Fairbanks Please help with timelines- how much time at each place?

[tamsocal]

I know this is subjective- but just wanting to get opinions. It will be me & my 3 kids. We will only have an hour between Riverboat Cruise & Gold Dredge- will we have enough time for:

Large Animal Research Station- 45 minutes & no tour. From what I read we will be ok not going on a tour- if the riverboat happens to finish early we could make a tour if space but lots of if's....

 

Fairbanks Auto Museum- 45min- 1 hour??

Creamer's Field?? I have no idea how much time to allow? what will we do here? walk around, foul viewing? 1 hour is that enough or too long?

 

Univ of Alaska- I asked this one in another post. 1.5 hours? we dont want to rush but also realistically with 5 year olds they don't want to sit & read every plaquard

 

Pioneer Park 2 hours? do we need more? Train, mini golf, Carousel, walking around, likely no Salmon bake

 

Ice Museum Downtown- crossed off list- CLOSED :(

 

Chena Hot Springs- 2 hours? Pony rides, dog cart rides, Ice Museum

(only 30min out of our way from fish/float trip)

 

North Pole- 1 hour?

 

anything we have left out that someone would recommend or are any of our times totally crazy?

[Northern Aurora]

This is such a long list, but I'll give my opinions.

 

While it has been several years since we have been to LARS, it is an active research facility, and there is no public access past the gates unless you are on a tour. There is a viewing platform outside the facility (hopefully it isn't being re-built this summer) so the platform is available twenty-four hours a day. If you are lucky, some of the musk oxen or reindeer will be in paddocks which can be viewed from the platform.

 

My husband and I generally spend two hours at the Fountainhead Auto Museum. We don't have young kids with us, and have visited several times so tend to "do" it more quickly than some.

 

I responded to your question regarding the Museum of the North on the other thread which you started.

 

At Pioneer Park, if the weather is good and the kiddos need some time to play you may find you are able to spend more than two hours. There are nice playgrounds, with the farthest north mini-golf and a nice carousel (separate businesses). The park train runs daily (the antique steam engine from the Tanana Valley Rail Road runs only on holidays and special local events). The kids may enjoy the aviation museum and a quick walk through the old houses (ie Wickersham House Museum and Kitty Hensely House). The miniature diaramas in the Pioneer Museum and Nenana may also be of interest.

[KAYEF]

[quote

 

Ice Museum Downtown- crossed off list- CLOSED :(

WE were there just last week and it was OPEN..............Did you read that it's now closed???????:confused:

[tamsocal]

[quote

 

Ice Museum Downtown- crossed off list- CLOSED :(

 

WE were there just last week and it was OPEN..............Did you read that it's now closed???????:confused:

 

I called the downtown location & the man said they were closed for renovations. I saw that there is one in Chena Hot Springs- we will go there but if someone finds out it is open please post- or I will once we arrive- it is close to our hotel so I can drive by :)

 

do you have any brocures with a phone # I could try calling again

[tamsocal]

This is such a long list, but I'll give my opinions.

 

While it has been several years since we have been to LARS, it is an active research facility, and there is no public access past the gates unless you are on a tour. There is a viewing platform outside the facility (hopefully it isn't being re-built this summer) so the platform is available twenty-four hours a day. If you are lucky, some of the musk oxen or reindeer will be in paddocks which can be viewed from the platform.

 

My husband and I generally spend two hours at the Fountainhead Auto Museum. We don't have young kids with us, and have visited several times so tend to "do" it more quickly than some.

 

I responded to your question regarding the Museum of the North on the other thread which you started.

 

At Pioneer Park, if the weather is good and the kiddos need some time to play you may find you are able to spend more than two hours. There are nice playgrounds, with the farthest north mini-golf and a nice carousel (separate businesses). The park train runs daily (the antique steam engine from the Tanana Valley Rail Road runs only on holidays and special local events). The kids may enjoy the aviation museum and a quick walk through the old houses (ie Wickersham House Museum and Kitty Hensely House). The miniature diaramas in the Pioneer Museum and Nenana may also be of interest.

 

My list needs a 3rd day :)

:( which we don't have. I was already stretching it with 2 days so we will just have to make do.

I am having such difficulty chopping something off the list.

If we skipped Chena Hot springs we would save 2-4 hours and have time for everything. However, that is one place my opdest DS really liked. He plotted out our driving on Mapquest, looked everywhere up online, typed up the hours open, cost, etc-- was a cub scout project :), so he keeps reminding me that there is a ice museum, pony rides and sled cart rides.

 

However if I happen to go to Caribou in Skagway and do the cart ride there or get to Pioneer park & see if they still do them (or Denali???) maybe we can skip chena hot springs? pony rides, I found someone near LARS to do them with. I liked the Ice Museum though- so if dowtown is really closed for now- I would like to go to Chena HS. reality is we will only have to drive 20 min more to get there from our fishing/float trip.

 

I think my kids are going to enjoy some of the places on the list but instantly after ~ 30 minutes start asking me are we done yet?

with the auto museum open til 9 sunday we can likely squish everything in but I just dont know if I want 2 12 hour sightseeing days and then 4 hours later hop on a plane...... but thankfully we will be flying first class so at least that will help a little. I was hoping to get the kids to bed by 8p and wake them up 3 hours later to go to the airport but that could be disastrous trying to get comatous kids to arouse :D:D so might be just as well to stay out & about and then shower & go to the airport- waste of a hotel day but oh well......??

 

for pioneer park they want to go mini golf, train, carousel & walk thru the houses-- maybe other things but this is what they have asked for so far

[Genessa]

We never got there, but since you oldest was so involved in choosing Chena, I would say go for that - worst case scenario, it was built up way more than it should have been and he will learn a valuable travelling experience.

 

we did a drive by of the large animals - sort of like a zoo safari - think it took about 10 minutes on way to university.

 

I loved the University museum, but don't know any 5 year olds or even 9 year olds who would even want to spend more than 1/2 an hour there (and I have grandchildren both ages, lol). We went with another couple and my dh & my friend were done in about 18 minutes. Her dh & I could have spent days there.

 

I would allot at least the 2 hours at Pioneer Park.

The aviation museum, when we went, had a helicopter there, that, if memory serves me, you could sit in - totally cool. They also had a collection of slides, that you looked through a viewer, can't remember what it is called - the men all loved that and the exhibit on Roy Rogers.

[tamsocal]

We never got there, but since you oldest was so involved in choosing Chena, I would say go for that - worst case scenario, it was built up way more than it should have been and he will learn a valuable travelling experience.

 

we did a drive by of the large animals - sort of like a zoo safari - think it took about 10 minutes on way to university.

 

I loved the University museum, but don't know any 5 year olds or even 9 year olds who would even want to spend more than 1/2 an hour there (and I have grandchildren both ages, lol). We went with another couple and my dh & my friend were done in about 18 minutes. Her dh & I could have spent days there.

 

I would allot at least the 2 hours at Pioneer Park.

The aviation museum, when we went, had a helicopter there, that, if memory serves me, you could sit in - totally cool. They also had a collection of slides, that you looked through a viewer, can't remember what it is called - the men all loved that and the exhibit on Roy Rogers.

 

Thanks for the post!!!

I think what I have come to is start our am's with the things we want to do most and end the days with the items that are lowest on the list. THis will allow time for the things I have short changed and bump low priorities off the list

 

It has been 5+ years ago but I think we were at LARS with my then ~3 yr old for about 30 minutes and ~-1.5 hours at University but its been so long ago I really can't recall for certain. my best guess is that we went to Pioneer for about 2-3 hours

 

I would probably try to convince DS out of chena if we werent already going to be over half way there- so worst case it will just be 40-60 minutes waste of time. I would have to say though I am less than impressed already.....tried calling them to find out about reservations, times available- open & close, etc and it was a horrifically painful conversation with someone. DS had heard me call 5 places prior to this one and then started laughing because of how hard it was to ask a simple question. Mom maybe it would be better to just ride the pony at the other place you called, that lady seemed nice, the guy you just talked to seemed kind of lost

[Terella]

With younger children I would suggest the place to go would be Pioneer park. We went around it last year without kids and it took us 45 minutes or so. With children and doing all of the activities 2 hours would work. The river goes by the park, you can see people canoeing down it and the ducks on it.

 

Chena Hot Spring is a nice place but just isn't the same in the summer and might not interest younger children too much. The ice museum is cool seeing the sculptures but is small and some of sculptures are not supposed to be touched. The hot springs are the best part of Chena but children are not allowed in the outdoor pool, only the indoor pool.

 

The North Pole is cool to see, I love the candy cane striped lightpoles. The Santa Claus house is cute but is mostly a gift shop, so depending on how well your kids like to shop. You can see the reindeer but they are behind a fence and may be hard to see.

[donaldsc]

I know this is subjective- but just wanting to get opinions. It will be me & my 3 kids. We will only have an hour between Riverboat Cruise & Gold Dredge- will we have enough time for:

Large Animal Research Station- 45 minutes & no tour. From what I read we will be ok not going on a tour- if the riverboat happens to finish early we could make a tour if space but lots of if's....

 

Fairbanks Auto Museum- 45min- 1 hour??

Creamer's Field?? I have no idea how much time to allow? what will we do here? walk around, foul viewing? 1 hour is that enough or too long?

 

Univ of Alaska- I asked this one in another post. 1.5 hours? we dont want to rush but also realistically with 5 year olds they don't want to sit & read every plaquard

 

Pioneer Park 2 hours? do we need more? Train, mini golf, Carousel, walking around, likely no Salmon bake

 

Ice Museum Downtown- crossed off list- CLOSED :(

 

Chena Hot Springs- 2 hours? Pony rides, dog cart rides, Ice Museum

(only 30min out of our way from fish/float trip)

 

North Pole- 1 hour?

 

anything we have left out that someone would recommend or are any of our times totally crazy?

 

These responses are all very subjective but here goes

 

Large animal etc.. - it was closed when we were there.

 

Auto museum - I spent 4 hour one day, went back for 5 hours on day 2, and when I returned to Fairbanks last March, spent another 3 to 4 hours there.

 

U of AK museum - easily 4 hours and I have been there 2x.

 

Chena Hot Springs - I was there last March for 4 days. Not sure if it is worth it in the summer unless you plan to spend several hours in the hot springs.

 

North Pole - maybe 30 seconds at most. Maybe less than that.. Not worth driving 1/4 miles out of your way to see it. An absolute TOURIST TRAP!!!!

 

Riverboat trip. Also a tourist trap but if you can get half price tickets it is sort of fun.

 

The Gold Panning Site. The mine is fake, the gold ore is salted but the gold is real. Sort of fun.

 

Hope that this helps. It probably does not fit your situation but that is what I did.

 

DON

[donaldsc]

One other thing and this is going to sound totally sarcastic and I do not mean it that way. With regards to the Ice Museum, it is basically just a large refrigerated space that lets you experience AK winter temps. Don't know where you are from but if you can find a large meat storage locker in your home town and stand in it for a time and you will the same effect. Paying someone to experience cold during the summer sounds to me like a waste of money.

 

DON

[tamsocal]

One other thing and this is going to sound totally sarcastic and I do not mean it that way. With regards to the Ice Museum, it is basically just a large refrigerated space that lets you experience AK winter temps. Don't know where you are from but if you can find a large meat storage locker in your home town and stand in it for a time and you will the same effect. Paying someone to experience cold during the summer sounds to me like a waste of money.

 

DON

 

we were probably only in the downtown fairbanks ice museum for 30 minute 4 yrs ago but the kid liked seeing the scupltures & the ice slide-- not sure if chena hot springs ice museum has a slide though;)

 

does anyone knw how many exhibits/scupltures there are?

[tamsocal]

These responses are all very subjective but here goes

 

Large animal etc.. - it was closed when we were there. :)

 

Auto museum - I spent 4 hour one day, went back for 5 hours on day 2, and when I returned to Fairbanks last March, spent another 3 to 4 hours there. the kids dont want to go but I think we will fun allowing 1 hour minimum for now in my plans ;)

 

U of AK museum - easily 4 hours and I have been there 2x. excellent i will make sure we have 2+ hours

 

Chena Hot Springs - I was there last March for 4 days. Not sure if it is worth it in the summer unless you plan to spend several hours in the hot springs. this may be a bust bit we will drive the extra 20 min and hope for the best- cant go in the springs with the kids so pony rides, dog sled & ice museum is all we can do ???

 

North Pole - maybe 30 seconds at most. Maybe less than that.. Not worth driving 1/4 miles out of your way to see it. An absolute TOURIST TRAP!!!! LOL, it is last on the list and may get knocked off, I have been before, the little one liked seeing the reindeer otherwise AGREED- we were there for about 20-25 minutes but they did visit with santa and told him extra early what they wanted for christmas

 

Riverboat trip. Also a tourist trap but if you can get half price tickets it is sort of fun. I have a toursaver- so one kid will be free- any way to get a BOGO for the other 2 kids???

 

The Gold Panning Site. The mine is fake, the gold ore is salted but the gold is real. Sort of fun. LOL the kids want to do this- toursaver again, but wondering if I should buy another one or a northern lights for a 2nd set of coupons for the kids

 

Hope that this helps. It probably does not fit your situation but that is what I did.

 

DON

 

your comments & suggestions were great!!!

thanks!

[donaldsc]

-- not sure if chena hot springs ice museum has a slide though;)

 

does anyone knw how many exhibits/scupltures there are?

 

It did not when I was there last winter. It does have an ice bar where you can get a martini in an ice glass and also has a bed that you spend the night.

 

DON

[tamsocal]

It did not when I was there last winter. It does have an ice bar where you can get a martini in an ice glass and also has a bed that you spend the night.

 

DON

 

did they all melt:(

 

Chena Hot Springs erected the first version of the Aurora Ice Hotel (now renamed the Aurora Ice Museum in January, 2004. The Ice Hotel was the first of its kind in the United States, and one of just a handful worldwide.

 

The museum features a gallery and ice bar, overhead chandeliers made of individually carved ice crystals which change color every six seconds mimicing the northern lights, countless sculptures including a gigantic chess set, life sized jousting knights, an ice fireplace and four galleries with varying themes.

 

The architect of most of the art is 15 time World Ice Art Champion Steve Brice and his wife, Heather, a six time World Ice Art Champion.

 

While long daylight hours and summer temperatures in the 90ºF range melted the first Aurora Ice Hotel in July, 2004, the project was not abandoned. The second version was completed in January, 2005, with the ambitious goal of making it the only primarily ice structure in the world to stay up on a year round basis.