Introduction to Juneau

Thousands of visitors discover Juneau for only one reason: Their Alaskan cruise ship pulled up to the city's dock. Alaska's remote capital, however, is worth visiting in its own right. Juneau's museums reveal the history of America's largest state, exploring Alaskan Native culture as well as its gold-mining, fishing and timber industries. The Mendenhall Glacier helps visitors grasp the power of Mother Nature. Food lovers salivate over menus full of fresh Pacific salmon.

Things to Do

Alaska's vast human and geological history fill the galleries at Juneau's Alaska State Museum, where vividly painted Native totems tower over fishing nets and an eagle nesting tree. Learn more about the state's gold rush at the Alaska-Gastineau Mill and Gold Mine Tour or watch salmon wriggle up a 450-foot fish ladder at the Macaulay Salmon Hatchery. Outside of town the Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska's most accessible, glows a pale blue and slowly scrapes its way toward the Pacific.

Nightlife and Entertainment

Actors take the limelight at Alaska's largest professional theatre, Perseverance Theatre, just across the Gastineau Channel in Douglas. Families often make their way to the Gold Creek Salmon Bake for an evening of salmon, marshmallow roasting and live music. For more adult pursuits, head to the Red Dog Saloon for food and drinks. The bar is known for its sawdust-covered floor, walls of taxidermal animals and rare guns, and irresistible frontier spirit.

Restaurants and Dining

Salmon is king in Alaska, and you'll find plenty of the fish on menus throughout Juneau. Look out onto the Gastineau Channel through a wall of windows and sample cedar-plank salmon or fresh, spicy halibut tacos at the Twisted Fish Company. Savory steaks share menu space with fresh seafood at The Hangar, a dockside restaurant with 24 beers on tap in a building that once housed airplanes.

Active Pursuits

The gentle ridge-top hike along the Perseverance National Recreation Trail takes visitors to the Perseverance Mine and through the gold mining activity once prevalent near Juneau. The Granite Creek Trail adds a little challenge to the day trip, with rocky outcroppings, water seeps and a climb up to an alpine basin. Dozens of charter boats ply the Pacific Ocean off Juneau, where visitors try their hand at salmon fishing and search the horizon for the telltale splash of humpback whales.