What to see in Juneau with a rental car?

[mattR]

We rented a car in Juneau and plan on going to the glacier and to a grocery store(were from Canada and like to get some things we can't get here). What other places should we go to?

[Budget Queen]

Head to your library and take out Fodor's Alaska And Frommer's Alaska, as well as other Alaska travel books. They go into detail about Juneau and have maps. There are plenty of places to go, depends on your interests?? Glacier Gardens, St Theresa's Shrine, Douglas Island, Auke Bay, Alaska Brewery, Fish Hatchery, etc etc etc.

[Lookingforfacts]

AAA members should be able to get an Alaska tour book, and maps, for free..

[Quilting_Cruiser]

DD and I rented a car in Juneau on our last Alaska cruise and it was one of the best days we've had cruising. :D We went to Skater's Cabin (across the lake from the glacier), Auke Bay (ate at the Hot Bite. Yum!), Glacier Gardens, etc. There's tons to do. If you search the Alaska board for suggestions, you'll find a lot and can tailor your schedule to your interests.

 

Have fun!

[Cruz4us4]

midimarv----do have a direct hotline for questions? (ha-ha) Well, you helped me with the rain pants, and now I see you have info on the Juneau car routes! We have a car reservation and some ideas, but I like to hear from others who've been there, done that.

 

I currently have on my list to eat at the Hot Bite based on another post I placed. The haiibut cheeks were recommended, but do you have additional suggestions? Was it easy to find? (I found directions online, but I've been sent on wild goose chases before with online maps!)

 

Will you also give some details on the Skater's Cabin? What did you like about it? How much time did you spend at those two stops?

 

Sorry for so many questions but with a family of 5 from age 14 up, it saves me reasearch time for putting a trip together that will work for everyone's interests.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Answers below. :D

 

midimarv----do have a direct hotline for questions? (ha-ha) How cool would that be? I'd love to make a living talking about cruising and, of course, cruising! Well, you helped me with the rain pants, and now I see you have info on the Juneau car routes! We have a car reservation and some ideas, but I like to hear from others who've been there, done that. I'm glad the info about rain pants was helpful. :D One deciding factor for me in choosing excursions and activities is what DD would like. She's pretty much game for anything, but I always try to incorporate things I know she'll love and as she's gotten older, she's got more influence on the planning. To plan out the day, I studied maps of the area and had a list of things we wanted to see. Most of the information was from this very board. :p

 

I currently have on my list to eat at the Hot Bite based on another post I placed. The haiibut cheeks were recommended, but do you have additional suggestions? Was it easy to find? (I found directions online, but I've been sent on wild goose chases before with online maps!). I don't recall actually planning to go to Hot Bite; seeing Auke Bay was high on the list an we just kind of happened upon Hot Bite. I remembered hearing they had great burgers and shakes and we were there right at lunch time, so we tried it. It was so good. The shakes were to die for! It was easy to find our way around, so I don't think you'll be out on wild goose chases. :D In my signature, there's a link to photos from our 2007 Alaska cruise, and there are pictures there of our day in Juneau. The photos of Hot Bite and Auke Bay were taken very close together.

 

Will you also give some details on the Skater's Cabin? What did you like about it? How much time did you spend at those two stops? Well, I didn't find Skater's Cabin all that much to write home about, but the view of Mendenhall from there was really lovely (again, see my pics :D). It was definitely worth driving over there for the view. We didn't go into the cabin, but it was a lovely, peaceful spot and we really enjoyed it. We didn't spend much time, but DD was 12 then, so we were on the go from place to place all day. We spent the most time at Glacier Gardens. That was a place DD picked out and it was really fun! It's kind of cheesy, but the flowers are beautiful and the upside down trees are great photo opps. We road a golf cart to the top and the views were great!

 

Sorry for so many questions but with a family of 5 from age 14 up, it saves me reasearch time for putting a trip together that will work for everyone's interests. I totally understand! I'm definitely the planner in the family and they make fun of me for all my research and time spent on Cruise Critic. But, once we're on the cruise, they're telling me what a great time they're having and thanking me constantly for making it so fun! :D Now it's just DD and me, and she's almost 16, so I involve her in all the decisions about excursions.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience. Happy to! It gives me the chance to relive it!

[Cruz4us4]

midimarv-That was great! Looks like you had a wonderful time in AK. I'm thinking I should make this cruise a "milk shake" theme. Apparently, many of our stops have good ones.

 

Like you, I plan around the rest of my family. My greatest joy of any trip is watching them have fun. Your quote, "I'm definitely the planner in the family and they make fun of me for all my research and time spent on Cruise Critic. But, once we're on the cruise, they're telling me what a great time they're having and thanking me constantly for making it so fun!", had me nodding my head in agreement.

 

I appreciate your insight and I will definitely be adding a stop near the Skater's Cabin area for the views. (One of my daughters is a photo maniac.) The shakes will be for my "always-hungry" teenage son. And, I will do more research on the gardens.

 

Have fun on your next cruise! Again, many thanks for taking the time to help a fellow cruiser in need.

[chinita415]

We are renting a car too and wonder if people have seen whales from the shores at Auke Bay. We have already decided against doing a whale watching cruise in case anyone was going to suggest that.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

We absolutely did! And, we're planning to have an even better time this round! :D It's my pleasure to help and I hope your family has a fantastic cruise!

 

BTW, DD is playing with her new fish-eye lens right now. She's planning to be a photographer and has a great eye. She's taking photography and photo design now and two days before we head to Seattle, we're taking a photography course and going on a photo safari. Good stuff. :D:D

 

midimarv-That was great! Looks like you had a wonderful time in AK. I'm thinking I should make this cruise a "milk shake" theme. Apparently, many of our stops have good ones.

 

Like you, I plan around the rest of my family. My greatest joy of any trip is watching them have fun. Your quote, "I'm definitely the planner in the family and they make fun of me for all my research and time spent on Cruise Critic. But, once we're on the cruise, they're telling me what a great time they're having and thanking me constantly for making it so fun!", had me nodding my head in agreement.

 

I appreciate your insight and I will definitely be adding a stop near the Skater's Cabin area for the views. (One of my daughters is a photo maniac.) The shakes will be for my "always-hungry" teenage son. And, I will do more research on the gardens.

 

Have fun on your next cruise! Again, many thanks for taking the time to help a fellow cruiser in need.

[Budget Queen]

We are renting a car too and wonder if people have seen whales from the shores at Auke Bay. We have already decided against doing a whale watching cruise in case anyone was going to suggest that.

 

Slim chance, unless you are planning in investing a LOT of time, just moving along the coast, and then still iffy. You have a better chance of seeing them from your cruiseship- again investing in a lot of time forward viewing with a good pair of wide angle binoculars.

[olemissreb]

midimarv-That was great! Looks like you had a wonderful time in AK. I'm thinking I should make this cruise a "milk shake" theme. Apparently, many of our stops have good ones.

 

Like you, I plan around the rest of my family. My greatest joy of any trip is watching them have fun. Your quote, "I'm definitely the planner in the family and they make fun of me for all my research and time spent on Cruise Critic. But, once we're on the cruise, they're telling me what a great time they're having and thanking me constantly for making it so fun!", had me nodding my head in agreement.

 

I appreciate your insight and I will definitely be adding a stop near the Skater's Cabin area for the views. (One of my daughters is a photo maniac.) The shakes will be for my "always-hungry" teenage son. And, I will do more research on the gardens.

 

Have fun on your next cruise! Again, many thanks for taking the time to help a fellow cruiser in need.

 

My DH is making fun of me now because I'm on CC and gleaning all kinds of information for our trip to Alaska and we aren't going for 2 years!:eek::) I did the same thing for our cruise last year (well only spent a year planning), but it was the first for our boys and seeing the smiles on their faces and hearing "when can we go on another cruise" made all the ribbing I took well worth it!

 

Oh yeah and I'm writing all of this down. I was thinking we'd do a whale watching cruise here and maybe find a way to walk on the Mendenhall, but renting a car and doing our own thing is sounding really great! Plus my bottomless pit 15yo (will be almost 17 when we cruise) and the 11yo would LOVE the milkshakes!:D

[Assateague Island Princes]

If "the bottomless pit" likes crab legs - be sure to stop at Tracy's Crab Shack in Juneau - right near the parking garage/library where the ships dock. Amazing, HUGE crab legs, with wonderful crab soup as well. Yum! Mouth watering just thinkin about it:o!

[Quilting_Cruiser]

My DH is making fun of me now because I'm on CC and gleaning all kinds of information for our trip to Alaska and we aren't going for 2 years!:eek::) I did the same thing for our cruise last year (well only spent a year planning), but it was the first for our boys and seeing the smiles on their faces and hearing "when can we go on another cruise" made all the ribbing I took well worth it!

 

Oh yeah and I'm writing all of this down. I was thinking we'd do a whale watching cruise here and maybe find a way to walk on the Mendenhall, but renting a car and doing our own thing is sounding really great! Plus my bottomless pit 15yo (will be almost 17 when we cruise) and the 11yo would LOVE the milkshakes!:D

 

 

I happened upon Cruise Critic in 2003, so we did our first two or three cruises without the benefit of all this knowledge. Once I found CC, the quality of our cruises changed dramatically!

 

I actually enjoy the teasing because I make secret plans and then surprise them on the cruise. They get so excited!

 

And, when we get to the cabin, there's always something waiting there for DD. I haven't placed a Bon Voyage order yet, but I will before too long. Not sure what I'll get her this time, but she'll be guessing on the way to the cabin. :D

[mattR]

If "the bottomless pit" likes crab legs - be sure to stop at Tracy's Crab Shack in Juneau - right near the parking garage/library where the ships dock. Amazing, HUGE crab legs, with wonderful crab soup as well. Yum! Mouth watering just thinkin about it:o!

 

Whats the cost?

[Quilting_Cruiser]

If "the bottomless pit" likes crab legs - be sure to stop at Tracy's Crab Shack in Juneau - right near the parking garage/library where the ships dock. Amazing, HUGE crab legs, with wonderful crab soup as well. Yum! Mouth watering just thinkin about it:o!

 

Oh, we are so going there! :D

[mattR]

DD and I rented a car in Juneau on our last Alaska cruise and it was one of the best days we've had cruising. :D We went to Skater's Cabin (across the lake from the glacier), Auke Bay (ate at the Hot Bite. Yum!), Glacier Gardens, etc. There's tons to do. If you search the Alaska board for suggestions, you'll find a lot and can tailor your schedule to your interests.

 

Have fun!

 

What do you do at Auke Bay?

[Quilting_Cruiser]

What do you do at Auke Bay?

 

 

We looked at the scenery, watched a guy catch salmon, and ate at the Hot Bite. :D

 

From Wikipedia:

Auke Bay

is a community located in the

borough

of

Juneau, Alaska

that contains Auke Bay Harbor,

Auke Lake

, the

University of Alaska Southeast

, a branch office of

NOAA

, an elementary school, a church, a

post office

, a

bar

, a

coffee shop

, a waffle house, a Thai restaurant, and two

convenience stores

. The view of the

Mendenhall Glacier

behind Auke Bay and

Mt. McGinnis

towering over

Auke Lake

are some of the most popular photo opportunities in Juneau. The

ferry terminal

of the

Alaska Marine Highway

system is also located further out the road in Auke Bay at about 14 mile.

[Assateague Island Princes]

Re: Prices - the website is "kingcrabshack.com" click on menu. Prices subject to change, of course, but for instance the one we got while there included 1 King Crab Leg (a monster - larger than my wrist in circumfrence), an 8 oz. cup of crab bisque, and 3 mini crab cakes cost $24.95. Just one King Crab Leg by itself was about $15 or $16 as I recall. DH and I shared the $24.95 platter and ordered one more cup of bisque because it was so darn good, and we were both full afterwards.

 

Tracy also posts the name of the ship that caught the crab she is serving that day outside her stand. While we were there, our crab was caught on the Time Bandit from the Deadliest Catch tv show. Coincidently, we had seen the Time Bandit (and had my picture taken with one their crew members in front of the boat!!!:D) while in Homer just days before. Homer is the home port (no pun intended;)) of the Time Bandit. For this Deadliest Catch fan, it was a REAL thrill!