Full day in Fairbanks, help please.

[Midwestoalaska]

We are doing a Princess Cruisetour mid-August for our first time to Alaska. Arriving on Friday and tour starts first thing on Sunday morning. Would greatly appreciate suggestions on what we should do on our day before everything begins.

[SuperCrewBear]

**I** would rent a car from Arctic Outfitters (near the airport) and drive up the Dalton Highway - regular car rentals won't let you take their vehicles up the Dalton. You could go at least to the Arctic Circle or go on another 60 miles to Coldfoot Camp. It's a truly unique experience. There's no cell service, no am/fm radio. The vehicles from Arctic Outfitters come with two spare tires, a tool box with a lot of stuff you might need if you have a breakdown, a first aid kit and a CB radio to talk to the truckers if needed. About half way there you cross the Yukon river and a few more miles is the Hot Spot Cafe - cool ladies running the place and they make a heck of a burger. The scenery can be stark and at other places its very beautiful. We left around 8 AM and were back in Fairbanks around midnight... It was our favorite day out of a two week road trip of interior Alaska. It was AWESOME! Good luck!

[mapleleaves]

Does your tour include any Fairbanks excursions on sunday like Gold dredge or the Riverboat?or do you leave town immediately?

 

I'd rent a car in order to see several sights in the area. Fairbanks is a sprawling city.....a bus isnt an efficient way to get around. Visit the Morris Thompson Culture Center (the antler arch is a great photo op), wander around Pioneer Park, see the pipeline exhibit. Drive out to Chena Hotsprings to enjoy the grounds and look for moose.

All these places have web sites with additional info.

Also, check out the Fairbanks visitor info site.

[Northern Aurora]

As someone who actually lives in Fairbanks, it would be helpful of the OP could give us some idea as to what types of interests they have. But a good start would be : http://www.explorefairbanks.com

[wolfie11]

UAF museum, especially if raining.

[cruiseguy1016]

The Riverboat Tour and the Morris Thompson Culture Center are two great options.

[Midwestoalaska]

Thanks for all the suggestions!!! We will be doing the riverboat combo included with the cruisetour first thing Sunday morning with the bus transfer to Denali early afternoon. We like to see wildlife and husband is interested in history. I was also looking on Trip Advisor about restaurants for dinner as we will be there two nights. We like Italian food as well as seafood. I was wondering if anyone has dined at The Pumphouse Restaurant and Saloon or LaVelles Bistro. Any feedback or other suggestions would be appreciated. I was trying to determine whether we needed to rent a car or if there are buses or shuttles available. So thanks for the feedback on those things. We don't know what hotel we are staying at this time. Princess lets us know about 30 days out. Thanks for being patient with me.

[lenquixote66]

As someone who actually lives in Fairbanks, it would be helpful of the OP could give us some idea as to what types of interests they have. But a good start would be : www.explorefairbanks.com

 

 

I was in Fairbanks in 2008 .I was recommended to an Italian restaurant .Unfortunately I cannot recall the name . The food was great . The restaurant had 2 levels and i walked from the hotel I was staying in .

[Northern Aurora]

I was in Fairbanks in 2008 .I was recommended to an Italian restaurant .Unfortunately I cannot recall the name . The food was great . The restaurant had 2 levels and i walked from the hotel I was staying in .

 

 

Sounds like "Gambardella's Pasta Bella." The interior colors have changed somewhat since 2008 but if you "google" their website you should be able to confirm. It has been a Fairbanks standard for over 20 years.

[Northern Aurora]

Midwesttoalaska: We live on Chena Ridge, so the Pumphouse is our neighborhood watering hole; the dinner quality can be variable but it has a nice ambiance. I actually prefer LaVelles over the Pumphouse. We also like Wolf Run.

 

Fairbanks is somewhat spread out, and a car is very convenient. While we have a borough bus system (Alaska has boroughs, not counties) depending on where and what you want to visit the bus system may not be convenient at all. Also, if Princess puts you at one of the Fountainhead properties, then Fountainhead has its own trolley style shuttle which is very convenient.

 

The "riverboat combo" is a reference to the Riverboat Discovery.

[Midwestoalaska]

Northern Aurora thanks for going thru the trouble of finding the name of the restaurant. I will be hoping we are assigned to the property that has a shuttle or we may have to cab it vs. car rental. I will be checking the Internet for all the great suggestions from everyone!! This forum is awesome!!

[lenquixote66]

Sounds like "Gambardella's Pasta Bella." The interior colors have changed somewhat since 2008 but if you "google" their website you should be able to confirm. It has been a Fairbanks standard for over 20 years.

 

 

That was it ,I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Fairbanks..

[lenquixote66]

Sounds like "Gambardella's Pasta Bella." The interior colors have changed somewhat since 2008 but if you "google" their website you should be able to confirm. It has been a Fairbanks standard for over 20 years.

 

 

That was it ,I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Fairbanks..

[John G.]

We were in Fairbanks recently and ate at the Cookie Jar a couple of times. Thought it was very good.

[wolfie11]

Food - will be in Fairbanks in two weeks and I can’t wait! I prefer Geraldo’s to Gambardellas. Gotta love that garlic... Sams Sourdough for breakfast, any of the 15+ Thai places, although Lemon Grass and Pad Thai are my favorites, Big Daddy’s BBQ, Souvlaki, and hopefully the Falafel place and Bun on the Run are open.

[Midwestoalaska]

Have been checking out all the great restaurant suggestions on the Internet. Thanks! While checking Trip Advisor I missed a lot of these!!

[cruiseguy1016]

We were in Fairbanks recently and ate at the Cookie Jar a couple of times. Thought it was very good.

 

I'll second this. We had a great meal there.

[Midwestoalaska]

Looks like Cookie Jar a must!! Who would have thought with that name?Unfortunately Hubbie doesn't want to drive the Dalton. So looking like UAF seems to have a good number of things to check out. The Morris Culture Center also looks interesting. What are the important things to not miss at these two locations. Again, thanks for all the help.

[WJB]

My last trip to Alaska we rented a car in Fairbanks. They picked us up at the Princess hotel and shuttled us to the rental office....very reasonable rates, nice husband and wife team. It was called Arctic Circle. Their website appears to have last entry as closed for the winter.. reopening April 1, 2016....does anyone know if they are still in business....no answer at the phone number I have

[Midwestoalaska]

Thanks WJB. I think renting a car for the day will be the best idea, because the combination tours I found are not on weekends. We will be arriving on Friday afternoon and seeing sights on Saturday. Any help regarding car rentals would be greatly appreciated.