Planning a trip to Nome
Visitor Information -- The Nome Convention and Visitors Bureau, 301 Front St. (P.O. Box 240), Nome, AK 99762 (tel. 907/443-6555; www.visitnomealaska.com), provides maps and detailed information for diverse interests. The office is open daily June, July, and August from 7am to 7pm, and the balance of the year Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm.
The Bering Land Bridge National Preserve Headquarters, 214 Front St. (P.O. Box 220), Nome, AK 99762 (tel. 907/443-2522; www.nps.gov/bela), is a good source of outdoors information from the rangers who staff a desk and are responsible for a rarely visited 2.7-million-acre national park unit, which covers much of the Seward Peninsula north of the Nome road system. Rangers offer a variety of programs all year, especially during the Iditarod finish in March. Their bird tours and ranger hikes are mentioned below.
Also check the Nome Nugget website, at www.nomenugget.com, a real window into the community.
Special Events
The biggest event of the year is the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race (tel. 907/376-5155; www.iditarod.com), a marathon of more than 1,000 miles that ends in Nome in mid-March. Sled-dog racers, world media, and international visitors descend on the town for a few days of madness, with lots of community events planned. The activities last most of the month; contact the Nome visitor center, or download the calendar from www.visitnomealaska.com.
One of the March Iditarod events, showcasing Nome's well-developed sense of humor, is the Bering Sea Ice Golf Classic, where six holes are set up on the sea ice. The pressure ridges constitute a bad lie. Various similarly silly events take place all year, including the Polar Bear Swim that happens around June 21 as part of the Midnight Sun Festival. The festival celebrates the summer solstice, when Nome gets more than 22 hours of direct sunlight. A parade, handmade raft race, folk festival, bank holdup, and other events headline the festival. Winners of the raft race get a honey bucket (known in some places as a chamber pot). For information on any event, contact the Nome Convention and Visitors Bureau (tel. 907/443-6555; www.visitnomealaska.com).
Fast Facts
Bank -- Wells Fargo, with an ATM, is at 250 Front St.
Hospital -- Norton Sound Regional is at 5th Avenue and Bering Street (tel. 907/443-3311).
Internet Access -- Nome Public Library is at 200 Front St. (tel. 907/443-6626).
Police -- At Bering Street and 4th Avenue (tel. 907/443-5262).
Post Office -- At Front Street and Federal Way.
Taxes -- The sales tax is 5%; the tax on rooms totals 6%.
Getting There
Flying is the only way to get to Nome. Alaska Airlines (tel. 800/252-7522; www.alaskaair.com) flies 90 minutes by jet direct from Anchorage or with a brief hop from Kotzebue. Prices are around $500 round-trip. Many visitors come on escorted tour packages sold by Alaska Airlines Vacations (tel. 866/500-5511; www.alaskaairalaska.com); a day-trip package costs around $575; staying overnight on the package costs around $665 per person, double occupancy.
All taxis operate according to a standard price schedule you can get from the visitor center. A ride to town from the airport is generally $5. There are three companies, including Louie's Cab (tel. 907/443-6000).
Getting Around
The town is a street grid along the ocean. Front Street follows the sea wall, 1st Avenue is a block back, and so on. A harbor is at the north end of town, and the gold-bearing beach is to the south. You can mostly walk to see this area. Three roads branch out from Nome. To get out on the roads, you need to take a tour or rent a car, or bring a bike with you.
Several local car-rental agencies operate in town; the visitor center maintains a list, with rates. Stampede Car Rental, 302 E. Front St. (tel. 800/354-4606 or 907/443-3838; www.aurorainnome.com), charges $100 to $175 for SUVs and vans. The same people operate the Aurora Inn.
