Visit Alaska: Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is home to various orphaned and injured animals, such as bears, moose, and muskox. 

Admission is per person, and there are two ways to explore - via car or by foot.

We decided to explore by foot so we could get a closer look at the animals. 

The day started off chilly, but as we walked it warmed up.  

The Conservation Center is somewhat like a zoo, but smaller.  There are some educational displays throughout the center, and several restrooms throughout as well.   For additional fees, you can book tours and encounters that get you even closer to the animals, even feeding some.

There are some pretty spectacular views from the center - we even saw a bald eagle perched on a rock. 

It took us 90 minutes to explore by foot. If you make less stops or drive, you can easily be done in under an hour.

Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
43520 Seward Hwy

Girdwood, AK 99587

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Visit Anchorage: New Sagaya

We went to check out New Sagaya, a grocery store that specializes in Asian foods, for omiyage. 

New Sagaya reminded me of a Don Quijote or Marukai.

We didn't find too much omiyage, but if you're in need for Asian snacks or ingredients, New Sagaya is the place to go.

At New Sagaya, you'll also find lots of fresh seafood, a bakery, deli, and more. 

We even found some local Hawaii products!  

Although we didn't find as much omiyage as we hoped for, we did leave with some made-in-Alaska gifts, as well as some snacks!  

New Sagaya
3700 Old Seward Hwy

Anchorage, AK 99503

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ESCAPE! Alaska

We made a spontaneous decision to do an escape room one evening, and we ended up at ESCAPE! Alaska.  

We did the NOIR escape room, in which we had to determine who was a murderer, amongst other things.

You're given an hour, and you are also given a business card with which you can use a phone in the Escape Room and call a number for clues / assistance.  

And we had to call the number a few times in the first 30 minutes because we are very novice escape room players. 

Once we got the hang of things, it was easier for us to find clues.

We did eventually escape within the time frame allotted, with just minutes (seconds?) to spare.

I thought the experience was really fun and the clues / puzzles very clever compared to some of the other escape rooms we've done.  

Of course we did not make the leaderboard, but it was impressive to see how some teams finish the room in under 20 minutes. 

ESCAPE! Alaska was definitely a fun way to spend an evening! 

ESCAPE! Alaska
2000 W International Airport Rd Ste A8
Anchorage, AK 99502

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Visit Anchorage: The Ulu Factory

Unlike the ʻulu that we are familiar with in Hawaii, the ulu that The Ulu Factory sells is actually a type of knife that the natives in Alaska created from rocks, and eventually they were made with steel.

It is still commonly used today around the world.

An employee can demo it for you, and answer any questions you may have (one common question was how to care for it).

We did not buy one since we are a carry-on only family and I'm sure this would not have passed security. 

Even if you're not interested in buying an ulu, the factory has a nice selection of Alaskan-made products to buy as souvenirs or gifts!

The Ulu Factory
211 West Ship Creek Avenue
Anchorage, Alaska 99501-1603

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Visit Anchorage: Snow City Cafe

Our flight into Anchorage landed just after 5am, and after getting our car, we ended up at Snow City Cafe - one of the few places open for breakfast really early.

It turned out to be a really busy spot!

OMG Stuffed French Toast

The French Toast was topped with OMG Bacon, which is candied, peppered applewood smoked bacon.

Golden Buttermilk Pancakes

Breakfast Burrito

The Breakfast Burrito was stuffed with scrambled eggs, chorizo, hash browns, cilantro, green chile, red onion, and tomato, and topped with pepperjack, ranchero sour cream, and salsa.

Mushroom & Caramelized Onion Omelet

I had the Mushroom & Caramelized Onion Omelet (and added bacon), and it was delicious. The chevre gave it a nice tang that really elevated the omelet.  

Bacon Me Crabby Omelet

We decided to try the "World Famous" Pecan Sticky Bun and Cinnamon Roll.

Pecan Sticky Bun

Cinnamon Roll

They were both great, but I enjoyed the Sticky Bun more.

Reindeer Sausage

Service was great, despite a minor mistake with the pancakes (my son ordered chocolate chip pancakes, but it was plain. After mentioning it to our server, she gave us a small container of chocolate chips on the side).

Highly recommend Snow City Cafe for a great breakfast in Anchorage.

Snow City Cafe

1034 W 4th Ave

Anchorage, AK 99501

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Visit Las Vegas: Glittering Lights

We made an impromptu visit to the Glittering Lights at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway last holiday season.   I was really excited because I had such a great time at the Speedway Christmas Lights at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina a few years ago, but the Glittering Lights, in my opinion, couldn't compare.

Admission is by carload, and when you get to the entry you're immediately asked if you want to buy hot cocoa or warm cider, which is smart vs having a separate area for people to stop in and buy drinks.  We waited for a few minutes to get our drinks then started driving through a tunnel of lights.

Unfortunately, the lights are not synced up to any music that you can listen to on your radio.  There are signs to tune in to a specific station to hear Christmas-themed music, but it's not the same as listening to synced music.

Also, unlike at the Speedway Christmas Lights, you are not driving on the track in the Speedway, but rather on an outdoor course.

Although the website boasts 5 million lights and 600 displays along the 2.5 mile drive, the Speedway Christmas Lights displays were so much better in my opinion in terms of the amount of lights and the displays.

The Glittering Lights had mostly tunnels.

It's still a fun place to go to if you want to get in the Christmas Spirit and have nothing else to do, and younger kids may enjoy it much more.

Glittering Lights
7000 Las Vegas Blvd N

Las Vegas, NV 89115

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Visit Anchorage: 49th State Brewing

49th State Brewing is one of the busiest restaurants in Anchorage.  With multiple floors and outdoor seating, the huge space was always packed with a line whenever we passed by.

The restaurant was also where I had my favorite meal while in Alaska.  

King Crabby Grilled Cheese

The King Crabby Grilled Cheese with a seafood chowder was the highlight.  The sandwich consisted of a crab meat blend, Appenzeller Swiss, and cream cheese.  The chowder was amazing, as well as the accompanying Brewpub fries.   It was comfort food at its finest. 

Award Winning Smoked Wings

World Famous Yak Burger

Crab Artichoke Dip

Baked Mac-N-Cheese

Highly recommend adding steak and bacon to the Baked Mac-N-Cheese (extra charge) for a hearty meal.

Mexican Street Corn

We loved everything, and the service was excellent too. 


49th State Brewing
717 W 3rd Ave

Anchorage, AK 99501

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Visit Alaska: Potter Marsh

On our first full day in Alaska, we went to Potter Marsh in hopes of seeing moose.

As soon as we pulled into the parking lot, I saw a bunch of people crowding around something, and I wondered if it was a moose.

And it was! 

It munched on greens near the lot, as the crowd looked on. 

After several minutes of watching the moose and taking photos, we started the walk along the boardwalk.  

There were overlooks where you could see all sorts of birds.

We saw this pretty tree swallow!

At one end of the boardwalk, there was someone with a telescope who said we could look through to see a bald eagle in its nest.  I'm not sure if he worked for the Department of Fish & Game or was just someone who frequented the area to look for wildlife, but he also mentioned that the moose we saw is a young bull that started coming around two weeks prior.

He also mentioned that because it was unseasonally still cold and not much greens were around for moose to eat, they haven't been coming around to the marsh as frequently.

I felt quite lucky we saw a moose!

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Visit Alaska: Kincaid Park

We went to Kincaid Park primarily because I was hoping to see moose (it was mentioned frequently in forums and social media groups as a popular moose-sighting park).  We didn't see any moose, but it was such a nice park to visit for easy hiking trails and pretty views.  

We partially did one of the trails, but it was way too cold for us the evening we visited (in the 40s), so we didn't walk very far.  

There are playgrounds, a soccer field, various lookout points, disc toss stations, and more.  

Hopefully we can visit again one day when it's warmer so we can explore more of the park. 

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