University of Alaska Museum of the North

University of Alaska Museum of the North Review

This museum has some of the most distinctive architecture in the state, with sweeping curves and graceful lines that evoke glaciers, mountains, and a fluke of a diving whale. Inside, two-story viewing windows look out on the Alaska Range and the Tanana Valley. Otto, the 8-foot, 9-inch brown bear, greets visitors to the entrance of the Gallery of Alaska, also featuring Blue Babe, a mummified steppe bison that lived 36,000 years ago during the Pleistocene epoch. The museum has several "please touch" items, including the molars of a mammoth and a mastodon, a gray whale skull, and a 5,495-pound copper nugget. Also in the gallery is a fantastic collection of Native clothes, tools, boats, and more from around the state, offering a chance to see how different groups came to terms with climatic extremes; other dioramas show the state's animals and how they interact. And don't miss the treasured Rose Berry Alaska Art Gallery, representing 2,000 years of Alaska's art, from ancient to modern, or the year-round special exhibits. In the Place Where You Go to Listen, ever-changing light and sound, composed by the real-time movements of the sun, moon, aurora, and seismic activity, create a mesmerizing effect. This is one of the best museums in Alaska, and a can't-miss stop. The gift shop also has one of the better selections of Alaskana in town.