Alaska Native Heritage Center

Alaska Native Heritage Center Review

On a 26-acre site facing the Chugach Mountains, this facility provides an introduction to Alaska's Native peoples. The spacious Welcome House has interpretive displays, artifacts, photographs, demonstrations, Native dances, storytelling, and films, along with a cafe and a gift shop selling museum-quality crafts and artwork. Step outside for a stroll around the adjacent lake, where seven village exhibits represent 11 Native cultural groups through traditional structures and exhibitions. As you enter the homes in these villages, you can visit with the culture hosts, hear their stories, and experiment with some of the tools, games, and utensils used in the past. There's a free shuttle to the Heritage Center from the downtown Log Cabin and Visitor Information Center that runs several times a day in the summer. You can also hop a bus at the downtown transit center; Route 4 (Glenn Highway) will take you to the Heritage Center's front door. A Culture Pass Joint Ticket for $28.95 provides admission here and to the Anchorage Museum downtown; it's available at either location.