Last Updated on 08/13/26 by Rose Palmer
You could say that Fairbanks, Alaska, is a location of extremes. Winters may be cold and dark, but it is exactly those conditions that lead to perfect northern lights viewing.
Summers are just the opposite – they are not cold or dark; in fact, I think they are nearly perfect. With average temperatures in the low 70s and low humidity, it is my ideal climate. Good thing that there are two months of constant daylight because it gave me plenty of time to experience the long list of Fairbanks activities under the midnight sun.
Experiencing the Land of the Midnight Sun has always been on my bucket list. I was truly curious to know what it was really like to have 24 hours of daylight.
So how was it?
It was Invigorating!
It was Exciting!
It was Energizing!
During the week I was in Fairbanks, I realized just how solar-powered I really am. As long as it was bright outside, I just kept going and going like the Energizer bunny.
Eventually, I would force myself to go to bed because my watch told me it was 1 or 2 in the morning, but my body and my brain were not really convinced it was time to sleep. I did not seem to need as much sleep either, and early the next morning, I was up and ready to do it all over again.
For 70 straight days, Fairbanks has 24 hours of non-stop daylight. The sun may dip below the horizon for a bit, but Apollo and his chariot don’t travel very far. As a result, from May 17 to July 27, there is no cycle of night and day, just pure, concentrated bright-as-day light.
With 1680 sunny hours to discover, play, and eat in Alaska’s second-largest city, here are my favorite summer things to do in Fairbanks, Alaska (including recommendations for Fairbanks hotels) from my recent visit to this land of perpetual golden summer bliss.
Downtown Fairbanks Activities
Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitor’s Center
I started my visit at the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitor’s Center, and not just to pick up maps, brochures, or a list of Fairbanks attractions. Not only is this the most stunning architecture that I have seen for a Visitor’s Center, but it is also a repository for Interior Alaskan history and culture.
After getting my questions answered by the friendly and helpful staff at Explore Fairbanks, I took the time to discover the exhibits that describe Alaskan life as it is still practiced today. Through the full-sized dioramas of a hunting camp or the Elder Hall, I learned about the Athabascans. The stories gave me a better understanding of the local culture I was about to experience.
I also made sure to take in one of the excellent movies to learn about the aurora and the preservation of the great Alaskan wilderness.
Here I also found the Alaska Public Lands Information Office, where I could get all the information I would need on how to access the remote areas of Alaska.
Outside the visitor center, I walked around the building and enjoyed the beautiful and serene garden that surrounds the building.
Make It and Take It
It is not just the architecture that makes the Morris Thompson Center unique. This is also a community space where the local native population comes together to teach and share their traditions. For a small fee, I took part in a “Make It and Take It” program where I learned how to make traditional porcupine quill earrings, bead bracelets, or a “bear claw” necklace. (This would be an especially fun activity for kids.)
Cultural Connections Show
During my visit, the Morris Thompson Center also presented a Cultural Connections Show. Here, local native youth shared dances, music, and stories about their culture. I was surprised to hear that for these young people, learning these dances and music was an important way to connect to a heritage that had been suppressed and marginalized in their parents’ generation.
Antler Arch and River Walk
The antler arch is on the riverfront, just behind the Morris Thompson Cultural Center, and is a popular photo (read: selfie) spot. The arch is made up of over 100 moose and caribou antlers that were collected from all parts of interior Alaska.
From the antler arch, it was a pleasant stroll along the river toward the Fairbanks downtown area to discover a few wonderful sculptures along the way that celebrated local culture and history. The fascinating Alaska WWII memorial commemorates the cooperation between US and Russian pilots as they flew US-manufactured war planes across Alaska into Siberia and to the Russian front.
In the Golden Heart Plaza, I found a beautiful, larger-than-life sculpture by Malcolm Alexander titled “Unknown First Family,” which represents families past, present, and future, not just in Alaska, but everywhere. Interestingly, there is also a time capsule buried in the plaza, which will be opened on January 3, 2059 – mark your calendars.
Discover Fairbanks Street Art
Like many cities, the walls of various Fairbanks buildings were adorned with colorful murals. But the creativity did not stop there. As I walked around the downtown streets, I saw many large vent pipes painted with colorful scenes.
Eat at the Crepery and the Fudge Pot
My favorite eatery in Fairbanks was the Crepery (523 2nd Ave.) In fact, I liked it so much that I’ve eaten there each time I visited Fairbanks, and I had the smoked salmon crepe each time (it’s Alaska-you have to eat salmon). They have some sweet crepes on the menu that sounded amazing (brie and pear, or cranberry and feta), but frankly, I was too stuffed from the salmon crepe to try one.
This is a small, casual local eatery, but the lines were an indication of how much the locals also like it.
Down the street from the Crepery was the Fudge Pot (515 1st Ave.), another small and intimate shop. I had a really good salmon chowder and sandwich combo, though I really went to get some of their 30 flavors of homemade fudge, like the blueberry chocolate and the cranberry chocolate.
Stay at the Bridgewater Hotel
The Bridgewater Hotel, a Wyndham property, was ideally located in the heart of downtown Fairbanks, making it very easy to see the sights in the city center. I especially liked that the hotel offered a 24-hour courtesy shuttle to and from the airport or the railroad station. My stay here was quite pleasant and comfortable.
Things to Do at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks Campus
The University of Alaska Fairbanks also had some interesting sights to visit.
Museum of the North
Sitting on top of a hill on the campus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) with commanding views of the nearby mountain ranges, the Museum of the North was the perfect place to continue my explorations of Alaskan history and native cultural heritage.
The building itself is a piece of art, evoking images of icebergs, whales’ tails, or a ship’s prow. Inside, I found the Gallery of Alaska, which gave me a great overview of Alaska’s five geographic regions and their nature and culture. Upstairs in the Rose Berry Alaska Art Gallery, I saw 2000 years of beautiful Alaskan art in all of its forms.
UAF Large Animal Research Station
A few minutes’ drive downhill from the Museum of the North was the Large Animal Research Station (LARS). This was my best opportunity to see one (or many) musk ox up close and personal. A musk ox’s native habitat is the Arctic tundra found in Greenland, Canada, and northern Alaska. The fur is super thick and long, which makes the musk ox ideal for surviving the extreme cold temperatures of its habitat range. LARS takes care of this colony of musk ox for research and educational purposes.
During the summer months, naturalist tours were available three times a day. Since I missed the tours, I just viewed this unique herd from the parking area.
UAF Georgeson Botanical Garden
The Georgeson Botanical Garden was another gem on the university campus that is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. It may not get very warm in this part of the world, but with continuous daylight for months at a time, plants can grow extremely large – like the heads of cabbage that are the size of a basketball, which greeted me as I entered this garden.
The garden is named after Charles Georgeson, who established several experimental farms around Alaska (including Fairbanks) in order to study what could be grown in these subarctic conditions with their continuous light and cold soils due to the permanent layer of permafrost.
The Georgeson Botanical Garden continues the research with experimental plots, but it is also a display and play garden. The day I visited, some local families were enjoying the extensive children’s garden.
Things to do Around Fairbanks
Bear Lodge at the Wedgewood Resort
The Bear Lodge and the Wedgewood Resort are ideally located on 105 acres, 45 of which are the resort’s own wildlife sanctuary. Here, I enjoy a quiet nature walk around Wander Lake, where I was hoping to see a moose.
The Bear Lodge had all the amenities I needed for a comfortable stay, with large, clean rooms that had very effective blackout curtains. A restaurant served meals all day, and the fitness center helped work off a few calories. For those who want extra space, 1,2, and 3-bedroom suites were also available at the Wedgewood Resort. A shuttle was available to some of the main attractions in Fairbanks.
My stay here was comfortable in a very large double room that I think would easily fit a family of four. The location was convenient, and it was easy to drive to all the attractions and activities. My room had very good blackout curtains, which helped me sleep during the night even though it was still light out.
Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum
You do not have to be a car connoisseur to enjoy the Fountainhead Antique Automobile Museum, which is located on the property of the Wedgewood Resort. I could easily have spent a good part of a day here admiring the large collection of antique cars, all paired with perfectly preserved vintage outfits from the same time period. The 70+ vehicles on display spanned the time period from 1898 to 1936, and all but three in the collection still run and are driven regularly.
I saw examples of some of the first cars that were driven in Alaska at the beginning of the 20th century. I also saw a very early example of an all- electric car that was marketed specifically to the female driver and came with such built-in details as a vase holder and overhead hat net.
What I found especially fascinating was being able to see the vintage dresses up close. It was interesting to see how much the women’s clothing styles changed in a relatively short time span – from the ultra-conservative Victorian and Edwardian corsets and heavy layers at the turn of the century to the short and shapeless dresses of the 1920’s to the crisply tailored styles of the 1930’s.
Creamer’s Field
Across the road from the Wedgewood Resort was the 2000 acre Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge, where I found trails that took me through wetlands, fields, and forests. The land was once part of the Creamer family dairy milking farm, and the farmstead buildings still stand and are used today as a visitor and environmental education center.
Here I had the unique experience of hiking the trails through woods and across wetlands at 10 PM in bright daylight. And I was not alone. Couples were walking their dogs, families with kids were out enjoying nature, and joggers were working out on the trails. It was hard to believe I was in the middle of a bustling city at “night” as I listened to the birds and walked past fields covered in bright pink fireweed flowers.
Panning for Gold With Gold Dredge 8
Taking a tour to Gold Dredge 8 was actually three activities in one. First, I got to see a portion of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and learned about its history and construction. The pipeline is quite an impressive feat of engineering. It is 800 miles long and crosses three mountain ranges and over 500 streams and rivers. Besides these challenges, the engineers also had to account for building into permafrost as well as the extreme cold winter temperatures.
Next, I boarded a replica of a narrow-gauge Tanana Valley Railroad, which took me to Gold Dredge 8, one of the remaining gold dredges from Alaska’s gold mining days. The dredge is now listed as a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark, and it was fascinating to tour inside it. On the way, I was entertained with stories about Alaska’s gold rush history.
Once the train reached the Gold Dredge 8 camp, I tried my hand at gold panning. Everyone was guaranteed to find gold at the bottom of their pan. My haul was worth around $15 – good enough to pay for a few beers if I cashed it in.
HooDoo Brewery
Even though I am not a big beer drinker, I discovered that if you are looking for a place to go and hang out with the locals, then HooDoo Brewery was your best bet. I enjoyed one of their flights of house-made craft beers outside on the patio as I mingled with the young and old, while enjoying a beautiful evening out.
Alaska Salmon Bake and Palace Theater
You have to eat freshly caught salmon cooked over an outdoor wood-fire grill while you are in Alaska, and the best place for that in Fairbanks was at the Alaska Salmon Bake in Pioneer Park.
Besides salmon, the all-you-can-eat buffet also offered beer-battered cod, slow-roasted beef, and a huge salad bar. After more than 40 years, this is still a family-run business, using recipes that have been passed down through many generations. (Yes-I did go back for seconds).
After dinner, I went next door to the Palace Theater for a rollicking musical comedy review that gave me an entertaining perspective on Alaska’s history.
Riverboat Discovery
The Riverboat Discovery is one of the most popular attraction is Fairbanks, probably because it offers so many interesting activities during the three-hour cruise on the Chena River. This river runs long and deep in this 5th-generation family-run business, and I could feel their love for Alaska as I listened to the commentary on the sternwheeler.
The tour started with a bush plane demonstration. These little planes and their spunky pilots helped open up the Alaskan interior. Even today, there are many parts of the Alaskan wilderness that are only accessible by these small planes.
After cruising along the Chena for a little while, the sternwheeler stopped beside the home and kennels of four-time Iditarod champion Susan Butcher. Standing on the boat’s deck, I had a great view of the dog mushing demonstration as I learned all about the challenges of this demanding sport. Good thing I was on the boat, or I might have come home with one of the adorable puppies playing nearby.
Finally, the boat stops for almost an hour at the Chena Indian Village. This was a reproduction Athabascan village where guides took us around and explained the local native way of life. I saw reindeer up close, a fish camp, and got an explanation of how they used the furs and hides of the many animals found in the area. My favorite part was the question-and-answer session with the sled dogs and their trainer.
Dinner at the Pump House
At the Pump House, I found fine dining in a historic atmosphere. I experienced the historic gold rush setting from the 1890’s as I was surrounded by true antiques from that era. Besides tasting the local fresh Alaskan salmon, there were also other unique regional meat options like reindeer sausage or meatballs (my choice) and elk meatloaf.
The Pump House was not far from the Riverboat Discovery pier, so I could easily enjoy both places in one day.
Summer Fairbanks Events and Festivals
Fairbanks locals take advantage of every moment of summer sunshine, and it seemed like they celebrate the long days with some sort of event every weekend. During the week and weekend in July that I was there, I was fortunate to experience both the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics (WEIO) and Fairbanks Golden Days.
Golden Days
Around the third weekend of July, Fairbanks celebrates its gold rush roots with many fun Golden Days activities. Events included Alaska’s biggest parade, a street fair in downtown Fairbanks with craft and food vendors, and the climax, the Rubber Ducky Race.
Over 8000 yellow rubber ducks were released on the Chena River and raced down with the current. Each duck had a pink and yellow raffle ticket associated with it. The official duck committee captured the first 40 winning ducks at the finish line.
With top prizes of $5000 and $10,000 and odds of only 1 in 200, you can bet that I bought a few rubber ducky tickets. Though I did not win anything, it was fun standing along the riverbank with the rest of the townsfolk and watching the little yellow guys make their way down the river to the capture point.
World Eskimo – Indian Olympics
Also held during the third week of July were the unique World Eskimo-Indian Olympics (WEIO). This combination of athletic and cultural events was a fascinating and authentic glimpse into Alaska’s native heritage. There were dance demonstrations, craft vendors, and competitions of athletic prowess that reflect important skills once critical to the survival of the Eskimo people.
A competition such as the blanket toss tested the ability of a jumper to get as high as possible and look out over the landscape to spot wildlife or possible dangers. I really enjoyed this very fascinating event and attended on three different nights to see a variety of competitions and highly recommend attending this if you are in town.
A little further afield – Things to do Near Fairbanks
Coffee at Polar Expresso
With a name this cute, I had to stop at this coffee shack and pick up a quick cappuccino and donut on my way to Santa’s House in North Pole (Alaska). (Hmmm, maybe I should have picked up some goodies for the big man himself as well to make sure I was still on his good list).
Visit Santa Claus in North Pole
Fairbanks is about a 20-minute drive from the Santa Claus House in North Pole – the town of that is. It would be a shame to be this close and not see THE MAN himself. (Note, though, that during the summer, Santa usually takes off Mondays and Tuesdays – he’s entitled, I think).
Besides a personal visit with Santa, I could also set up to have Santa and his elves send a personalized Original Letter From Santa at the holidays to a special someone in my life (I could also set this up on the Santa Clause House website). I also got some of my Christmas shopping done early amid the huge selection of holiday-themed gifts and ornaments.
Sadly, it was Santa’s day off when I visited, but I had met Santa before on a previous winter visit to Fairbanks a few years ago. He even gave me his business card. (You can read my story about that unique encounter here).
Chena Lakes Recreation Area
I went to the Chena Lakes Recreation Area to get photos of the sort-of sunset over the lake. Even though the sun dipped below the clouds and the horizon, it did not go very far because it still stayed very light.
This recreation area offered all sorts of outdoor adventure opportunities. There was a campground, a swimming area, volleyball courts, a horseshoe pit, picnic tables, and restrooms. I could also rent pedal boats, row boats, canoes, kayaks, and paddle boards.
Stay and Soak at Chena Hot Springs Resort
About an hour northeast of Fairbanks and surrounded by wilderness was the Chena Hot Springs Resort, which is a year-round destination that should inspire a visit of a couple of days. As the name implies, the star attraction is the hot springs pool where, in the summer, you can sit and soak under the midnight sun and in the winter, you can sit and soak under the northern lights.
The Chena Hot Springs Resort had a slew of summer activities to choose from. Their Activities Center could set me up with hiking, canoeing, paddle boarding, pedal boating, fishing, horseback riding, biking, flight sightseeing, guided ATV tours, dog kennel tours, and dog cart rides. I also toured their Aurora Ice Museum and their geothermal facility.
The resort offered accommodation options to satisfy every need. There were many options to choose from, from large and comfortable lodge rooms with en suite bathrooms to family suites to rustic cabins without bathrooms to a campground for RVs and tents.
Of course, there was a full-service restaurant that served breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and a lounge for relaxing with a drink.
Aurora Ice Museum
One of the Chena Hot Springs Resort activities that I really enjoyed was the Aurora Ice Museum, where I got a glimpse of the type of amazing ice sculptures that I had seen during the World Ice Art Championships, which are held in Fairbanks every February. Even in the heat of summer, this perpetually cold space preserved a number of beautifully executed and highly detailed ice sculptures.
For a very unique experience, I had an appletini served in an ice martini glass and sipped it while sitting at a bar made completely from ice. For those who can stand the cold, you can also choose to spend the night here in an ice bed (not me). Tours of the museum were offered throughout the day, and parkas were available free of charge.
ATV Ride
I had my first ever ATV ride at the Chena Hot Springs Resort. The ride was guided, which I appreciated since it was my first time and also since I was not familiar with the area. The ride took me into the extensive wilderness area around the resort.
The resort also offered a side-by-side ATV tour which takes you to the top of Dome Mountain (so you don’t have to hike the couple of miles straight uphill) for spectacular panoramic views of the surrounding wilderness. If you are lucky, your guide may find ripe wild blueberries for you at the top as well.
Fairbanks Travel Tips
- Start your visit in Fairbanks at the Morris Thompson Visitors Center and speak with the friendly staff from Explore Fairbanks about things to do and see while you are there
- Many visitors make Fairbanks a short stop at the beginning or end of an Alaskan cruise tour. There are so many choices of Fairbanks activities under the midnight sun that I would suggest spending at least a couple of days to have the time to experience them all.
- You do not necessarily need a car to tour in the city of Fairbanks. If your hotel does not have a shuttle to the local sights, you can easily take a ride share to your desired location. Chena Hot Springs Resort also offers a shuttle option.
- If you need it to be very dark while you sleep, I suggest using an eye mask. My hotel rooms had very good blackout curtains, but it was still not totally dark in my room during the night when I was there in July.
- When it is not midnight sun season, that is from about August till April, Fairbanks is also a great spot to see the northern lights.
- For more Alaska travel tips, read my Alaska cruise excursions tips post
Fairbanks has a lot to offer, both in winter and summer. I hope this list inspires your extended summer Fairbanks itinerary so you too can experience the midnight sun.
Please note that my visit to Fairbanks was hosted by Explore Fairbanks. All content is my own.
Other related stories:
Discovering Alaska the Windstar Way: Sailing off the Beaten Path on a Windstar Alaska Cruise
Alaska cruising tips: After Cruising to Alaska Many Times, These are My Tips for Planning an Alaskan Cruise
Driving from Skagway to Carcross: A Skagway Cruise Excursion on My Own: Driving Off the Beaten Path on the Klondike Highway
Best Alaska cruise excursions: My Many Alaska Cruise Excursion Experiences
Thanks for visiting.
Rose
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