Visit the Museum

Museum encourages global dialogue about the north

Year-round attraction

The Anchorage Museum is the largest museum in Alaska and one of the top 10 most visited attractions in the state. The museum’s mission is to connect people, expand perspectives and encourage global dialogue about the North and its distinct environment. It is open daily in summer and Tuesday through Sundays in winter. Located in the heart of downtown Anchorage, the museum offers a distinct cultural experience for residents and visitors.

Community center and insight into a place

The Anchorage Museum’s atrium is a gathering space for engagement, offering ways to experience the North through technology, readings, films, families, visual imagery and food.

Polar Nights

The Anchorage Museum's Friday night programs enliven our nights through activities centering around art, culture, the environment, and the way Northern urbanites gather and meet. Activities include food, music, art, design, science, culture and innovation.

Permanent and cHanging Exhibitions

The Anchorage Museum develops major exhibitions and hosts celebrated exhibits from museums around the world. The museum also has several spaces dedicated to the art, history, culture and science of Alaska and the North. Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center houses an exhibition of 600 rare Alaska Native artifacts from the Smithsonian Institution. The exhibit is designed so visitors can easily compare and contrast different Alaska Native cultural groups. In the Discovery Center, visitors can explore earth, life and physical science through 80 hands-on exhibits. Spark!Lab Smithsonian encourages kids and families to explore their inventive creativity — to create, innovate, collaborate and problem-solve. Activities invite visitors to tinker, invent, and conduct science experiments. The Thomas Planetarium offers a fascinating way to learn about astronomy, the Northern Lights and more and is home to a wide variety of interactive demonstrations, educational programs and films.