Twenty Summer Activities for Children in Anchorage, Alaska

This was a popular list last summer so I've updated it with current times, events and locations. If you're not in Anchorage it might give you ideas for activities in your own community--try putting together a list for your own town. Every parent there will thank you.

1. Visit the Loussac Library. Sign up for the 2007 summer reading program, “Get a Clue at Your Local Library” at any municipal library or Saturday May 19th noon-4pm at the 7th annual Reading Rendezvous at Cuddy Family Park where they'll have juggling, theater, awards and activities to kick off the summer reading program. Grade school age children earn awards for meeting reading goals.

Join one of the reading groups at the story theater in the Loussac Library:

Mother Goose (birth-18 months) on Thurs 10:30 am, Fri 2:30
Lapsit (18 months-3 years) Tues 10:30, 11:30 Wed 10:30, Thurs 7pm, Friday 10:30
Storytime (3-5 years) Thurs & Fri 11:30 am

Enjoy “Live at the Library” for free outdoor concerts by the fountain Tuesdays noon-1pm.

2. Enjoy concerts at "Music in the Park". These free outdoor concerts are Wednesdays & Fridays noon-1pm at Peratrovitch park downtown and are always fun. We never miss the bagpipes because who doesn't like bagpipes and a picnic in the sun? There is also "Music for Little Ones" every Monday noon-1pm and “Live After Five” concerts for adults, a fun Friday night date activity, both held at the same location.



3. See auto racing at The Northstar Speedway. This track in Wasilla has Saturday racing May 12th through August 25th. The gates open at 2 pm and races start at 5pm. GCI customers can go to any GCI store for free tickets, otherwise it’s $10 for adults, $5 for kids and free for kids 10 and under.

4. See a free movie at the Dimond Center Theaters. Every Tuesday, Wednesday and now Thursday at 10am the theaters hold their Free Family Family Film Festival where two movies are shown, no age limit. Movies are shown concurrently all three days.

May 29-31 Curious George & Ice Age 2
Jun 5-7 Jonah: Veggie Tales & Happy Feet
Jun 12-14 Everyone's Hero & Over the Hedge
June 19-21 Clifford's Really Big Movie & Night at the Museum
Jun 26-28 Doogal & Garfield 2
Jul 3-5 Wallace and Gromit & Monster House
Jul 10-12 Rugrats: The Movie & Barnyard
Jul 17-19 Jimmy Neutron & Open Season
Jul 24-26 Charlotte's Web & Flushed Away
Jul 31-Aug 2 Elmo: Adventures in Grouchland & Happily N'Ever After

5. Catch a Bucs Baseball game. Playing at Mulcahy Stadium several evenings a week (usually at 7pm) June 9th-July 28th, this is great fun. Bring a big bag of peanuts and show your kids what baseball at sunny 10pm feels like. The library's summer reading program often gives out free passes for four to the games otherwise admission is $5, six and under are free.

6. Go gold panning at Indian Valley Mine. Off of the Seward Highway just before the turnoff to Indian and open from May 15th-September 15th 9am-9pm. Admission is $1 per person for the mine and museum and then $3 and up for the dirt to pan--depending on the amount of dirt. It's very clean and very easy for small children and the views of Turnagain Arm are worth the trip.

7. Build something at The Home Depot and Lowe’s kid clubs. Free to children of all ages, each store's kids' club provide aprons (to keep), tools, safety goggles and kits to build various easy woodworking projects such as birdhouses, bookshelves and wooden toys. Home Depot on Abbott holds their kids' club the first Saturday of every month 9am-12pm while supplies last (and I've never seen them run out but it can get crowded around the tables). Lowe’s on Old Seward and O’Malley holds theirs the 2nd Saturday at 10am. Children get certificates of completion and patches to put on their aprons each time they complete a project.

8. Go fossil hunting in Sutton. Anywhere where the rock is layered and loose you can find plant fossils from the late cenozoic period (50-70 million years old). Bring a good map, take any road into the Talkeetna Mountains, find a good place to turn off and you'll find fossils. The kids like carrying picks and buckets--but the picks are more for fun than necessity. It's just fun banging rocks.

9. Family cross country running at the Tuesday Night Races. Enter the Munchkin, Farm or Lightning leagues to choose your distance (between 1-10 km) on various cross-country courses chosen by guest runners. The Halloween race is in costume with the Munchkin league running for treats along the way. It's a great activity for families, registration begins at 6pm, the races start at 6:30. The cost is $2 for kids, $5 for adults, $10 for family and $60 for family season pass. Results for each race are posted on the website a day or two after each race takes place. The 2008 schedule will begin September 2 and run through the first week of November, check the website for the race locations as September gets closer.

10. Visit some of Anchorage's lakes. Rent paddle boats at Cheney Lake (on Baxter road), swim at Goose Lake (the corner of East Northern Lights and Providence Drive) or picnic at Lake Hood (near the airport) and watch the planes take off at the world’s largest and busiest float plane harbor.

11. See paragliders off the mountain in Girdwood near the Alyeska Prince Hotel. On a clear day the updrafts start around noon and for the best view take the tram ride ($14 with an Alaska ID, $7 for kids 7 and under) up the mountain for a picnic and first-hand view of their takeoffs. Hatcher’s Pass is a bit farther from Anchorage in the opposite direction but also has a great view and is popular with the paragliders--and it's free.

12. Pick blueberries on Flat Top or at Hatcher's Pass. The Flat Top trailhead starts at the top of Upper Huffman Road and though the entire trail (2 miles) may not be suitable for small children, the lower alpine area known as Blueberry Hill is great for picking berries in town. It's best to check about the first week of August to see if the berries are ripe, if you wait too long they'll be all gone. Hatcher's Pass, though farther, has more blueberries than you could ever pick if you're up for a two-hour drive. For an easy hike (even with a stroller) try the beautiful Thunderbird Falls. Follow the signs from the Glenn Highway twenty minutes north of Anchorage.

13. Ride Alaska Live Steamers miniature train. In Wasilla between the Museum of Transportation and the airport this 7.5 gauge miniature train is big enough for children and adults to sit on the individual cars as the train travels through the woods on a 20 minute train ride. The train runs the 1st and 3rd Saturdays the middle of May through the middle of September 10am-4pm. Cost is minimal ($4 for adults, children under 2 are free) children under 3 need a car seat but the owners have one to loan in a pinch.

14. Attend the annual 4th of July parade or the Governor’s Picnic. Festivities for the Independence Day celebration include a parade and fireworks, all free to the public. The governor's picnic is an annual event (July 28th this year) held at the Delaney Parkstrip between 9th and 10th Avenues downtown with activities and free food for all. Check the Anchorage Daily News for times as July draws closer.

15. Visit The Alaska Zoo. Located on East O’Malley Road on hillside the cost is $9 for adults, $5 children 12-17, $4 children 3-11. The zoo is open 9am-6pm 7 days a week, 12 months a year and also has children's workshops scheduled throughout the summer. Often the best animal viewings are on cloudy or snowy days when the animals aren’t avoiding the summer heat.

16. Visit The Alaska Botanical Garden. Take Tudor Road east to Campbell Airstrip Road and park in the Save II school parking lot. A network of gardens that is a work in progress blooming from May to October along wooded trails. The herb garden is particularly beautiful, see the website for a list of special events.

17. Visit Elmendorf State Fish Hatchery. Here you can view fish at various stages of growth at the facilities located at the corner of Reeve Boulevard and Post Road. The best time for viewing coho salmon is September but the hatchery is open from late May-September 8am-10pm.

18. Join a bookstore reading club. Most bookstores in town have a reading hour for kids, some with crafts and other activities. Many have reading programs that offer rewards in the form of coupons and free books to children who complete the reading goals. Barnes and Noble has Preschool Storytime on Wednesdays at 11am and Beginning Readers Storytime on Saturdays at 1pm. Call 279-7323 for more details. Borders has their Storytime on Tuesdays at 11am and 1pm and Saturdays at 11am, call 344-4099 for more details.

19. Visit Triple D Hatchery in Wasilla. This poultry farm is open for scheduled tours of up to 20 children for $35 (group price). In the early spring they have colored chicks on display from late March through the Easter season. Visit their website for contact information and to schedule a tour.

20. Bike the coastal trail. The Tony Knowles Coastal Trail reaches 10.5 miles from downtown Anchorage, along the coast of Cook Inlet and down to Kincaid Park. With easy terrain and beautiful scenery it's a great bike ride for kids--there are plenty of parks along the way as good places to stop for a picnic if little legs get tired. The Copper Whale Inn on L Street above Elderberry Park near the beginning of the trail has bike rentals.

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