Hotel at a Glance: Aviator Hotel Anchorage

With a stay at the recently renovated Aviator Hotel Anchorage, you’ll be in the middle of Alaska’s largest city, but within sight of picturesque mountain ranges. Sample craft beers at Glacier Brewhouse and see live theater at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, both within a 10-minute walk of the hotel. Explore the Kenai Peninsula’s breathtaking wilderness with day trips from nearby tour offices.

• Relax in the comfort of your room, furnished with goose-down bedding and framed with views of the Chugach Mountains or downtown Anchorage.
• Sip cocktails while enjoying live bands in the Anchorage City Limits Music Cafe, located inside the hotel.
• Fuel up after days of immersing yourself in the city and surrounding countryside with dinner at Aviator Hotel’s The Lofts restaurant.

Anchorage, Alaska: Cultural Hub in the Last Frontier

Many western states in the United States boast about their stretches of untamed wilderness, but only Alaska can call itself the Last Frontier—an official nickname the state wears like a badge of honor. Even in its largest city, Anchorage, the great outdoors are never far away. Directly east lie the rugged, snow-capped peaks of the Chugach Mountains. To the west, Prince William Sound’s fjords and bays fill with waters from the Gulf of Alaska. More than 40% of the state’s human population resides in Anchorage; so do sizable populations of black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, and mountain goats.

It’s easy to explore downtown Anchorage, thanks to the city’s grid layout. There are several urban parks, and you can ride through a few of them on the paved, 11-mile Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, which hugs Cook Inlet along the coast (keep your eyes peeled for moose, which are frequently spotted here). On a clear day, you can see the jagged peak of Denali in the distance.

Anchorage is also home to several interesting museums. At the Alaska Native Heritage Center, visitors learn about the state’s indigenous peoples through interactive storytelling, artist demonstrations, and native dance performances. The Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center is a catchall for all things Alaska, ranging from art and history to science and native culture. The second-floor gallery houses full-scale and miniature dioramas depicting important scenes from Alaska’s history, such as whaling expeditions in the arctic and the 1964 earthquake.

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