Things to Do in Anchorage

With its craggy mountains, monochrome tundra, and verdant valleys, Alaska itself stands as a monument to the beauty and power of nature. Focusing on the state's prehistory, the Alaska Museum of Natural History's sprawling collection of artifacts educates the public with engrossing and educational dioramas and displays. Among the museum’s notable exhibits is its newest installation, Ice, which delves into the profound geological changes wrought by the last Ice Age. Likewise, the Schmidt Mine exhibit lets visitors touch and pick up craggy specimens from the collection, including meteorites and fluorescent stones. Ancient mammoth bones and fearsome saber-tooth tiger jaws show patrons the fauna encountered by Alaska's first human inhabitants, whereas fully assembled dinosaur skeletons transport viewers even further back in time, way before the Jurassic Park movie came out.

Air-filled structures within Pump It Up's indoor play-haven offer hours of safe bouncing enjoyment for youngsters two and older. Kids leap around in bounce houses during drop-in pop-in playtime sessions during weekdays, where they interact with other bouncers while getting exercise. An obstacle course adds challenges to their enjoyment, and inflatable slides bring kids back down to earth to start games anew. Pump It Up's space can be rented out for private events, such as birthdays, grade-school graduations, and a kid's first steps on the moon. Not just for children, Pump it Up also hosts teambuilding corporate events for adults and hosts family play times where parents are encouraged to jump along with kids.

State investigator Suzan Armstrong sifts through heaps of paperwork, carefully mulling over government cases. Though her eyes focus on the documents' dense text, her thoughts momentarily drift away to daydreams about erecting a creative haven where people can funnel their imaginations into a slew of colorful crafts. In January of 2007, Suzan's reoccurring daydream materialized when she hung up her investigative briefcase, broke the glass on her emergency paintbrush holder, and opened her own franchise of Color Me Mine—named one of the top 10 places for kids' birthday parties by Parents magazine.

The 1,750-square-foot studio brims with décor and fixtures crafted by its own staff members, including custom-tile floors and a grandfather clock made from shards of shattered pottery. Patrons browse well stocked shelves of ceramic plates, vases, and—thanks to an exclusive partnership with the magic magnate—Disney characters, then garnish their chosen bisques around crafting tables in the main studio or long tables in the private party room. Experienced staff members stand closely by to help with bisque or paint selection and answer any questions about materials, design ideas, or how to emblazon Tinker Bell with a perfect Mona Lisa smile, then glaze and fire each creation to forge a bounty of long-lasting keepsakes.

In a steady procession, waves rear up to 4 feet high before collapsing and delighting waders with blasts of spray. Unlike ocean waves, these aren’t governed by the moon, and they don’t crash against a beach. Instead, they rhythmically rise and fall in the wave pool at H2Oasis Indoor Waterpark, which stays open year-round and is the state’s only indoor water park.

Outside of the wave pool, park visitors can find watery solace floating down the 575-foot lazy river with its gentle current. For a higher-octane experience, the Master Blaster water coaster rockets riders through a splash-filled adventure much safer than riding a scooter into the shower. And when it comes to entertaining the younger set, the four cannons on the park’s pirate ship evoke intrigue on its waters, and the placid children’s lagoon gives tentative youngsters a haven for safe play.

The Anchorage Ballet and its academy have been preserving the art of classical dance since 1997 through a well-rounded curriculum based on the Russian Vaganova method, and has prepared young dancers for international careers with the American Ballet Theatre, the Kirov Academy, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and The Juilliard School. Each student is placed into the appropriate level of classes—which include pointe and pas de deux—according to age, talent, attitude, and musicality. It is through these classes, seasonal performances, and summer camps that the school's skilled teachers and guest instructors teach ballerinas to harmonize the entire body's movements, creating expressive leaps and pirouettes via Vaganova's vision. The academy partners with the Alaska State Council on the Arts, the Atwood Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts to help bring ballet to Alaska's arts community and particularly limber polar bears. The academy won the 2010 award for outstanding arts organization at the Mayor's Arts Award ceremony.

Within the historic 4th Avenue Market Place is the Alaska Experience Theater, a time capsule of state history and a portal for cultural exploration through film. The curators perennially screen four short documentaries on Alaskan history, projecting one about the devastating Good Friday Earthquake of March 27, 1964, in an earthquake simulator that rocks on hydraulic lifts designed to soothe Zeus in his infancy. A 40-foot screen commands attention in the 96-seat main theater, where the documentaries are relayed in vivid detail by a 3-D Christie Digital Projection System along with cult classics, independent films, and wide-release blockbusters. Out in the marketplace, dancers perform native Alaskan dances to the beat of drums, and two permanent exhibits reveal more information about the earthquake and display the full collection of prints by Alaskan artist Fred Machetanz.