We rented an Airbnb house in the historic part of Fairbanks. However historic doesn’t necessarily mean old because Fairbanks only goes back to the beginning of the 20th Century. So a lot of the earlier structures are 1930’s or 1940’s wood-frame homes. A lot look older than their age. The elements are harsh in Interior Alaska and many of these houses are weather-beaten from decades of punishing conditions. By contrast ours was cozy, lovingly restored and located right near the heart of Fairbanks’ Golden Heart.
Orientation
I’ve traveled to Alaska multiple times but never to Fairbanks before. While well-populated as far as Alaska goes, it’s also set deep within the interior, far away from any coastline. It felt much different than my experiences in Anchorage, the Kenai Peninsula, or Juneau. So arriving here felt a bit disorienting the first day after two long flights and a layover in Seattle. Places in Europe are easier to reach than Fairbanks from my home in the Mid-Atlantic. So, exhausted and jet-lagged, we went to be early and began to explore the next morning.
Moose Antler Arch
The Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center seemed like a great place to start. After all, we were visitors and could use some culture. We parked next to the building and walked over to the Moose Antler Arch (map). It seemed appropriately Alaskan to erect an arch from dozens of discarded moose antlers even if the moose might disagree. So I stopped for a moment and enjoyed the handiwork, and even waived at the webcam beaming my visit to the outside world via the Internet. I wonder if someone is some distant land noticed me.
Visitor Center
Then we walked across to the visitors center itself. It’s not a typical facility by any means, it’s also something of a museum. So in addition to learning about happenings in and around Fairbanks, we got a larger context about its placement and history. Definitely a great place for our first stop.
Chena Riverwalk
I like to keep active and one way I do that is by walking around whatever town I’m visiting. Fairbanks made this easy with a focus on its primary geographic feature, the Chena River. The river snakes along the edge of downtown. From there it flows into the Tanana River on the southwestern side of town and then out to the Yukon River. It’s not particularly mighty but it provides a nice scenic backdrop.
So the city built the Chena Riverwalk, a paved path along the southern edge of the river extending both east and west of downtown. Towards the east if extends to a gate at Fort Wainwright and towards the west it leads to Pioneer Park. Between the two it stretches about 3½ miles (5.6 km). I walked every bit of it during our visit and I also ran a five mile an out-and-back as I prepared for the HooDoo Half-Marathon later in the week.
Speaking of Fort Wainwright, that’s just one part of a significant military presence in Interior Alaska, and much more than I imagined. In addition there’s Eielson Air Force Base just outside of Fairbanks, Fort Greely southeast near Delta Junction, and Clear Space Force Station southwest near Anderson. There are a ton of cars and trucks with out-of-state license plates driving around Fairbanks and I have to imagine that this is largely the reason.
Golden Heart Plaza
There are several monuments and statues at the central part of the Riverwalk in downtown, in the vicinity of Golden Heart Plaza (map). These include its centerpiece “Unknown First Family” sculpture, plus a carillon clock tower, a monument to Alaska’s central role in the World War II Lend-lease program, and a wide range of historical plaques.
Fairbanks Mileage Pole
Also nearby, near the northeast corner of Cushman St. and 1st Ave., along the Chena River, stands a milepost (map). It records distances to numerous local, national, and international destinations. So it really sunk in that I was truly far away from my usual location: 4,188 miles (6,743 km) from my home outside of Washington, DC.
It also commemorated the Alaska Highway which was hastily constructed through Canada and Alaska during World War II. The U.S. feared a Japanese invasion of Alaska (which soon happen) and the military needed an overland route to speed weapons and supplies to the front. The Alaska Highway provided the solution. It terminated in Delta Junction, about a hundred miles to the southeast, where it connected to the existing Valdez Trail (today’s Richardson Highway). So Fairbanks became a central hub in the whole operation.
Quieter Stretches
The Chena RiverWalk got much quieter once we walked away from downtown (map). I preferred the segment towards the west where it looped behind a dog park and some baseball diamonds. It almost felt like we were away from civilization if we ignored the park and looked towards the other side of the river. We weren’t of course — far from it — but it certainly felt peaceful.
Downtown Streetscape
I like to wander around the cities I visit and I spent considerable time doing so in Fairbanks too. This photo is a fairly typical representation of the skyline, from a vantage point along a pedestrian bridge over the Chena River. There are several multistory buildings clustered but none particularly dominate. Still, this is the biggest, most impressive set of structures for hundreds of miles until Anchorage. And there’s simply nothing like it further north, east or west.
I’ve always been a big fan of Art Deco and I certainly appreciated the Courthouse Square building at 250 Cushman Street (map). If this imposing facade looks like governmental, it should; this was Fairbanks’ original Federal Building. Now it’s private office space.
According to Wikipedia, “When it was built in 1933, it was the most northern instance of concrete construction in the United States… It originally housed the federal court, post office, and other federal government offices, and the decision to locate it in Fairbanks was critical to the rise of the city’s importance.”
Large vents line downtown streets. I suspect they relate to steam heating in the winter. However, whatever the purpose, each pipe features unique artwork and brings a little color to an otherwise drab subarctic palette. Nights are long, skies are gray, but that doesn’t mean that everything has to be dull. There’s room for whimsy.
This particular example appeared in one of downtown’s busier areas, along 2nd Avenue (map).
Brewery Options
Of course I visited breweries because that’s one of my things. So let’s mention a couple of them within proximity to downtown, recognizing the usual disclaimer.
Brewery #1: Lat 65 Brewing Co.
Lat 65 Brewing Company was the initial brewery of our trip, where we went for lunch on our first full day in Fairbanks (map). Fun fact, it’s not actually located on Latitude 65 but on Latitude 64.845. Even so I think it’s probably close enough to round it up to 65 so we’ll call it good. I’m probably the only one nerdy enough to fact-check it anyway. It was snowing lightly on that late September day, reminding us that we were indeed deeply within Interior Alaska.
Brewery #2: Humble Roots Beer Project
Humble Roots was actually within walking distance of our temporary home so that was a nice bonus (map). There was another place literally next door called Midnite Mine that was also supposedly a brewpub. However, they weren’t serving any of their own beers when we visited and it sounded like Humble Roots would contract brew for them in the future. So this one counted only as a single addition to the list.
Articles in the Interior Alaska Series
- Golden Heart
- Downtown Fairbanks
- Greater Fairbanks
- Parks Highway
- Coldfoot
- Dalton Highway
- Richardson Highway & More
- Memorable Signs
See Also: The Complete Photo Album on Flickr.
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