Fairbanks Community Museum — Attraction in Fairbanks

This was my favorite museum in Fairbanks, and I enjoyed it so much more than I expected! It had a much more personal touch than the Thompson Visitors Center or the Museum of the North, which were a bit more clinical. The Fairbanks Community Museum struck me as an ethnographic museum, showing a glimpse into the lives of dog mushers, gold rush era participants, and Fairbanks flood survivors. It truly gave a sense of the community in this town.

We assumed an hour would be enough for a community museum, especially once we saw it was essentially just a very large room. (Full disclosure, we both like to read all the posted information. If you’re not much of a reader, it will not take as long.) After an hour and a half, we had only covered half of it and it was almost closing time! I went to confirm the closing time with the woman running the register and she generously offered to keep the museum open for a while longer. Knowing that it would take us much more time, we came back the next day and spent another hour at least. I highly encourage you to go to this free museum and donate as generously as possible so they can...

Luckily, we came across the community museum on the last day of our visit in Fairbanks. What a find! Besides interesting local history of Fairbanks, there was a terrific exhibit of mushing. Lots of information about the history (sleds, men AND women mushers) of the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest. Many different kinds of sleds were exhibited and extremely interesting. We came across the museum by accident and were so glad we took the time to enjoy. It was very interesting and informative. Luckily, we came across the community museum on the last day of our visit in Fairbanks. What a find! Besides interesting local history of Fairbanks, there was a terrific exhibit of mushing. Lots of information about the history (sleds, men AND women mushers) of the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest. Many different kinds of sleds were exhibited and extremely interesting. We came across the museum by accident and were so glad we took the time to enjoy. It was very interesting and...

Don't let Google Maps fool you when you look it up on your phone. It's inside the creepy looking mall area. 'The mall itself it cool BTWs'. We loved reading about the mining, dog sledding, and 'Great Flood' history that the museum had to offer. Seeing relics and newspapers really put you in the shoes of those that had to live through those periods in history. The video on dog sledding was very fun and informative too! This place really shows the importance of preserving local history no matter how small...