Guide to navigating the weather and places of this beautiful state.
Map
Sections
5
Anchorage: food/drink, hikes, and likes
Seward
Soldotna
Fairbanks
Highway Alaska: places to enjoy along the way
Anchorage: food/drink, hikes, and likes
Always looking for an excuse to go here to watch something on the big screen whilst eating and drinking
Live Events — Bear Tooth Theatrepub & Grill
MUST go! Their partners are bears tooth and eye tooth. Any location! Good beer and pizza.
Moose's Tooth Pub & Pizzeria
Get lucky and snag a spot here. Fave foods are the French onion soup, caesar salad, crab or hot turkey sandwich
F Street Station: A Cozy Culinary Gem in Anchorage, AK
Literally everything is good here
reHARU Sushi
Multiple locations in town; I love the kaladi latte
Kaladi Brothers Coffee
If you’re a coffee lover, go here
Black Cup
The beer is a staple and we love the sweet cheeks sandwich
Midnight Sun Brewing Co
Great drinks and vibes
Anchorage Distillery
Great outdoor area for summer, always a variety of beer and good bites. Love their pretzel and beer cheese!
49th State Brewing - Anchorage
There are too many to list! Hard to go wrong honestly.
Anchorage Brewery Recommendations
Our favorite smell brewery in town owned by the nicest guy
Brewerks (@akbrewerks) · Anchorage, AK
Chill/seat yourself bar side (option to have bar bites or order from their main menu). Great drinks, food, and atmosphere
Ginger - Anchorage
Can add yourself to the waitlist on yelp before going. Best hash browns, great everything breakfast
Snow City Cafe
Love their phillys here also!
Tommy's Burger Stop | Anchorage AK
Double meat double cheese
Straight Out of Philly
2
Secondhand gear store, they also buy!
The Hoarding Marmot
Great shop with a variety of fair trade items
Grassroots fairtrade & artisan made
My friends and I love this place! Would often bump into other people I know going here also
Today's Nails - Anchorage, AK
Great, local bookstore (buy and sell)
Title Wave Books
Most popular hike in town for a reason. Can also look up “the back side of flattop” for a different trail that goes to the same place. Both are between moderate-difficult depending on your level of
Flattop Mountain Trail, Alaska
There’s also big O’Malley for a longer hike, but you do this one first along the way🙂
Little O'Malley Peak Trail, Alaska
Beautiful and moderate, longer
Rabbit Creek Trail to Rabbit Lake - Anchorage
Stay at the red cabins up here or just go for the day to hike one of the many trails, gorgeous area! (April bowl is short/easy and a fave)
Hatcher Pass
Also Chester Creek Trail; they connect to various parts of town, easy strollin, watch for wildlife!
Campbell Creek Trail
Always enjoyed it when I got tickets to go, once a month through the winter
Arctic Entries - storytelling by your everyday people, presented by theme
Seward
Wonderful place to stay in Seward - need a car or bike to get around, but nice nature views are worth the short distance and bigger space
Well maintained and can get close up with a glacier!
Exit Glacier Trailhead
One of my favorite overnight trips I’ve done! Be aware of the tides and trail options. There are tent platforms at the end and some former bomb shelters
Caines Head Trail
Not for the faint of heart. Famous race/festival on the Fourth of July each year!
Mount Marathon via Skyline and Mount Marathon Loop, Alaska
They always do their best to help us have a great time and catch some fish. Multiple boats and connections
Alaska Dream Charters
I love the vibes here! Great drinks and food in the heart of Seward
Flamingo Lounge
Always try my best to go here when I’m in town. Great sammies and on the bay
Zudy's Café
Iconic place to eat here, nice view of the harbor
Ray's Waterfront
Soldotna
Wednesdays in the summers is where it’s at: free concerts starting around 6pm, throughout the day there are vendors and food trucks. Right on the river in town
Levitt AMP Soldotna Music Series - Vision Soldotna
Their grilled chicken wrap with blueberry sauce and ranch is what I always go back to. They have a nice patio and food is consistently good. Sometimes can get busy or be low on staff, calling in an order is always an option
Buckets Sports Grill
Great food and beer, also sloshies (alcoholic slushie)
Kenai River Brewing Co
Surprisingly good Mexican food
Acapulco Mexican Restaurant
Delicious waffles and coffee, small menu, can sit in a train car converted cafe or outside. Great gift shop attached and other restaurants in Whistle Hill
Brew@602
Has everything from disc golf discs to trinkets to toys and kitchen ware
Beemun's Variety And True Value
Go to place for fishing supply refills
Soldotna Trustworthy Hardware & Fishing
Delicious but a bit expensive
Pizza Boys
Actually cool to pop into, and there are fishing spots here too
Soldotna Visitor Center
2 screen movie theater that shows new releases and classics
orca theater
Rodeos in the summertime
Soldotna Rodeo's
Important to know that there’s a superstore besides Fred Meyer in the next town over
Walmart Supercenter
Near here is a little trail down to the Kenai beach where you can watch residents dip net in July or just walk the beach, have some coffee and treats
Veronica's Cafe | Kenai AK
Music festival first week of August. Good times in Ninilchik! (Between Soldotna and Homer)
Salmonfest
Fairbanks
In Fairbanks in the depths of winter - always amazing
World Ice Art Championships - Ice Alaska
Everything you’d want it to be - reindeer and Christmas
Santa Claus House
Beautiful vehicles!
Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum
Great vibes and locations
HooDoo Brewing Company
they also have bbq
Latitude 65 Brewing Company
Truly is the land of the midnight sun in this race near summer solstice!
Midnight Sun Run 10K Race - Fairbanks, Alaska
It’s a drive back to go back there but a cool experience.
Chena Hot Springs
As someone who is currently living in China, I wish food like Pagoda’s existed here😆
Pagoda Chinese Restaurant & Bar
Highway Alaska: places to enjoy along the way
Constantly watch for wildlife
If you’re on a one lane highway (which is most of the time) and there are 5+ cars behind you, pull over to let them get around you
If coming from the lower 48, use the milepost and download maps/don’t rely on cell serv...
Alaska road trip advice
Beautiful area! Can also look up doing some guided glacier trekking here
Matanuska Glacier State Recreation Site
A great pit stop; delicious Thai food stand in the parking lot and some other food options nearby
The Hub of Alaska | Glennallen AK
We love stopping here on our way to Kenai; food and beer, and in the summers they sometimes have concerts
Cooper Landing Brewing Company
If you like camping and music, Hope is the sweetest spot🥰
Events in Hope, AK
Also worth looking up what events might be going on in this ski town
THE 10 BEST Restaurants in Girdwood (Updated October 2025)
Love taking the train! Slow, but beautiful scenery
Alaska Railroad
One of my favorite, off the grid, places. Snowmachining, ice fishing, great people and festivities throughout the summer and winter seasons
Alaska Wilderness Lodge | Lake Louise Lodge
Notoriously not in big cities - if you see one, it makes for a good snack and gas stop!
Three Bears Alaska
Location in Healy and Anchorage. Mostly the same menu, but different vibes. Stop by the Healy location when around Denali!
49th State Brewing
You’ll see her headbands, or look alikes, in many different stores. She’s cool and makes amazingly comfy and cute stuff!
