Week in Anchorage?
 

I have the airline miles & timeshare to trade is there a good itenary for a week there? then what for another week in Alaska?

Anchorage is only good for about a day. You will probably want to go up to Denali (about 5 hours one way). Then I would spend the majority of my time on the Kenai Peninsula. The scenery is fabulous and there is a variety of things to see and do.<BR><BR>Do a search on Alaska. I learned so much before I went and many agree with my feelings about the Kenai.

I disagree that Anchorage is only good for about a day. We enjoyed wandering around, the outdoor market on Saturdays (only through mid-September), hiking and biking on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, and visiting some of the area parks such as Kincaid (LOTS of moose) and Earthquake. Not to mention having breakfast at Dark Horse Coffee (I hope it's still there) and lunch and dinner at the Glacier Brewhouse. I spent a week in Anchorage and didn't get bored. But by all means spend at least six days on the Kenai Peninsula.

The trip to Porage Glacier is very nice. It is about an hour south of Anchorage. Lots of great scenery. Dinner at the 7 Glaciers Restaurant in Girdwood is an experience. If you don't want to spring that much for dinner, just take the tram up to the top for $10.

Anchorage is not itself that exciting. It has a few trails worth exploring that I'm sure you can find. I climbed Flattop, went to Portage glacier, and also spent a couple days at Big Lake. The museum was also worth a visit, but the city is not too exciting or scenic. The "arms" that surround the city with water were full of whales when I was there and Dalls sheep climb around right next to the highway. Whatever days you have outside the timeshare---head out of town.

I am not by any stretch of the imagination an expert on Anchorage, but I think you would enjoy hiking section of the Turnagain Trail. Also, visit the Native American Cultural Center. I would also suggest taking a glacier cruise out of Whittaker. A drive anywhere on the Kenai Peninsula is awesome.

I spent ten days in the Anchorage area in July, without a car, and there were plenty of things left to do when it was time to go home. It helps if you're active, enjoy like to meet local people, and enjoy the outdoors, although it is true that downtown Anchorage is not particularly inspiring. <BR>One day, we rented bikes and rode the Tony Knowles bicycle trail, where we came face to face with a moose. Had such a great day that we rented bikes a few days later. This time we went out to the University of Alaska, also near Alaska Pacific University and the native hospital, the best place to buy artwork, we heard, at good prices.<BR><BR>There are two museums where you can spend several hours each. The one downtown whose name I forget, but which is near the Sheraton, is beautifully organized, and the Native American museum has specific areas focused on Alaska's native people.<BR><BR>For restaurants, we did NOT focus on the tourist traps. Instead we took the advice of locals and had some amazing meals.<BR><BR>Be sure to check out the visitor page at the Alaska Daily News: http://www.adn.com/visitors/

I'm sure there are plenty of things to find to do in Anchorage BUT there are so many fabulous things to do outside of Anchorage. It seems a shame not to spend your time doing those things.

Sorry, I'm enjoying a good laugh. Have spent 20 years living about 15 miles from this "dull" Anchorage place. I'll move when Money magazine puts my little town on their cover as America's most livable city!