Activities & Attractions
Downtown Bingo
Get lucky in downtown’s favorite Bingo Hall. A large portion of the proceeds support charitable efforts that help raise the quality of life throughout downtown Fairbanks. Come join us for bingo, a traditional Alaskan past-time. Food and beverages available. Open year-round. Located at 634 5th Avenue, (907)451-0433.
Calypso Farm and Ecology Center
Calypso Farm and Ecology Center runs a weekly Farm Stand at 2nd Avenue and Noble Street every Monday from 5 until 7pm. We offer locally grown, organic vegetables fresh from the garden. Come by and try our beautiful, delicious vegetables grown under the midnight sun. Our Alaskan produce is sure to delight both gardeners and gourmets alike! June through September.
Chez World Cooking School
Chez World Cooking School showcases Alaskan resources. Chefs prepare recipes for participants either by demonstrating or letting “students” do it themselves. Classes are 45 minutes during the day and we offer a 3 hour hands-on class in the evening. New to the 50-year old Northward building, Chez world classes start at 10 am, 12:15 pm, 3 pm and 5 pm. Our evening class starts at 6:30 pm.
Fairbanks Community Museum
Take a step back in time when you visit the Fairbanks Community Museum. Exhibits include: the history of dog mushing from the early races up through the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest, the Klondike Gold Rush, and climbing the Chilkoot Pass. The early days in Fairbanks are also interpreted through exhibitions on mining, the great flood of 1967, and the original winter carnival of 1935. Donations gladly accepted. Open year-round. Located at 410 Cushman Street, (907) 452-8671.
Fairbanks Ice Museum
A little-known secret about Fairbanks is that we are home to the most magnificent ice carving competition on the planet. Every March, international contestants convene and carve beautiful, extraordinary, huge sculptures. Come experience Alaska’s winter in the summer! View life-sized ice sculptures carved by local artists in the historic Lacey Street Theater. Photo opportunities in the Ice Showcase; ice carving demonstrations; slide shows every hour, on the hour.
Fairbanks Shakespeare Theatre
Starting with a performance alongside the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks in 1992, the Fairbanks Shakespeare Theatre has grown into a year-round producing and international-touring theatre company. The cornerstone of our theatre is the Bard-a-thon: a 24-hour-a-day, weeklong reading of the complete works of Shakespeare. Since 2000, this free event has drawn hundreds of people together during cold, Alaskan winters to give voice to Shakespeare’s words. Visit our website or call for current events. Performances year-round.
Glow Putt Alaska Mini Golf
Try miniature golf in a whole new light! Glow-in-the-dark miniature golf features fluorescent colors, lively music, party rooms and more. Centrally located in downtown Fairbanks, Glow Putt is a great way to put some fun and games into your vacation. Fun for all ages! Special discounts offered daily. Open year-round.
Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center
The Alaska Geographic Store, Alaska Public Lands Information Center, the Fairbanks Convention and Visitors Bureau, Tanana Cheifs Conference Cultural Programs, and Denakkanaaga: the regional Alaska Native Elder’s organization, have come together to create the extraordinary Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center. The Center is the gateway to experiencing the grandeur of interior Alaska. Located on the banks of the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks, this new facility celebrates our land and the people who live here.
Fairbanks’ new hot spot for visitior information and cultural activities, the center also has a 100-seat theatre with daily free films and Alaska Native cultural programs and demonstrations, a video nook with Alaskan films and materials, and a recently restored, 1915, historic pioneer log cabin. The center recently opened a large exhibition space devoted to Alaska’a interior. For more information visit morristhompsoncenter.org.
Music Room
The Music Room is a hub for many local steel drum players and other musicians. During the summer months, and on sunny Friday evenings especially, be on the lookout downtown and throughout the Fairbanks area for spectacular steel drum band performances. The Music Room rents space to musicians on an hourly or monthly basis. Open year-round. Located on 2nd Avenue across from the Parking Garage.
PhotoSymphony Productions
Showing at the Fairbanks Ice Museum in the historic Lacey Street Theatre at 8 pm daily is “Auroras: The Crown of Light” A panoramic performance of the Northern Lights. The most realistic presentation of the aurora anywhere. Including the aurora at moonrise, with meteors streaking across the heavens, and moving slowly, softly across the sky in winter. Come and discover the aurora experience, our show has been wowing audiences for years.
Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race
Visit the Yukon Quest headquarters and retail outlet in the historic log cabin near the Cushman Bridge. The cabin was built in 1958 from white spruce with a sod roof and is a beautiful example of a traditional Alaskan building. We sell Yukon Quest gear, Alaskan made items and Native crafts. Join us for the start of the 27th Running of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race on February 6, 2010 in downtown Fairbanks. Open year-round.
