I get a lot of questions from my readers on living in Alaska or what places to visit when on vacation/sightseeing in Alaska. Here is a list of 33 cool things you can do in Alaska that you have never thought you could and when you can do it.
Unusual things to do only in Alaska
- Watch the aurora (Mid August to late April, best time is March) while driving around with the aurora mobile during a clear night
- Spend the night in an ice hotel
- Watch a rocket launch into the aurora in the middle of winter at the World’s only university owned rocket range. See Geophysical Institute website for the windows of the next launches.
- Sit in hot springs at 40 below (-40oC)
- Visit two space ports in one state

- Take the Arctic plunge by jumping in the ice cold water of the Arctic Ocean at Barrow
- See an university owned ice-breaker in Seward
- Shock freeze hot coffee by throwing it into the air at temperatures below -40F (-40o)
- Survive 40 below at the ice chamber in Fairbanks in summer
- Drive unpaved roads
- See a highway that has a railroad crossing
- Visit the City of North Pole near Fairanks and tweet you friends that you just reached North Pole
- See the Santa Claus house in North Pole
- See and touch a real rocket on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus
- Use an ice bridge at your own risk between December and March when the river is frozen
- Pick blueberries in the wild. Be careful and remember that running around in the wild means that you may end up as part of the food chain
- Dress totally weird and nobody would take notice
- Bring your lamps to the pawnbroker in mid May and pick them up in mid August without missing them
- Participate in a Break-up Lottery
- Be the officiator when a couple marries
- See famous people on stage at an affordable price
- Live in a cottage without running water, but have WiFi.
- Visit the Opera Fairbanks
- Watch the Iron Dog which is billed as the World’s longest and toughest snow machine race (2000 miles, 3218.688 km thru the wilderness in February)
- Visit a distilling company in Fairbanks
- See a wood-fired car driving in the Golden Day Parade
- Get someone imprisoned who is in your travel party
- Visit the Fountainhead Antique Car and fashion museum where you can see the first car built in Alaska
- Watch baseball at midnight without flood light
- See the Winter Carnival Queen sitting on her ice throne (March)
- Attend an Independence Day without fireworks in America
- Slide down an ice slide at the World Ice Art Championship (March)
- See giant ice sculptures with whimsical features (March)

There are also many reasons why a non-outdoor gal loves living in Alaska.
Look of the Day
I am wearing a gray pink casual winter work outfit. It’s a fool-proof classic color combination. The gray tweed skirt, tight and boots give the illusion of long legs. The pink adds a pop of color and may brighten up a gray winter day.
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Photos: G. Kramm
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