Fairbanks Community Museum

Located within the old Co-Op shopping arcade on 2nd Avenue in downtown Fairbanks, this small, volunteer-run museum is a tribute to the history and heritage of the area. Split into two areas, the exhibits here focus on the extensive gold mining history of the area and how it lives on through the Iditarod and Yukon Quest races.

There are also exhibits on the spending the winter in Fairbanks, the Flood of 1967, and the famous aurora borealis. If you’re learning about the city the pictures and stories of the brave men and women who willingly came here to seek their fortunes are still unbelievable, as are the make-do ways that they moved around, lived day-to-day and, when times were good, managed to really party, despite the isolation and cold.

Though rather small and very locally-focused, this charming and free museum is an appealing and informative alternative for a potential later visit to the larger historical theme park called Pioneer Park, which is still known to the locals as “Alaskaland.”