Travel Guide: Anchorage, Alaska with Kids

If you follow me on instagram (if you don’t, you should – here), then you probably saw that we were in Anchorage, Alaska recently, visiting a friend of mine from college. This was my first trip alone with the kids, since my husband had to work. (Check out this post for my tips on traveling with kids) It went much smoother than I expected, as usual. With the exception of the 30 minute meltdown on the flight home during the decent. But, it happens, and sometimes there’s just nothing you can do once you’ve tried everything to calm a baby down. C’est la vie. Here’s a little recap of our trip, and a good starting point for anyone looking to visit Anchorage, with or without kids.

The first two days were spent prepping and throwing my friend’s son’s 3rd birthday! He loves trucks, so the theme was construction and she had the cutest decorations. I made a balloon garland the night before, with the help of the kids. And it was a lot of fun getting everything ready for the party on the day of. It also helped that they have a big yard that the kids loved playing in. In fact, they pretty much lived outside every chance they got while we were there.

Visit the Reindeer Farm

If you’re visiting the Anchorage, Alaska area with kids, you have to go to the Reindeer Farm in Palmer! It’s a small family-owned farm in Palmer, AK, with stunning views and plenty of animals to see. They have dozens of reindeer, a moose, elks, bison, yaks, bunnies and horses. Tours run seven days a week, where they’ll talk all about the animals and fun facts about the reindeer, and then you get to go into the reindeer pen and hand feed the reindeer. How cool is that?! The tour then continues through the other animals they have on the property. And you’ll have the opportunity to feed and take pictures with more animals. They also do other tours, and trail rides with the horses. It sounds like their Fall Festival is a lot of fun too, if you’re there during that season.

Tip: This is a real, working farm. So, dress appropriately and wear closed toe shoes, or even boots if you have them. It could get pretty muddy if it’s been raining.

I wear my Ergo baby carrier almost every single day and every time we go out

Take the tram up Mt. Alyeska

First of all, the drive alone to Mt. Alyeska is absolutely stunning! Most of the drive is right between the Turnagain Arm (a waterway to the Gulf of Alaska) and the mountains. There’s a train that takes you along this route too, that I would love to try next time we go up there, but we didn’t have time this trip.

The tram departs every 15 minutes from the Alyeska Resort, which is great for tourists or locals for a little mountain getaway. At the top of the mountain, sits the Bore Tide Deli & Bar, a casual restaurant with amazing views and good food. On a clear day, you can see the 7 glaciers, as well as plenty of mountains, and the nearby bodies of water. Unfortunately, it was overcast when we went. But it was still a stunning view, so I’d say you could visit anytime, even if the weather isn’t perfect. You can also walk around the mountain top before or after you eat.

Tip: the ticket options include just a tram ticket (which is good all day, by the way) or a Dine and Ride option, which is only a couple dollars more than the tram ticket, and it includes a $20 food credit for the restaurant at the top. So, get the Dine and Ride option to save a little bit of money if you plan on eating or grabbing any food or drinks at the top.

Hike to Thunderbird Falls

On our last day of the trip, we decided to go for a little hike to Thunderbird Falls. This is a great hike for families with small children, or people who are just looking for a short, easy hike to get some fresh air. The trail is only 1 mile long, and is fairly easy to complete. With the exception of the initial steep climb when you first start the hike. I was nervous at first, but that was the only “strenuous” part, if you can even call it that.

Once you get closer to the falls, there’s a nice boardwalk with an overlook to view the waterfall. Right before the boardwalk, there’s a pathway that you can go down to the bottom of the waterfall for a different view. We decided to have lunch down by the water, and it was so relaxing. Even with 3 toddlers. The kids ate and then threw some rocks in the water before we headed back up.

Tip: The trail is pretty safe and easy for children to walk. But, as with most mountain hikes, there are some steep ledges and drop offs. So keep an extra good eye on the kids (or carry them) in those areas. I even brought our regular, Graco stroller and it did pretty well since the trail was so smooth.

Where to Eat

Since we were staying at a friend’s house, we didn’t eat out all that much. But here’s some recommendations based on where we did it, and where we would have gone if we had to eat out.

Moose’s Tooth Pub & Pizzeria is highly recommended by the locals and a must do for tourists.

The Rustic Goat in downtown Anchorage has great reviews and is said to have a cool industrial vibe inside.

The Grape Tap in Wasilla is a fine dining restaurant, with good food and appetizers, and of course, lots of wine.

Snow City Cafe in downtown Anchorage is a cute little restaurant with good food and service. They also had some toys in the waiting area for the kids to play with. Which was a pleasant surprise after an early morning flight with hungry kids.

Alaska is such a beautiful state, I highly recommend visiting if you ever have the chance! We had so much fun exploring it with our friends. There’s a lot to do there, so we will definitely be going back at some point to do more. Traveling alone with two toddlers sounds kind of terrifying, but it went pretty well. It was nice having some extra hands available to help with the kids for part of the trip. By the end though, it was just me and my pregnant friend with 3 toddlers. (LOL) But, we’re moms, and we survived. Check out this post if you’re looking for tips on traveling with kids, especially babies and toddlers.

Kirsten