When your cruise ship docks at the Salmon Capital of the World, Ketchikan Alaska, you have a great opportunity. You won’t want to miss exploring this small town set at the base of a mountain in the Alaskan wilderness. Alaska’s inside passage is a popular destination for cruise lines. The port of Ketchikan is a great stop where you can experience the native culture of Alaska’s first city.
Great Place for Tourists in a Hurry
Here is a perfect blend of the appealing downtown area and wildlife viewing. Wildlife spottings include Dungeness crab and mountain goat. Popular shore excursions range from the tiny red light district on historic Creek Street to Oasis Alaska Charters, and even Potlatch Totem Park,
I love how well the town is laid out for walking tourists. There are a lot of different things to see and do within a five-minute walk. There are museums and shops and also displays, both public and private. Bald eagles are common during the summer months, and black bears and their larger counterparts- brown bears are more common on the main street when the salmon return to spawn much later in the fall.
Totem Poles
Ketchikan is home to the world’s largest collection of totem poles. The Totem Heritage Center is a great place to compare totems from other parts of the northwest and artisans actually work on-site showing both traditional and contemporary methods for building totem poles. Outside town, many elect to hire an experienced pilot and his float plane or a boat and visit Misty Fjords National Monument and the Tongass National Forest.
Museums
One of the most popular museums is the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center. There are a number of videos for the guests and also a large variety of interactive displays that show the history of Alaska- particularly the history of life on Revillagigedo Island, the island that Ketchikan is on. Another is the Tongass Historical Museum. This museum specializes in programs for locals and tourists.
Historical Creek Street
Beautiful Creek Street is where you find souvenir shops and service buildings and of course, the one-house red-light district. Ketchikan Creek is an important waterway the salmon use during the spawn. Dolly’s House Museum is an attraction on the infamous Creek Street. Dolly’s looked like more of a tourist attraction than a genuinely historic museum. Local lore romanticizes the way Dolly set up her enterprise. Evidently, there was a lot of demand for a brothel in town. Using her proceeds from prostitution, Dolly paid off the house very quickly after buying it.
Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show
No matter where you are, you will be able to hear the laughs cheers, and other entertainment noises coming from the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show at the Saxman Native Village. This is a well-known production, and to find it all you have to do is listen because it is easy to hear the roar of the crowds no matter where in town you are.
Best Way to See the Town
The best way to see the town is to form a small group and explore. It isn’t easy to determine where downtown Ketchikan begins or ends, but it seems like almost everything is within a short walk of where the cruise docks.
Conclusion
Ketchikan was surprisingly one of the really big highlights of our Alaskan trip. The town, especially Creek Street, felt like we were stepping back in time. It was also small enough that we didn’t really feel super rushed to hurry and get back to the ship. Finally, for these Texas natives, just watching so many wild bald eagles all in one place was the coolest! Definitely, a place we would like to revisit when we are able to return.
Thanks for Reading About Our Visit to Ketchikan Alaska!
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