Anchorage Highlights and Indigenous Heritage
Description
Explore Alaska’s largest city while learning about the Dena’ina Athabascan people’s rich cultural heritage. Begin with a downtown tour seeing where Anchorage started along Ship Creek, then visit the Alaska Art Alliance to observe Alaska Native artists practicing traditional carving techniques with ivory, whale bone, and baleen—skills passed down through generations. Continue to the Alaska Native Heritage Center, Alaska’s premier cultural institution, where you’ll explore exhibits, walk among traditional dwellings around Lake Tiulana, and experience live cultural demonstrations including storytelling, traditional dancing, and Native Games. This immersive journey provides authentic insights into both contemporary and traditional Alaska Native cultures. After exploring the Native Heritage Center, you will take the short trip back downtown.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Departing the curb your trained driver will guide you through the traditional homelands of the Dena’ina Athabascan. Taking a tour of downtown Anchorage see where it began along the banks of Ship Creek and learn how those humble beginnings grew into the largest city in Alaska.
Enjoy a quick photo stop along Ship Creek that shows views of the city and the rugged mountains that surround it.
Alaska's premier Alaska Native cultural center. The center shares the heritage of Alaska's 11 major cultures. Visitors experience Alaska Native cultures first-hand through stories, dance and more. You will have the opportunity to tour life size recreations of Alaska Native dwellings, see and hear traditional dancing and singing, and watch examples of Native Alaskan games.
Witness Alaska Native artists practicing traditional carving techniques passed down through generations. Observe skilled artisans working with ivory, whale bone, and baleen in this unique Fourth Avenue workshop. Learn about the “Utuqqanaatmiñ” (“From Our Elders”) project while watching beautiful traditional art come to life. Browse authentic handcrafted pieces in the attached gallery where artists sell their creations. This intimate cultural experience offers rare insight into living indigenous traditions and the healing power of ancestral arts.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
This tour meets on 4th Avenue between E and F streets in front of the Old City Hall and Log Cabin visitor center. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to tour departure. Look for the driver in a grey polo or dress shirt with the Pacific Alaska Tours logo. Wear weather appropriate clothing and shoes.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Important Note: Guest can carry their own infant carrier as we have seatbelts on each seats.
Reviews(13)
My bus driver Clint was excellent! My disembarkation was running late due to my ship having a medical emergency onboard and Clint was so kind and patient with me as I was nervous the bus would leave without me. Not only did Clint wait for me, he helped me get my luggage and got it loaded on the bus for me. I would take PAT again just because of his caring attitude. I did also enjoy his narration on our drive. The heritage center was a nice place to visit. I enjoyed seeing the examples of indigenous homes.
This tour delves into the lives and customs of the Alaskan people in a way that no other tour does. Quite unique. Talyn is a very personable and affable guide. Good job!
Joe was an excellent guide. Very personable, knowledgeable and willing to go the extra mile to make the visit memorable.
Amelia is amazing! So friendly and knowledgeable! We all loved our tour! Thank you so much for the experience!
Sam was great! There was a change in pick up location due to some road construction and he was very communicative about arranging an alternative pick up. Excellent tour! He had lots of great information.. I highly recommend this tour if you want to visit the ANHC and see some other bits of Anchorage in an afternoon!
First I'd like to thank the tour company for not canceling the tour because I was the only customer. Second, I'd like to thank the tour guide, Clint. He was amazing and personable. I enjoyed his take on things and his personal experiences. The tour was amazing and all the information that I learned today at the Alaska Native Heritage Center was all new for me. I appreciated learning about native Alaskan people's culture and how varied it is. Thank you!
This was an amazing + enlightening experience. Will imparted his encyclopedic knowledge and experience all throughout the tour. He went out of his way to be courteous and responsive, and shared his love of his home state in a beautiful way. I learned a lot about this area ! Highly recommend !
We wanted to begin our time in Anchorage by learning about the first people of the area. The heritage center is not to be missed. Our guide was knowledgeable and helpful. We were the only two on the tour and were so pleased the tour was not cancelled. Thanks for a great start to our trip!
If it is raining make sure you wear your rain gear and boots so u can walk outside. Really informative and cool experience. Jane was a great tour guide
The idea of this tour is really cool, but it fell flat in execution. We were early to our meetup spot as instructed, but our guide was not. He was nice, but not very experienced or informed about the tour. I enjoyed the stops but was hoping to get more coherent storytelling of the indigenous population of Alaska. It was cool to stop by the port because it wasn’t included on other tours we went on, but it was unclear how it fit into the story. The Alaska Art Alliance was a fantastic idea, but the shop didn’t seem ready for us, as we killed time browsing at the carvings for a while. We did get to go in the back where the art is made and the artisans were welcoming and kind, but there wasn’t really anything prepared and we didn’t see any art being made. The Alaska Heritage Center was my favorite part of the tour, but there was so much to see (outside villages, native dance performances, a museum, vendors) that there wasn’t enough time in the tour for us to soak it all in, and I ended up wishing we had just gone to the Heritage Center by ourselves so we could use all the time we wanted. Overall I recommend connecting with the indigenous peoples and culture of Alaska because it is fascinating and important, but this tour needs some improvement before it can achieve that.
Thank you for taking the time to share your honest feedback. We’re very sorry to hear that your experience on our city tour fell short, particularly due to the tardiness of your guide and the unpreparedness during your visit to the Alaska Art Alliance. Although our guide is not Indigenous or a lifelong Alaskan, we hold all of our guides to a standard of having a strong foundational understanding of the region’s history and the cultures we represent, especially on tours that highlight Alaska’s Indigenous communities. We’re sorry that part of the story didn’t come through the way it should have. We also want to sincerely apologize for not allowing more time at the Alaska Native Heritage Center. It’s a powerful and enriching place to visit, and it’s clear from your comments that it should have been given more space in the itinerary. We’re always working to improve, especially as we develop new tours and partnerships like the one with the Art Alliance. Your feedback is incredibly valuable and has already been shared with our team to ensure we’re making the necessary adjustments. Thank you again for joining us and for offering such thoughtful insight. We hope the rest of your time in Alaska brought you the connection and experiences you were hoping for.
