A Taste of Alaska Lodge — Hotel in Alaska

I cannot say enough good things about Taste of Alaska (TofA) Lodge. Kory Eberhardt sometimes slow to respond to texts/calls but does eventually. He and his family (his wife Lilly, mother and father and previous owners/operators Debbie and Dave Eberhardt are always a joy to meet. I feel "connected" to Dave and his general political beliefs and ideology. A quirky man but such a joy to meet. Dave -stay true! Third generation family that have homesteaded. The property (several hundred acres I recall) are ready for expioration. Have stayed here 4-6 nights each in 2013, 2014 and most recently April 2025 with various family. Two Winter visits and one Summer. I never stayed in main lodge but rather The Spruce House and The Log House cabins near main lodge but with full kitchens. Main Lodge is perhaps more convenient and better answer for some but we prefer the privacy and seclusion of The Spruce and Log. Cottage is yet another option. Both are well appointed, good beds and hot showers. A few antiques and a lifetime of collecting stuff to use for decorating. Breakfasts at Main Lodge are always plentiful and adequate. Perhaps not gourmet but delicious. Egg casseroles, meats, fruit, yogurt, cereal, breads, French Toast....Coffee, Tea, Juices...||The Aurora Borealis - what can one say? Be patient and prepared to wait past cloudy skies and no viewing. A bit like fishing - sometimes good...at times non existent. Once you see (more like experience) you will NEVER forget. One thing I now see through Godwhana (?) Tours which stay at TofA is the use of a professional Aurora guide (we met and paid for her all night time lapse video for April 4, 2025 (the ONLY night we witnessed the Aurora Borealis out of 5 nights). Perhaps having a professional guide is worth the added cost. Inquire through Kory Eberhardt and/or through Godwhana. Kory now has an Aurora viewing cabin near main lodge and Aurora alarms in each room/cabin. This helps guests to get some sleep yet hopefully not miss the Aurora when it shows it magnificent self. AB viewing is typically between 10P and 2A. There is also Aurora Pointe for non overnight guests. ||The Spruce and Log are appointed with decent furniture, beds, towels, linens, all kitchen supplies to cook (if one wants). Decks, hot tub (Log House) and plenty of privacy. Parking no issues. Driving on property roads a tad dicey in Winter but no problem with 4 wheel drive - Winter driving experience a plus but perhaps not essential. Snow shoes, ice cleats for shoes...provided. Best to bring your own winter apparel. We sighted a moose for long periods of time near The Spruce House. Also out in the fields on previous visits. One can use TofA as a base for so many other Winter and Summer activities including but not limited to dogsledding and snowmobiling, flight seeing, Alaskan Pipeline, Chena Hot Springs, Walking with Reindeer...Hiking, driving, museums (Fairbanks), North Pole AK with all of its Christmas themed shops. Fairbanks and North Pole have so many great dining options as well. ||Another point to this long-winded review is that Kory has a fairly new 4WD Subaru Forester available for rental and can park it at Alaskan Train Station or Airport. Guests can return there as well. Quite convenient. ||I could say more but encourage guests to research the TofA website along with links to nearby activities. And general Internet research. Fairbanks, Anchorage and Seward should be on all visitors lists. I have also been to Chena, Denali National Park, Anaktuvuk Pass and other parts od Alaska. I have not visited SE Alaska (Juneau, Skagway, Sitka..) but am told those are great places to visit. There is Wrangell Alias, Gates of the Arctic Nat Parks and simply so many places to explore. Had I gone to Alaska as a young man it is possible I never would have returned to lower 48. ||Kory Eberhardt and TofA is an excellent option to see Aurora Borealis and use as a base to explore all of Fairbanks area. Thanks for a...

When visiting Fairbanks, staying at A Taste of Alaska Lodge is as logical as staying at casinos when going to Las Vegas.

The Lodge sits on a vast homestead piece of land at the end of the road. You can see the majestic Alaska Range with Denali in clear view during the day from the dining room window. At night, you only need to step out from your room (most rooms have 2 doors) and walk 30+ steps into the expansive opening and look up into the night sky. If you come during the aurora viewing season, you shall see plenty of light show in spite of weather forecast (clouds come and go fast, seriously). We saw aurora EVERY NIGHT at THIS PLACE during our stay. The lodge proprietor, Kory, placed a dozen chairs in the opening for you to sit and watch because the aurora can rage on and on, or take a while to develop. As the temperature at night time is literally freezing, Kory built a warming hut a few years ago next to the chairs that you can stay between viewings. You can grab some tea / coffee / hot cocoa from the dining room if you want (or you can bury your beer in the snow. It gets very COLD very FAST!). The lodge website says (Alaska-strength) winter clothing is available for rent should you need some.

If you ever fancy staying at a friend/relative's country house, A Taste of Alaska Lodge is like that. We arrived late in the evening to find fresh fruit and hot drinks in the dining room. When we came to the scrumptious breakfast the next morning, Debbie called out to welcome us. She inquired after most guests' activity plans and offered valuable insights (like: flying to some town in the Artic Circle and drive south is better for aurora viewing than the other way around. Or icy roads this morning going to Chena Hot Spring). Kory also stopped by every table to chat. One night he was out in the warming hut with us as well monitoring 3 websites and timed the most fierce aurora showing. (Thank you, Kory!) He is definitely an aurora enthusiast and avid photographer.

If you are a budget traveler, you should not walk but run to make your reservation at this lodge: most aurora viewing tours are priced above $100 per person which more than pays for the B&B here and the SUV rental depending on your group size. Honestly, the aurora you see in the opening by the lodge is the same you see on any mountain peak, without the treacherous winter night driving on your own or restrictive schedule (i.e. pick up at 10pm, drop off at 2am).

In my humble opinion (ha ha ha), A Taste of Alaska is the epitome of the wild and beautiful Alaska, rugged and generous frontier families, and thriving entrepreneurism. Come to see the aurora and meet the people (unless you don't drive or don't want to drive)!

P.S. We stayed in room 4. My husband locked eyes each morning with a heavily made up Elizabeth Taylor aggressively displaying her cleavage on the wall opposite to our bed. Oh well! Michelangelo's David...

My husband and I were at the Lodge for the Spring Equinox, primarily to see the Aurora and were not disappointed. We stayed in the Spruce House which I highly recommend. It is just beyond the lodge proper and secluded, giving the feeling of having your own cabin in the woods. It is attractive, comfortable and well-appointed with everything you need including a full kitchen. The nearby Walmart is great for any needed supplies. The memory foam mattress on the king-sized bed is firm and divine. We rented the Lodge's Subaru Forrester as our car for the 5 days we were there and it was perfect and did exceedingly well even on very icy roads going up to Chena Hot Springs, plus got great mileage. We did all the things: Reindeer Ranch, Dog Sledding, Chena Hot Springs and Snowmobiling. ||We paid good money to go aurora chasing our first night there (with an independent guide service not affiliated with the Lodge) but the aurora mostly noped out on us that night. We should have saved that money as the next 5 nights the aurora was spectacular and I got great shots with just my cell phone from the cabin deck and yard. If you want high quality photos though, you really need to invest in a modern SLR camera with special low light settings in order to capture crisp images of the aurora's full spectrum of colors. Still, it was amazing to see and definitely a bucket list trip for me to see that first-hand. The aurora alarm was super helpful, as it allowed my husband I to get a few hours of sleep in between aurora flares as they ebbed and flowed across the sky. ||Kory is super easy to work with on scheduling and a gracious host. His mom is a trip and I got my first, "Right On" in many years. We had a blast! Breakfast at the Lodge was good and plentiful. Area food options were also good. The abundant white birch trees all over are gorgeous. Hoping to make it back one spring or summer to see those in leaf. We have a daughter in college so chose Fairbanks over a more expensive trip to Iceland to see the Aurora and were not...