Must See in Seward

[botbien]

Our vacation plans have changed a little bit based on what we want to do/ see at each location. We’d like sightseeing and sea wildlife encountering.  We decided to cut back our time in Vancouver (post cruise) and spend more time in Alaska (pre cruise) particularly Seward, even though our cruise departs from Whittier.  
 

We arrive in Anchorage and will rent a car to go straight to Seward and spend 3 days there. Among the popular activities in Seward as such:

 

- Tracy Arm Fjords

- Kenai National Park

 

What else do you recommend?  What your recommended itineraries for 3 days in Seward?
 

Thank you in advance for your input. 

[mapleleaves]

 

What are your interests ?  any young kids in your group ? any mobility issues ? and do you have 3 full days ... ie arrive Anchorage on Wed and ship departs Sunday ?

 

In lieu of that info, take a look at the town web site and download their Visitor Guide; 
http://www.seward.com/

 

Options are many;  kayak near the glacier, heli dog sled, Kenai cruise, dog carting, 8 hr glacier hike, fishing, walk to Exit Glacier, SeaLife Center . 

 

BTW, Tracy Arm is out of Juneau not Seward.

Edited January 26, 2020 by mapleleaves
arm

[AKStafford]

If you can, take your time getting to Seward. The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is a great stop for a couple of hours. In Girdwood, the tram at Alyeska is awesome. And while you are there, the walk to Virgin Creek Falls is nice.

The Byron Glacier trail at Portage is nice. And if you can, go past the end of the paved trail and go another mile or so up the valley. Just be careful on the rocks.

[botbien]

8 hours ago, mapleleaves said:

BTW, Tracy Arm is out of Juneau not Seward.

 

Thank you for Visitor Guide website.  I forgot Tracy Arm is in Juneau.  We already booked whale watching trip in Juneau, so Tracy Arm is out of the picture.

[botbien]

1 hour ago, AKStafford said:

If you can, take your time getting to Seward. The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is a great stop for a couple of hours. In Girdwood, the tram at Alyeska is awesome. And while you are there, the walk to Virgin Creek Falls is nice.

The Byron Glacier trail at Portage is nice. And if you can, go past the end of the paved trail and go another mile or so up the valley. Just be careful on the rocks.

 

Thank you for the information.  I'm looking into a rental car.  Seward has a lot to see and too good to miss out.

[mapleleaves]

Instead of opening multiple threads,  please stay with one so that all the info is together.  It wasn't until I saw the Whittier thread re-surface that I realized I;d already responded to a previous post that had info about your travel group which incl 2 teens.

If you are still landing in Anchorage at 1pm, you could easily spend that first afternoon along the Turnagain Arm.

I posted these links previously about suggested stopping points:

https://www.alaska.org/guide/turnagain-arm-drive

https://www.alaska.org/guide/portage-valley

 

If a lot of these stops look interesting to your family, instead of rushing to Seward that 1st night, you could overnight near Girdwood. The Alyeska Resort is nice but $$, or there are some B&Bs/apts available (since it's a ski town).     https://www.girdwoodchamber.com/

Or Summit Lake Lodge is a little further down the road. Lovely lake location.  I haven't stayed there but stop in for icecream and enjoy their view.

 

I see that you've discovered the price of a one-way rental !  Since your departure from Whittier is late in the day, you can easily drive from Seward in the morning, return the car at noon-ish, and catch the ACT bus to Whittier which leaves from downtown at 2 or the airport at 3.  Or if you wanted to do the Philips Glacier Quest, you could return to Anchorage to overnight before the cruise, catch the 9:45am train to Whittier, and do the Glacier Quest before boarding the ship. (in the past luggage was delivered to your cabin if you take the train, but confirm in case things chg'd for 2020).

https://www.phillipscruises.com/cruises/glacier-quest-cruise.php

 

 

[Musigurl]

My must-see list for Seward:

 

Seward Windsong Lodge (if you haven't yet booked a place to stay)

Seavey's IdidaRide Sled Dog Tours

Kenai Fjords Tours

Alaska SeaLife Center

The Cookery (consistently rated as the #1 restaurant in Seward)

Thorn's (absolutely delicious halibut)

Lighthouse Cafe & Bakery (great breakfasts & lunches)

[LadyMac72]

Definitely get the Bowl of 'But at Thorne's Showcase Lounge.

 

I hope it's improved but when I went, the Alaska Sea Life Center was undergoing renovations and lots of exhibits were closed.  Plus the otter my son was looking forward to seeing (at the time, a main attraction) the literal day before we arrived pulled up the grate in his enclosure and got sucked into the pump and died. 

 

My son did some kayaking and we also did some fishing for salmon and halibut.  I really liked Seward.