Ed L.
Yelp
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.
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