This Alaska Downtown Is Made For Strolling
Alaska's scenery tends to steal the show, with a fascinating landscape composed of snow-covered mountains, active glaciers, and lakes as large as Connecticut! Despite its rugged terrain, the town of Juneau, the only state capital inaccessible by car, will surprise you with its lively downtown, easy to navigate on foot. The town’s history lives on today in establishments like the Red Dog Saloon, or ride the Goldbelt Tram 1,800 feet high into the alpine above Juneau. All this and more is within walking distance as soon as you step off the cruise ship and start wandering in Juneau.
Disembark Your Cruise
Juneau is commonly accessed by the Alaska Marine Highway State Ferry system. The cruise docks at Juneau Harbor. From your cruise, make your way to the Mount Roberts Tramway.
Ride the Goldbelt Tram 1,800 feet to the summit of Mount Roberts, where you will experience views of the Chilkat Mountain Range, the Gastineau Channel, downtown Juneau, and Douglas Island. There is a Sky Bridge, Mountain House, and access to hiking and walking trails at the top of Mount Roberts. Additionally, it is common for visitors to see Bald Eagles soaring in the sky above.
Inside the Mountain House, there is a theatre showing a complimentary film on the Tlingit way of life, a gift shop, restaurant, and espresso bar. Once you have learned about the Native indigenous people and snapped some pictures of the view, make your way back down the mountain.
Historic South Franklin Street
South Franklin Street is the main historic district in downtown Juneau. The key focal point of this area is the Elizabeth Peratrovich Plaza, which pays homage to Elizabeth Peratrovich, a Tlingit civil rights leader. She played a crucial role in the passing of the first anti-discrimination law in the United States and is commemorated in a three-story mural, which is accompanied by informative plaques.
The Red Dog Saloon is further up South Franklin Street from the plaza. The saloon was first established in Juneau’s mining era, and while ownership has changed hands over the years, it has always been a staple establishment in town. Today, the tradition of providing hospitality for locals and tourists alike lives on through its authentic touches, like its saloon-style swinging doors and sawdust-covered floors.
Aunt Claudia's Dolls, A Museum, contains a large collection of handmade Native and antique dolls. There is also a studio in the museum that hosts dollmaking demonstrations, and the best part is that admission is free.
Learn Alaska's History
Continue walking along Franklin Street and turn left onto Fourth Street, where you will reach the Alaska State Capitol. It is one of a handful of State Capitols in the country that was not originally constructed as a statehouse. Rather, it was gifted to Alaska when it achieved statehood in 1959. To learn more about Alaska’s path to statehood, join a guided tour of the State Capitol, which runs on weekdays. You will also learn of the challenges of governing the largest state, as well as the indigenous influences that helped shape its laws and policies.
From here, continue along Fourth Street and onto Calhoun Avenue, making your way down several side streets until you emerge on Whittier Street. It is here at the Alaska State Museum that you will learn about the history, art, and culture of different regions within Alaska through both permanent and seasonally rotating exhibits.
View Wildlife from Downtown
After you exit the museum, get down onto Egan Drive and walk along until you arrive at Overstreet Park. The park is established at the base of the Juneau-Douglas Bridge and is known for the iconic whale statue and fountain named Tahku, which is a scale model of real Humpback Whales, which can sometimes be seen while on the sea walk as they migrate down Gastineau Channel.
The park has covered shelters, seating areas, and interpretive displays. It is easy to walk to and is so close to downtown, you can see your cruise ship from across the water.
Similar Alaskan Towns
After you have walked the streets of Juneau, hop back on your cruise and get ready to set sail to other Alaskan towns such as Skagway, which has a compact downtown and Gold Rush heritage of its own. You can also ride a scenic railway through the Alaskan terrain by boarding the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway, which was built in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush. From the comfort of antique railcars, you will pass by mountains, glaciers, and gorges.
Valdez, although not exclusively accessible by ferry, is a stop on the Alaska Marine Highway State Ferry system. Valdez is on a fjord in Southcentral Alaska at the northeast end of Prince William Sound. The Kelsey Dock is a 600-foot-long wooden wharf in town that overlooks the water, and it is common to see seals, sea lions, and sea otters.
Stroll Juneau's Historic Streets
Juneau isn’t just worth visiting because it’s the state capital. It’s easily navigable downtown enchants people from the moment they step off the ferry and onto historic South Franklin Street. Establishments that have been around forever, like the Red Dog Saloon, still carry the same tradition of serving locals and visitors with the same grace, and the Goldbelt Tram enables visitors to experience Alaska’s stunning scenery easily, right from the center of downtown Juneau.
