Your favorite souvenirs from Alaska ports?

[SempreMare]

What have been your favorite souvenirs from Alaska ports? 

 

I'll be traveling on Holland America this summer to 

-  Haines

-  Juneau

-  Ketchikan

 

Before the cruise, I'll also stay in 

- Anchorage 

- Seward

 

 

[VennDiagram]

My favorite is jewelry.

 

Haines, a ring made by a local woman

Juneau, a pendant and earrings designed by a local but made in WA state -- when I bought this set, I thought I would likely never be back in Juneau, so I wanted something that felt like a "piece of Juneau".  It is embellished with a copy of pictographs (pictoglyphs?)  from near Juneau

Ketchikan, a necklace made by a woman who lives in Haines

 

But to be honest, one of my favorite Alaska souvenirs is a rock I picked up on the beach at Haines ❤️ and another one is the $5 fridge magnet I got from the Haines Hammer Museum.

[AKStafford]

Just remember to look for the "Made in Alaska" logo to ensure it's local. Or the "Silver Hand" logo to ensure it's made by an Alaska Native.

A good Ulu knife is a great tool in the kitchen.

[Anita Latte]

We bought a knife at Northern Knives in Anchorage. This was post cruise, so we had no issues with transporting the knife. We checked it in our luggage for our flights home. Many of the knives in this store are handcrafted by local artisans. Local being all over Alaska but also in other states and Canada. Many of the artisans live full time or part time in Alaska, and the knives are each identified by where they were made. Some artisans work on their knives over the winter in Alaska...some in a more friendly, more Southern clime.

 

We also bought several hats. I bought mine in Seward. One is a handmade fleece baseball cap style with lovely mountain details on it...another is a pill box? style fleece with an embroidered brim in a pattern styled like the carvings on totems. A salmon run theme. Both were made in Alaska.

 

In Ketchikan, I found a package of postcards that were created by a local artist. They were reproductions of watercolor paintings of all the various sights around Ketchikan.

 

My favorite souvenir was the almost 10 pounds of salmon we shipped home from our fishing excursion on the Kenai River... and a few of the blown up prints from photos taken on the trip. I was super impressed with the large prints at Walgreens, watch for a code!

[hpeabody]

Canned smoked King Salmon in Ketchikan. mmmmmmm

[TwinMamainMN]

We have a sort of collection of Christmas tree ornaments. After seeing orca and humpback whales in ISP, we bought a humpback whale ornament with Santa Claus sitting on its back. It's very well done and reminds us of our amazing day in ISP. My youngest son (age 7), bought a orca fluke tail fleece hat. It's not going to fit very long, but it's adorable!

[quack2]

Ray Troll t-shirts and calendar from Soho Coho in Ketchikan.  On Creek Street.

[olemissreb]

We got a hand painted Christmas ornament - I think in Ketchikan.  But it is a great reminder of a great trip that we had every year when we put it on out Christmas tree.

[SempreMare]

Thanks so much everyone!

 

Wow, @Anita Latte that Northern Knives store in Anchorage looks serious!    

What an excellent selection. 

 

Unfortunately my Anchorage stay will be before my cruise.  According to the Holland America "Know before you Go" PDF, "knives or sharp blades over two and half inches long and illegal drugs of any kind are prohibited without exception."  

darn it...

 

Though maybe they would ship...   I've always been waylayed trying to find a post office while on vacation.  Something happens and I can't get there in time.

 

When my hand was in a cast last year, someone advised me to buy an Ulu knife and a Subway salad bowl .   Great advice - I could simply dump veggies into the bowl, then go all Jason on the veggies with my Ulu knife.

 

@quack2 the Soho Coho place & art looks unique! 

 

 

[Anita Latte]

2 hours ago, SempreMare said:

Thanks so much everyone!

 

Wow, @Anita Latte that Northern Knives store in Anchorage looks serious!    

What an excellent selection...Though maybe they would ship...   I've always been waylayed trying to find a post office while on vacation.  Something happens and I can't get there in time.

 

They will ship. You pay for shipping yourself, but they will ship. The selection CAN vary...it all depends on deliveries from the various artisans. While we were there, we were looking at the selection from one in particular, and there were only a couple knives from that person, and they explained that they were expecting more. That is the inconsistency to expect as their stock of such things is dependent on the production of the individuals. There was another that had a wonderful selection of knives on Creek Street in Ketchikan...and that is how we were first exposed to the one artisan...but that was during our cruise and knowing we were headed to Northern Knives post cruise, we didn't bother to deal with the ship and the knife situation. Celebrity does have a different knife policy, explained to accommodate special tools like diving knives, and the ship will store the knife for you.

[RoyalVisit]

On 4/17/2019 at 1:32 PM, olemissreb said:

We got a hand painted Christmas ornament - I think in Ketchikan.  But it is a great reminder of a great trip that we had every year when we put it on out Christmas tree.

Great idea! We've collected various Christmas ornaments on our adventures. Looking forward to buying some Alaskan ornaments 🎅

Edited April 19, 2019 by RoyalVisit

[Coral]

I always stop here and buy some of these for my dresser drawers (never used them as soap):

 

https://glaciersmoothie.com  

[chelsea922]

We purchased an Ulu knife for our souvenir wall and some huckleberry jam for consumption at home.  Both are quite memorable.

[AKStafford]

In Juneau, this might be a great place to visit: https://www.juneauempire.com/news/forget-diamonds-this-new-shop-on-franklin-showcases-all-local-craftsmen/

[SempreMare]

Thanks @AKStafford!     That link sent me down a Juneau rabbit hole of discovery about Juneau.

 

@chelsea922 Love Ulu knives. 

 

When my arm was in a cast, I discovered them by accident and when I had no other choice but to get one.    With an Oxo Ulu knife and a Subway Salad bowl (the kind they use in Subways to make Salads, like the bowl in that pic),  I'd just throw my veggies in the bowl. Then, go all Jason on them with the Ulu. Et voila - veggie salad for dinner.  The rounded bowl + rubbery non-skid nature of it made it perfect for an arm-in-cast situation.

[quack2]

The House of Russia in Juneau is pretty cool.  I picked up some Oregon Duck football player nesting dolls there several years ago.  Treasured souvenir.

[shealea]

I bought a magnet from each port. 

We camp and travel around a lot in the summer. I've started buying a magnet 
from many of the places that we visit. Seeing the magnets on my fridge always makes
me smile!!!!!

At one of the ports in Alaska I bought a really cool wind chime type thing to hang

on my back porch. It has wooden whales on it. I love the style and I can look out to my
porch and see it hanging. 

 

[Ginnyfyr]

Hubby and I bring back lots of delicious smoked salmon - we joke that when we run out, that's how we know it's time for another cruise to AK. I bought some cool wooden bear claws for tossing salads for myself and got a pair for my in-laws; have picked up some cute tea towels as well. I also like to buy t-shirts if I see something cute for myself; the one I bought on our last trip a few years ago has seen better days so time for a new one when we sail again to AK in a few weeks! As someone else mentioned, definitely try to shop the 'Made in Alaska' products if possible.