Fairbanks – The Golden Heart City
Fairbanks, Alaska, located on the Chena River, is a city of exciting booms, extreme weather, and cultural posterity, and is the site of continual bursts of business, innovation, and commerce. This has been Fairbanks’s story since 1902, when the sleepy little community transformed into a major supply post and hub of prospecting frenzy when gold was discovered in a northern creek. Today, Fairbanks is still a gold-rich area and center of mining activity. In fact, Fairbanks currently holds some of the most fun and tourist-friendly opportunities for gold panning, tours of mining facilities, and more.
A direct product of perhaps the most defining event in Alaska history – the Gold Rush – Fairbanks continues to fight fiercely to maintain its status as a thriving city, always at the forefront of new expansions and changes. Unique for its frontier spirit and wealth of natural resources, Fairbanks is also the footpath into the Alaska Heartlands- the primitive, wild Interior of Northern Lights and Midnight Sun.
Fairbanks’s unique natural phenomena and interesting historical past are just part of the city’s unique appeal. Did you know Fairbanks has fewer clouds in Interior Alaska than anywhere else in the state, and has unusually light rain and snow because air mass loses its moisture crossing the Alaska Range to the south? These quirky climate conditions, along with weird natural wonders like Fairbanks’s sundogs-bright rainbow colored spots on either side of the winter sun- or the gusts of “Chinooks”- the surprisingly warm winds that blow through winter- make Fairbanks a fascinating city to visit and natural tourist attraction. Today, there are more reasons than ever to book a tour to Fairbanks. In the city as locomotive as the Alaska Railroad, there are new frontiers of commerce and culture forging ahead even now that make Fairbanks one of the most exciting Alaska cities to visit.
One significant area of advance is transportation. With the ever-increasing popularity of the Alaska Railroad, Fairbanks, never one to be left out of the action, recently created its very own top-of-the-line train depot, dedicated on May 26,2005. More bus parking and secure transfer areas make a ride on the Alaska Railroad, via Fairbanks, smoother than ever. Touring Alaska by rail continues to be one of the best, most authentic methods of Alaska travel. But why settle for trains, when you could have planes too? Fairbanks’s transportation advances continue with Frontier Flying Services. Fairbanks has recently become a base for Frontier Flying Services, which flies to Nome and Kotzbue for excellent birding opportunities. With flights from Fairbanks to famous birds paradise, Gambell, located on St. Laurence Island, and Nome, birdwatchers can delight in thousands of different bird species by catching a flight from this dynamic city.
Fairbanks: The Golden Heart City
Unique for its frontier spirit and wealth of natural resources, Fairbanks is also the footpath into the Alaska Heartlands- the primitive, wild Interior of Northern Lights and Midnight Sun.
After the exciting whirlwind of touring Fairbanks, the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge provides a tranquil haven on the banks of the Chena River.
Besides being a hub for transportation, Fairbanks is an exciting center of culture as well. The Golden Heart City is home to the University of Alaska Museum of the North, which is on the cusp of completing an exciting $32 million expansion, doubling its size to 81,000 square feet. Set to open in fall 2005, this famous Fairbanks landmark will encompass the 10,000 square foot Rose Berry Alaska Art Gallery and a Multimedia Auditorium featuring films, informative lectures, and performances by Alaska Native athletes and dancers.
If all this sounds a bit overwhelming, rest assured there are plenty of guides available for planning your Fairbanks travel experience. Fairbanks’s Golden Heart Academy is a hub of learning for tourists. At this learning center, tourists can immerse themselves in the Academy’s seminars on eco-tourism, Alaska’s deep cultural history, and the must-see tourist sights of Fairbanks. Emerge feeling like a native and ready to take on the day!
In other new Fairbanks news, the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race has chosen Fairbanks native Julie Fougeron as the executive director for the Alaska office. Catch a glimpse of this local celeb during your travels to Fairbanks.
If you are questioning where to lodge in this great city of exciting innovations and expansions, consider the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge. This convenient lodge is the best of both worlds, featuring all the comfortable amenities of luxury accommodations, blended with authentic Fairbanks frontier flavor. The Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge is ideal for both its luxury and unbeatable location. Nestled just minutes from the Fairbanks International Airport, with direct access to Fairbanks’s thriving downtown area and the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the lodge is also a stones throw from such popular Fairbanks’s tourist attractions, like the El Dorado Gold Mine, the Riverboat Discovery, and Alaskaland.
After the exciting whirlwind of touring Fairbanks, the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge provides a tranquil haven on the banks of the Chena River. Take advantage of the lodge’s premiere amenities, such as a health club, steam bath, and quality dining establishments. If you haven’t had your fill of Alaska’s Great Outdoors, take a stroll through Fairbanks’s Princess Riverside Lodge’s perfectly manicured grounds, or recline on the terraced deck and stare out over the water’s edge, reflecting on the adventures of your Fairbanks travels.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this guide to traveling in Fairbanks, a city we truly consider one of the fairest of them all! Book your tour today to experience the city’s unique adventures, natural beauty, and deep historical culture!