Morris Thompson Cultural & Visitors Center

With its clear signage and prominent location at the edge of downtown,
Morris Thompson Cultural & Visitors Center can't be missed.

A beautiful display of indigenous clothing
and other items.

The Morris Thompson Cultural & Visitors Center is a free attraction not far from downtown Fairbanks. The center is open to the public between 8am and 9pm daily, which allows visitors to choose a flexible time to stop by. 

While most tourist centers mainly offer brochures and a couple of staff members you can quiz for advice regarding your trip, the Morris Thompson Center virtually doubles as a free museum. It's easy to spend an hour or more there exploring the exhibits, taking in all the artifacts on display, and simply learning about life in the Last Frontier. Many of the stories shared within the exhibits are centered on the people—both relatively famous and virtually unknown—who have helped carve Fairbanks and more generally Alaska into what it is today.

The Visitors Center includes a gorgeous garden.

One of those people is the late Alaska Native leader Morris Thompson for whom the center is named. Thompson, who had a White father and Native mother, became an assistant for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the early 70s, and later became the youngest Commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He also served on the University of Alaska Board of Regents. Tragically, Thompson died in the Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crash with his wife and one of his three daughters in 2000. The Morris Thompson Cultural & Visitors Center was completed and dedicated to him in 2008.

Anchorage Farmer's Market

The Anchorage Farmer's Market grounds.

My mom buying fresh fruit.

The Anchorage Farmer's Market is located in the downtown area of the city and is open every Saturday between 9 am and 2 pm. Although the market isn't large, there are a wide variety of goods available, especially food and crafts.

On the day my parents and I visited, it was warm out by Alaska standards, but certainly not ours. It was kind of awkward being the only people in long sleeves and scarfs, but Alaskans seem to be acclimated to temperatures below 60F (15C) in the summer.

Anchorage: My General Impressions

Russian dolls at the Anchorage Farmer's Market.

I don't hide my emotions well, so when my dad told me, "We're going to Alaska" back in the summer of 2013, I gave him a raw, prolonged side-eye. 

This was 100% my dad's idea!

"What's the problem?" he said in his usual jovial tone.

"Alaska?" I replied with a stink-eye. I never had the desire to go to Alaska. Although my wanderlust is seemingly endless, the state had never been an object of my affections. I was afraid it'd be boring. I was living in Taiwan at the time, but I still feared being in a state that I believed had a gross lack of diversity.

Boy, was I wrong! I thoroughly enjoyed every city and town we visited in Alaska, and while I prefer Anchorage's cousin Fairbanks, both are charming cities that I'd like to revisit some day.