is clean and pleasant. More than anything, I would love to highlight Bob and Aiden. Aiden was helpful in providing us clear information that helped us better inform our activity decisions. What can I not say about Bob. Bob is so knowledgeable, patient, and detailed in the information he provided. He looked over the app and weather information to inform us of the time and best location to access the lights without a rental car. With his information, we were able to see lights the first night there. And all his information for the consecutive days was also very accurate. Without Bob's knowledge, I'd say we would have gone into hunting for the lights blindly. We are just sad we did not get a chance to come back and get our certificate with him.

Beautiful and informative Center [Fairbanks AK] We visited the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center located in downtown Fairbanks. We originally wanted to view the Antler Arch but we were pleasantly surprised to see the indoor exhibits. The displays, three life-sized dioramas, illustrating the different seasons in Alaska -- Summer, Fall, and Winter. We also picked up maps and brochures while we were there. I learned so much about Alaskan life from the short films, and it isn't one I would like to experience because I probably won't survive. I like the cold but not 20°F or below cold. The staff were knowledgeable and informative. We learned a good mix of history and culture. Outside, next to the Gould Cabin, is a water mark sign. Another sign read "Chena River Flood - August 15, 1967" with a short description under it. So sad. 56 years ago, the Great Flood was the worst disaster in Fairbanks history. Fairbanks was flooded by unprecedented rainfall. The precipitation ran through from surrounding hills into the Chena River resulting in an epic flood that devastated an entire city. The high water marks are still remembered all over town with plaques and photos of that fateful day including this one at the visitor center. We finally reached the part where the Antler Arch was. Free admission! Aaaaand they have Passport Stamps for my... oops! Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my National Park Passport Book. Review #3132

I recommend stopping by here when you first arrive to Fairbanks. This place functions as a Visitor's center, gift shop, there's a NPS office, and there are interesting displays where you can also learn about the native culture of AK. The staff here can provide you with maps and are helpful in pointing out things to do and places to eat. There's also a shop in the back office that sells handmade goods by local Native Alaskans. We used this place as our central hub. There's free parking and it's walking distance to points of interest in Downtown Fairbanks which isn't very big. We ate our picnic lunch here, then walked around downtown, and came back for water bottle refills and restroom breaks.

Definitely worth a stop. Helped to give a real sense of place and history. Staff were friendly and helpful. Displays were meaningful and interesting.

This was a very nice (and free) place to stop and learn about Alaska. The space was very nicely laid out with space between each exhibit viewing area. The Cultural Center has a scavenger hunt for the kids to complete while exploring the exhibits. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. There was lots of informational handouts for the area. There are commemorative stamps that available to the public. If you have seen the northern lights while you are in the area, stop by and get your commemorative certificate too!

Great first place to visit when arriving in Fairbanks. There is so much information there as well as helpful people. Also make sure to allow about 30 minutes so you can go through the small museum there to learn about the history of Alaska and it's people.

Absolutely no need of the best visitor centers I've visited! Usually I have fairly low expectations of visitor centers, but this was a great site. Lots of history, movies, and displays to wander through. Highly recommend.

Lots of cool displays and history to explore. Friendly staff to help you learn about the region and plan an adventure.

What an great suprise this place is! The native museum display is excellent. I especially enjoyed the beadwork. There's also lots of travel brochures and regulatory information. They have well organized info for hiking and skiing as well. There's a lovely Alaska Native Craft shop and classrooms related to indigenous learning. It is one of the nicest collaborative centers in Alaska of Native and state, non-native centers I've seen. It's well organized. I was happy to see that topics of rural Native subsitance rights were being addressed openly. Can't wait to visit again when I have more time.

We visited on Easter Sunday. Free entry! Very nice and well kept museum with lovely exhibits and movies. The Visitor Information Specialist, Jared C spent time guiding us on how to best spend our 3 day trip in Fairbanks. He was very helpful and answered all our questions with enthusiasm.

This Morris Thompson Cultural & Visitors Center is absolutely fantastic!!! Not only is this a terrific stop for information and guidance about all the doings and goings on within Fairbanks, but this place has everything!!! Anything and everything you could ask for in exploring throughout the entire state of Alaska!!! And that's the truth! I leisurely stopped on by back over the summertime when I had a free day in Fairbanks. I figured...why not see if they have any suggestions for sights and attractions along my 2 week itinerary throughout Alaska? And...not only did I find little hidden gems and extras to do on my trip...but I was afforded an opportunity to discover other worthwhile stops that were on my To Do List for future trips to Alaska! How cool! Seriously...I must have spent a good 1 hour picking up brochures, pamphlets and advertisements, etc...basically, I left with my hands full of materials and wonderful ideas for my travels. Best of all...it's free to come here and pick up as many items as you'd like! Also I'd like to mention...not only do they have friendly representatives at the front desk to assist you with any questions you may have, but they also had a National Park Information Section with 2 Rangers on hand as well! And for myself...I'm a National Parks enthusiast trying to achieve visiting all 8 NP's throughout Alaska. So...this was an outstanding chance for me to take advantage and pick the Park Ranger's brains about all my questions, concerns and ideas I had for the 3 NP's I was exploring on this trip. Another good aspect was that the Park Ranger area had all different sorts of Parks Pass Stamps for my booklet. I actually had to return to my car in the parking lot, get my Parks Pass Pamphlet out and come back inside to start stamping away! For those folks who are fans of exploring national parks, I highly recommend coming here with your Parks Booklet. There was also a film theater inside, but because of the pandemic this past summer of 2021, they weren't showing anything. But had the theater been accessible, I happily would have sat down and enjoyed the movie. Overall, this Morris Thompson Cultural & Visitors Center was a PLEASANT PLEASANT SURPRISE for me stopping by on a whim!!! I had zero expectations of what type of information would be offered here, and yet they had rows and rows of brochures to browse through. I genuinely picked up a ton of wonderful suggestions for the trip I was currently on and for when I return next year in the summer of 2022. For anyone flying into Fairbanks to start their Alaskan vacations and journeys, I highly recommend making it a priority to stop by this informative tourist center.

The Morris Thompson Cultural & Visitors Center is a great place to start when figuring out what to do in Greater Fairbanks. It was an easy walk from our Springhill Suites Hotel and features a very informative Alaska life exhibit, including a bit of history regarding native rights and protected open space. There's also a ton of brochures, a National Park staffed information area, a gift ship (closed at the time), and very helpful staff. The shuttle bus that will take you to Pioneer Park and the Museum of the North (UAF) also stops here on the hour. But wait, there's more! Take a short walk outside and see the log cabin, the Lend Lease statue, and the Moose Antler Arch. Further on along the river is Golden Heart Plaza and the Immaculate Conception Church.

Make this your first stop in Fairbanks!! This place has a HIDDEN GEM, and his name is Jared!! Jared is so knowledgeable about Fairbanks and things to do. He is enthusiastic about where he lives and goes to many of the events and places around town as well. He was so incredibly helpful in planning our trip, telling us about the various things to do, and gave great recommendations for seeing the lights.

A definite must stop in Fairbanks !!! A great place to get all the information you need to explore and enjoy Alaska. It has well done exhibits showing life in Alaska and history of the people who thrived in the harsh environment. There is a theater that shows a very informative video. Plenty of brochures covering every possible activity to do while visiting Fairbanks with staff to answer questions. There is a National Park information desk staffed by Rangers and a bunch of unique "Cancelation" Stamps for your NP Book. We spoke to a Ranger "Mariel" (hope I got that right) from France. She was by far the most friendly and informative Ranger we have met in all our travels. She gave us so much information and shared her knowledge of the area. We left ready to explore and enjoy our Alaskan Adventure to the fullest. The center also has a gift shop and very clean restrooms - Do you need more??? - LOL Very central to the area and the walking trail along the river.

We stopped here while in Fairbanks. Great place to start and ask a lot of questions about any adventures you might want to do. We watched a movie about the area and wildlife. Talked to a few park rangers about visiting gates of the Arctic and kobuk. Great place to visit.

If you visit Fairbanks, this is a fantastic museum/visitors center to check out. It took us about three and a half hours to see everything, including the northern lights video presentation. The staff is friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. There's a nice gift shop. The bathrooms are clean and well stocked.

Awesome interpretive center that is free. Great tourist info and really informative exhibits.

The cultural center is a wealth of information for visitors to Fairbanks. Definitely should be one of your first stops to get a feel for the area along with ideas on what to do on your trip. My friend and I are especially grateful for the assistance of the staff, specifically Jared. He is so knowledgeable and takes his time to help visitors. Please give this man a raise, he deserves it. Fairbanks needs more Jareds.

This is a wonderful place to start your Alaska journey in Fairbanks. They have brochures, maps, exhibits and great advice. There are canoes, smokehouse, Bald Eagles, wolves, grizzly bears, and on and on. If your looking for information about Alaska, start here.

This place should be the first stop for everyone visiting Fairbanks. Jared was the best! He spent time to show us how, where and when to view the Northern Lights during our stay and then, patiently helped us fill out the rest of our days. It was so obvious how much he loved his city and it was contagious! He pointed us to the World Ice Art Championships starting that weekend and we had a great time. Thanks for helping us have an amazing time in Fairbanks, Jared!

We came here because there weren't many other places to visit around Fairbanks in the winter months but we were absolutely delighted with our experience here. We learned much about the life in Alaska and the native culture during our short visit. I absolutely recommend this place as a must stop for anyone visiting Fairbanks.

Definitely learned a lot of Alaska history at this cultural center. Admission is free and they have summer and winter hours of operations. I went to their theatre and watched an hour video of History of Aurora and learned about Northern lights as well as Southern lights. Pretty amazing history as well as scientific explanation of solar flares, ions, and different colors of Aurora. Definitely recommend coming here. You can also learn all seasons of Alaskan life. Dog mushing, log cabins, hunting, fishing, and dancing. Beautiful Tamarack trees surround this area. Love it!

If I was a tourist, I would start here to get a sense of where I was, both outside the building and within

This was a great little stop & the best part was it was free! The people working there were so friendly & eager to help you with ideas for things to do in Fairbanks and to share the history of the city and its people with visitors. It is definitely geared more for adults; lots of educational facts and history, but there's also some cool stuff kids would like. There are "native scenes" showing how animals live in the Alaskan wild and other scenes showing how the Athabaskan Native Americans lived in the past and today. They also have some gift shops with all kinds of Alaskan souvenirs from stuffed animals to jewelry and fine art. It is a nice clean building with lots of parking.....worth a visit when you want to learn more about the surrounding area.

I'm usually not a huge fan of cultural centers, but this place was curated very nicely. They have large diorama-like exhibits in which you can walk through while reading and/or listening about Alaskan history and culture. The exhibits make it more engaging, as it really helps you visualize what they're talking about. There's also a small garden and cabin/outhouse located right outside the cultural center, as well as the antler arch close by. Overall, it's definitely worth stopping by if you're in Fairbanks!

This is a nice small facility that provides the taste of all things Alaska. The exhibits are nice and covers a wide variety of topics. Did I forget to say and all for Free. They offer shorter films on different topics, will have to check what time each film is showing. They also have people there to help provide guidance of things to see and do in Fairbanks. Take the time to walk the path around the building as there are mosaics on the sidewalks and sculptures mixed in the natural habitat. Antler Arch is close by.

This was a very cool visitors center. We love the National Park's Junior Ranger program. We were able to get 3 badges in our one visit. The museum was great for kids- very interactive. My daughter was able to get a picture in a snow machine and we were able to open the freezer with real items inside. There are certificates for seeing the Aurora. Lots of stamps, including for 3 national park sites along with one for an Aurora watcher and another for the Arctic circle. We even loved the women's bathroom sign. The only disappointment was the gift shops weren't open during our 3 visits. We were really open to get something handmade.

It's a free attraction. They have a couple exhibits about living in Alaska. You can get an Aurora certificate and they have a small gift shop.

This is an excellent place to start your Fairbanks adventures! The staff was extremely helpful with recommending things to do and answering questions. There are many brochures about activities and tours. I got a booklet that was specific for winter activities since I was here in March, as well as a more general booklet. I used the booklets to help plan my 3-week stay in Fairbanks. I found the resources here to be more useful than anything I found online, especially since it's kept up to date and you can speak with the staff about anything specific you're interested in. For example, I found out about Tanana Lakes being a recreational area you can go ice skating at. I didn't find that listed anywhere obvious when I did a Google search of skating places in Fairbanks. There are also exhibits about Fairbanks and Alaska, including the wildlife, history, and culture. All for free!

I'm not huge on museums and cultural centers, but the creators of this place did an excellent job on capturing the beauty of Alaska! It was nice to see everything in there (no spoilers!) and I wasn't falling asleep at the end so it must have been interesting :)

We really appreciated the free services provided by this center. Jared was really helpful when we stopped by to see what to do in Fairbanks. He helped us plan our attempts to see the Northern Lights by checking the weather and cloud coverage. As he predicted, that night it was very cloudy, but we were able to see the Northern Lights the very next night in Murphy's Dome! He did recommend us to stay in the viewing spots for about 40 minutes to try and catch the lights but we saw them right away and saw our fill. It was freezing so we only visited Murphy's Dome to see them. We had previously gotten a chance to see them briefly in Healy too! He mentioned the botanical gardens, Museum of the North, Large Animal Research Station, Creamer's Field, Santa Claus house, and more. Afterwards, we walked outside and took pictures by the cool moose antler arch. We did visit the Museum of the North and the botanical gardens. The Museum of the North was a small but interesting museum and we got to watch two of the films about the Northern Lights and dinosaurs. I just wish the auditorium chairs were more comfortable. Because we went in the fall, there wasn't much at the botanical gardens but we had fun in their maze and took pictures with the sunflowers.

The museum has a very nice flow and walks you through the seasons. The displays are beautiful and descriptions informative. We had a great time here.

One of the top things to do while in Fairbanks, Alaska is to come to the Morris Thompson Cultural Center. I was told that it would be nice to see how the city of Fairbanks, Alaska came to being and the cultural aspects of interior Alaskan culture is displayed and honored. I was here on a Friday morning around 11am in early June 2018 and decided to come here to relax and get my mind off of things I still had needed to do later that night in the area. I did appreciate that the cultural aspect of the native Alaskan culture is highlighted here and it's just not always the Inuit, igloos, and eskimos. I learned that there are many subsets of native Alaskans that are living in Alaska today and they had showcased it in a small presentation / production in the theater. These were college bound kids, who happened to recently graduate high school and some of them have been in the program for a while - while others are there for the first time. It was cool to see them perform and have that instinctive passion for pride in one's culture and ethnic identity. They share it loud and proud to whoever was in the audience that morning and was glad to be apart of it. It reminded me of my own heritage and to be proud of that and where I am from. These lessons that I will follow me forever helped me reinforce and re discover myself in these times where it can get lost in the political noise these days. We can never forget our identities, pride, and where we came from. Nobody can ever take that away from us, even for political purposes. The ambiance in the Morris Thompson Cultural center was museum and library like, but it felt like a tourist attraction as well. Quiet and humble, but felt nice to be here on a Friday morning. The overall experience here at the Morris Thompson Cultural center was eye opening and educational for sure. It gave me some fresh perspective on how to celebrate enthusiasm for your own culture and own your ethnicity and where you come from in a way that you can be proud of every single day. I didn't expect the show to be that mesmerizing and engaging, but that was the takeaway that resonated with me. To have pride in your culture and to remind yourself that you are a unique individual and the experiences you have growing up is rooted in the culture you are born into. It was great to discover that there are more native Alaskans than just what you know of or assume to know. Many of these native groups are spread out through the interior of Alaska and some live in the fringes of Alaska while preserving their ways of life into the modern age. I do appreciate that they have this forum to express this through a song and dance show to share with tourists and people who walk through these doors of the Morris Thompson Cultural center. I'm thankful that I got to see one performance during my stay here in Fairbanks. The Morris Thompson Cultural center is located in the heart of downtown Fairbanks at 101 Dunkel Street. Admission to the museum and cultural center is free to visitors and locals alike, but they also have a gift shop - which isn't free. Still cool to be here when I needed to be. For the most part though, it was a good morning for a cultural educational experience. The parking here is very much generous, which involves a spacious parking lot for everyone who drives here in a private vehicle. Not sure about public transportation options here, but any way you can get here would be in style. Uber and Lyft would be great too, but having a rental car in Alaska would be your best bet period. I probably have spent about 3 hours here before leaving. The show itself was about 1 1/2 hours, so that took a bit of time from the entire experience. Pretty sure that the show is a seasonal thing, as they recruit young people and probably perform during the spring and summer months before the deep freeze happens every year. Thank you for the performance and a wonderful experience here at the Morris Thompson Cultural center. I guess I got here at a good time and got in the full performance before lunch. Best wishes on the cast and their life endeavors ahead! If you are in the area and would like to visit Fairbanks top five tours attractions, come here and be enlightened. I would definitely definitely recommend you coming here if you don't know where to go or have an inkling to learn about native Alaskan culture. This is one of Fairbanks top five destinations to do in Fairbanks. Per Tripadvisor, it has good reviews and I will agree to that. Made me smile too. 5.0 stars for the overall performance and experience here. 5.0 stars for the free admission, but donations are always appreciated. 4.0 stars for the ambiance and overall pleasant vibe. There is restroom facilities here, but not sure about the WiFi. Support local! A+

Morris Thompson is a neat visitor center where you can learn more about Fairbanks and Alaska. You can walk through the museum like exhibit and learn about the state and the people who lived on the land in the past and how they lived. Tons of resources are available here also. They have a bunch of brochures for activities and things to do in Fairbanks. Great place to visit if you have time to spare.

So great! Stop here first when you arrive. They are so friendly and knowledgeable and give great suggestions. Don't forget to walk through all the artifacts and museum it has great history. Don't forget to visit the Antler Arch outside, very cool.

I'm so glad I decided to stop here for the beginning of my trip. Yeah I had a vague itinerary for my weekend but stopping here really helped solidify my plans. Especially when you only have a short stay somewhere you wanna make the most of it. I hope you meet Joe there. He was super helpful with giving me tips and ideas on things you can do in Fairbanks, it's always nice when you get advice from a local. The center also has a historical exhibit inside. It's heavy with resources in here.

We got some great advice regarding things to do in Fairbanks, in April. Our host told us about places and current events. Quite knowledgeable. The cultural exhibits at the center were well planned and are a welcome addition to the museums in Fairbanks.

After arriving in the Fairbanks area approximately three weeks ago, my wife and I were surprised that we didn't go here earlier. The Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center is a must stop for any visitor to Fairbanks. From the brochures, to the maps and exhibits, to the overall travel resources the center offers a robust experience for any traveler. The exhibits are very modern and feature unique attributes about the area. The staff is extremely friendly. After explaining that my wife and I just recently moved here, one of the staff administrators gave us multiple brochures that featured our interests and answered all of our questions about the area. On top of this, the Gates of the Arctic National Park is next door and features great history of the area. Overall, the visitor's center is a great stop for any adventurer.

This place was ranked highly among attractions in Fairbanks, and I had some time to kill, so I wandered on over. The facility is very nice and modern, with a gift shop (Alaska Geographic Store), ranger station, theater, visitor center, and native cultural displays. The theater was closed when I visited and I didn't need any information from the visitor center, so my primary aim was to see the cultural displays. Depending on your level of interest, you can go through the cultural displays in anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours (I went through in about 40 minutes). Personally, I think much of the cultural displays at various Alaska museums blend together after a while, and having visited the Anchorage Museum earlier in the week which had a wonderful Smithsonian collection of artifacts, I wasn't overly impressed with this place, so would not consider it a must-visit destination. Then again, Fairbanks doesn't have too much touristy stuff to do, so it may be a good place to kill some time or pick up some visitor information if you haven't planned your visit ahead of time. Admission is free, but donations are welcome.

This was a great experience... so glad we didn't pass on it. The displays are educational and entertaining! A very nice gift shop as well. I want to give a shout out to one very helpful employee.... I believe her name was Debbie. She went out of her way to package a mug I purchased with bubble wrap to protect it and came running after me when I had inadvertently forgotten an item on the counter I had purchased. She was knowledgeable about the area, courteous and very helpful. I so appreciated her friendliness as I was visiting.

I may be weird, but I always enjoy going into visitor centers when I visit an area - even one that I've been to before (or live in!). The employees are typically long time members of the community, and have a passion for the area. I can spend a lot of time chatting with the different personalities a visitor center represents. That being said, with the people I was with, I did not spend a lot of time gabbing with the employees, but we did quite a bit of exploring of the main floor before asking about other things we would be able to do. I mean, since we were there in the off season and most things were closed, we figured they'd know what was still open. The staff we spoke with were knowledgeable, but with the season having just ended there was a lot of guess work on their part as to what would be open, and what times things were open. That's okay, I've been there. Working almost 10 years in the same industry, I understand how confusing the end of season can be. The exhibits themselves were very well done - as good if not better than any museum I've seen (including the Museum of the North's exhibits). I particularly enjoyed the sled dog exhibit with the shout outs to the Yukon Quest. The main floor had a clear and concise flow to it, and it made complete sense to tell the story of the area. Well done! We did not stay too terribly long, and as far as I know there were no demonstrations going on while we were there, but again the exhibits more than made up for anything we might have missed. Well maintained, interesting facts, just a lot of fun things to look at. So take an hour, visit the visitor's center and then walk to downtown and take in all that Fairbanks has to offer - bonus: free parking which is nearly impossible to find in downtown.

What a wonderful facility. Loved the movie on the Aurora. Spent over 2 hours reading and viewing the exhibits and listening to information. Thank you Fairbanks and the people of Alaska for such a wonderful place!

A small local museum with both inside and outside venues. Also functions as a visitor center. There is the standard gift shop and an Alaskan Native gift shop. Both are nice. Displays are good...take your time and study carefully from all angles to see the hidden animals. Children will really enjoy the displays.

So many interesting facts about AK!! I really enjoyed learning new things. The exhibits are very precise and so detailed. They were very realistic and many places were great hands on experiences. The gift shop was small but had nice items. Especially the paintings/pictures were gorgeous!