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Posted May 5, 2006T

FAIRBANKS ALASKA – THE GOLD RUSH BOOMTOWN

Fairbanks, a gold rush town at the turn of the century, now blends the richness of history with present day. Fairbanks is your gateway to Alaska’s vast interior and expansive arctic.

Explore the native culture. There are three main groups, which are referred to as Alaska Natives:

1. Athabascan Indians,

2. Eskimos

3. Aleuts.

The Native people constitute 15% of Alaska’s population. Experience the rich Native culture by visiting the festival of Native arts, the Athabascan Fiddle festival, the midnight sun Intertribal Powwow and world Eskimo-Indian Olympics.

Step back in time and try your hand at gold panning, this way you can uncover your own Alaskan gold. To see the largest public display of gold, you have to visit the ‘University of Alaska Museum of the North’, it’s absolutely gorgeous. Another monument that is very worthwhile to visit is the Pedro Monument. This monument is a tribute to gold’s first discovery.

So you want to visit the great outdoors? Well you have come to the right place! Just minutes away from town, there are hiking trails, mountain biking, whitewater rafting, canoeing, kayaking, snowmobiling, dog mushing, skiing, camping, fishing, hunting and backpacking and so on.

Visit during the winter and see some of the best views of the Northern lights and receive your Aurora certificate. Snowmobile through the White Mountains National Recreation area, hit the slopes, ride the sled dog teams, view the wild life, etc. Try watching a hockey or basketball game, the game may be played at 10:30 pm under the midnight sun.

You can tour the area by boat or horseback, by raft or by hot air balloon. Excursions are offered both winter and summer, there are always Gray line tours. Visit ‘Denali National Park’ by train or, drive to the area. After this entire great outdoors lets try a little culture. There are concerts and symphonies, art galleries, theatrical and musical performances.

General information to help plan your trip:
Alaska is located in the Alaska Standard Time zone that is four hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

• Dress casual and comfortable dress, remember to dress according to the season that you are visiting, dress in layers year-round.

• Best time to view the Aurora Borealis (Northern lights) is winter. For more information, visit www.gi.alaska.edu

• Transportation:
  Air – Fairbanks International Airport, check the web pages for the following airlines that fly to Fairbanks: Alaska Airlines, Northwest Airlines, and Delta Airlines.
  Rail – The Alaska Railroad provides daily & weekend summer service and winter service between Anchorage and Fairbanks. The summer service stop includes Denali.

• Choose your season! Most of the wild life appears during certain season. Dawn and dusk are the best time to view wild life but make sure to give them plenty of space.

For more information on calendar of events, like when is Golden Days Celebration held, accommodations and restaurants, … the following web sites may help you plan your trip:
www.nps.gov/dena/
www.alaskarailroad.com
www.travelalaska.com
www.explorefairbanks.com

info@explorefairbanks.com
(907) 456-info for events hotline
(907) 683-2294 Denali information

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