Thanksgiving in Alaska — A Zero-Disappointment Fairbanks Experience 🦃

I declare this Thanksgiving Alaska trip a complete success! A little personal recap below — all my own honest opinions 😊 First Night Aurora Explosion 🌌 Saw a major aurora outbreak with the naked eye! For iPhone shots: use 10-second night mode. If staying downtown, head to Cleary Summit — easy drive, great views. Turn off your car lights after parking! The only true skill: check KP + cloud coverage. No clouds = no problem. ☁️✅ DIY King Crab at Airbnb 🦀 Best deal at Fred Meyer — bake at 380°F for 8–10 mins, dip in butter. Pro tip: use kitchen scissors to cut the shell before baking! Grocering in Fairbanks 🛒 Downtown has Mimi Asian Mart — good ingredients but pricey. We also hit Costco for beef rolls! Foodie Highlights 🥞🌯🍛 Crepery > Aurora Crepes & Peking Duck > Lemongrass. Crepery’s crispy crepes are a must! The duck wrap is great — order ahead (30+ min wait). Lemongrass curry is tasty — solid Thai food. Classic Winter Activities 🐕🏍️🎣 Dog sledding > Snowmobiling > Ice fishing. Firewalkers Alaskan Malamute — super cute dogs, friendly guides. Text to book! Rod’s Alaskan for snowmobiling — gear provided, equipment is new. Ice fishing at Chena Lake — I caught nothing in 3 hours 😅 but watching others reel them in and grilling fish fresh was still fun! Driving in Winter 🚗 We drove a 4WD with all-season tires. Only one rental company has snow tires in Fairbanks, but plowing is excellent — roads were easy for us as regular snow drivers (just don’t drive to the Arctic Circle on these). Other Fun Stops 📮📜 Santa Claus House — send a postcard from the North Pole! Morris Thompson Cultural & Visitors Center — pick up a free aurora certificate! Timing & Staying Warm ⏳🧣 We scheduled all activities (except aurora) between 12–1 PM — sunrise at 11 AM, sunset at 3 PM. As a “southern potato” 🥔, I stayed warm with a base layer + Canada Goose jacket. Brought five packs of hand warmers and didn’t even finish one! All in all — Alaska in winter is absolutely incredible! ❄️❤️ #Alaska #Fairbanks #FairbanksGuide #FairbanksAurora #DogSledding #Snowmobiling #IceFishing #NightPhotography #ColdWeatherShooting #TravelTips #GearSettings #AlaskaTravel #FairbanksFood #StudyAbroad #Travel #AlaskaTourism #AnchorageFood #Anchorage #FairbanksLife #WinterWonderland #AuroraChasing #AlaskaAdventure