Fairbanks

[StellaRN]

We are going to Fairbanks 2 days early. Do we need to rent a car to get around? The men will be going fishing and we are going to sightsee. Are there shuttles or taxis? We arrive on 7/2 and the cruise/tour starts on 7/4. Does Princess use more than 1 hotel in Fairbanks? Part of our group will not arrive till the 4th and we would like to be in the same hotel

Stella

[boten]

A rental is very useful in Fairbanks. Nice things to do in Fairbanks that might not be on the tour are:

- University museum (and the viewing spot of Alaska range just nearby)

- Creamer field

- Drive to Fox on Steese hwy

- Ice museum downtown

[StellaRN]

Thanks I think we will definitely rent a car.

Stella

[IrishLassie]

We just came back from Fairbanks & yes Princess does use 2 hotels. We ended up at the Bear Lodge instead of the Princess Riverfront, but as it turned out it was a beautiful place. We were only there 1 night & all the next day so we did not get a car. There is not to much downtown, but one thing we liked was the Mushers Museum downtown, it's free, lots of great pictures. The Bear Lodge is closer to downtown than the other hotel also. Hope you have as great a time as we did!

[StellaRN]

Thanks Judy. I guess I have to wait till closer to the trip. I want to end up with the rest of our group and not have to change hotels. We are going to be in 2 days early. The rest of the tour comes in on 7/04. I figure there will be independence day stuff to do.

Stella

[tinydancer21]

I would rent a car if you can. Everything is really spread out here so if you want to experience as much as possible a car is a must.

 

So great places to go are Gold Dredge #8 for a fun hands on tour and gold digging. A must for a place to eat is the Turtle Club, great prime rib and seafood (both of these are a little out of town but it's an easy drive with nice scenery). The new Ice Museum downtown is a good stop and the Ester Gold Camp Malamute Saloon show is a kick! :p

Princess usually uses their own hotel now because they recently expanded it but for overflow they use Bear Lodge and Pike's Waterfront Lodge (which is right next door to Princess)

[StellaRN]

Thanks everyone great advice. Any advice for places to eat? We will be in Fairbanks for July 4th and I think there is a celebration in Pioneer Park we are going to go to. I figure it would be fun. I think the dinner shows will be fun. I guess we will go with Princess for the hotel so we don't have to change hotels for the 4 days.

Stella:D

[boten]

...Any advice for places to eat?

The Pump House was nice, but for a real Salmon treat, go to the salmon bake in Pioneer park. I stopped eating the salmon only on the verge of exploding.:) The halibut & cod were good too but the salmon was so much better (also not fried)

[tinydancer21]

The Pump House was nice, but for a real Salmon treat, go to the salmon bake in Pioneer park. I stopped eating the salmon only on the verge of exploding.:) The halibut & cod were good too but the salmon was so much better (also not fried)

I would not eat at the Pump House the atmosphere is cool but the food is nasty. :( I would choose either Pikes or Turtle Club (the Turtle Club is were us locals go ;) )

[StellaRN]

Thanks always like local advice. We will be in Fairbanks for the 4th of July weekend next year. Our land tour starts on the 4th but we are coming in the 2nd. Any special events we should know about? Any reccomendations for fishing while in fairbanks my husband and his buddy want to go Salmon fishing that Sunday?

Stella

[tinydancer21]

Fourth of July is the funnest time to be in Fairbanks, there is a street fair downtown, a parade and lots of stuff that goes on all weekend at Pioneer Park, we don't have a fire works show or anything because it is light out 24/7 so you couldn't see them (we do our fireworks at -40 in January! haha)

 

As far as Salmon fishing goes the salmon will start running in Fairbanks the first week of July but by the time they get up to Fairbanks they are all red and about ready to die, not good eating. The best salmon fishing is mid to late June on the Keani Penninsula.

[StellaRN]

My husband said he'll fish for anything doesn't have to be salmon. He is going to fish at some of the ports when we get to the cruise portion but wanted to fish while in Fairbanks also. I'm looking forward to just hanging out in and around town. Any suggestions would be appriciated. Do you think we need to make reservations for dinner ahead of time because of the holiday weekend? We have plenty of time but it is fun to plan. Everyone here is so helpful.

Stella

[tinydancer21]

You should probebly make reservations if you want to go to the Turtle Club, most other places you should have no probelm. Turtle Club has a web site it's: www.alaskanturtle.com

 

As far as the fishing goes when you guys get here you can go to a hardware store or Fred Meyer (which is sort of like a rip of of K-Mart or Wal-Mart) and get a out of towner fishing licenece, one of they people there should be able to tell you what is running at that time and what kind of bait to use and all that. :)

[tiggrbaby]

We are going to do Princess land/sea in Aug. 2005 and plan on getting in early, also. Is there a better tour agency to book with? My parents want to go on a one day Arctic Circle tour (we are celebrating their 50th anniversary a few months early). My brother, husband, and boys want to do some sort of fishing, probably a charter. Are the hot springs any good? Thanks for all info!

[tinydancer21]

We are going to do Princess land/sea in Aug. 2005 and plan on getting in early, also. Is there a better tour agency to book with? My parents want to go on a one day Arctic Circle tour (we are celebrating their 50th anniversary a few months early). My brother, husband, and boys want to do some sort of fishing, probably a charter. Are the hot springs any good? Thanks for all info!

The best place to book with for Arctic Circle tours is Northern Alaska Tour Company (907-474-8600) they have a whole bunch of different choices and the prices are reasonable.

 

Chena Hot Springs is a beautiful drive and it is a really nice facility. :)

 

I'm not sure about fishing since I don't fish very much, and it really depends on the time of year, the fish and what is running at that time, I suggest you go to the hardware store to get your fishing license and talk to one of the employee's here, they will point you in the right direction.

[tiggrbaby]

Thanks, tinydancer!

[StellaRN]

How long a trip is it to the artic circle from Fairbanks? Is it a day trip? Sounds good. Thanks for the information.

 

Stella

[Budget Queen]

Be very selective on any Arctic circle trip. They all take most of a day. I greatly prefer the fly then drive options. It's too long on just the bus- get a photo at the sign then drive back.

[goodman]

Northern Alaska Tour Company is great t work with. If you fly-fly, be sure to check out the fires before you go otherwise you won't see much of the country between Fairbanks and the Arctic Circle. We did the three-day drive there-fly back to Prudhoe bay this summer, and it was terrific.