and although many add on a multi-day excursion north to Denali, not many venture even further north, to Fairbanks. That’s a shame, since this inland city has so much to offer
year-round.

The most visited destination in Fairbanks is the Fountainhead Auto Museum. It’s a rarity – both because only pre-WWII American-made cars are featured here and for the equally fascinating displays of clothing and accessories, such as hats and shoes, matched to the period of the vehicles, so the museum is popular with both men and women. As an example, Bing Crosby’s tuxedo is displayed alongside a yellow and orange 1910 Argonne. If you never heard of that company, you are not alone, since it’s one of many brands which have disappeared, some after producing just two or three vehicles. The museum also features better-known Ford, Dodge, Packard, Willys Jeep and Stutz models – and their original prices.  www.fountainheadmuseum.com

Fairbanks was put on the map – literally – by the 1860s gold rush, and there are still flakes to be found in “them thar hills”. Pan for gold yourself on the Gold Dredge 8 tour. A vintage train takes you to an actual mining site, where guides explain how to swish the pan and water to isolate gold flakes. My own experience netted about $14 worth of tiny, sparkling flakes. Yes, of course, your clients can take them home, either loose in a provided canister or encapsulated in a special see-through souvenir key chain or pendant, as I did. www.golddredge8.com

Mineral springs about 30 miles from Fairbanks were discovered around that time by a pair of brothers looking for a place for gold miners to soothe their weary bones and muscles. Today, Chena Hot Springs Resort features soaking pools, hiking and biking trails and boating in the state park surrounding the property, and a year-round Ice Museum where your clients can appreciate extravagant ice carvings and have a drink in a glass carved out of a chunk of ice. Those interested in sustainability can tour the resort’s geothermal power plant – the resort is 100% powered by geothermal energy – and greenhouses which grow hydroponic veggies year-round for the resort’s restaurants.  www.chenahotsprings.com

Explore the Native American history of northern Alaska on the Discovery River Cruise, which includes villages where members of Athabascan and other tribes explain how salmon were caught and processed in family fishing camps, and game hunted and processed in family hunting camps. There’s also a stop at the dogsled training camp now operated by descendants of Susan Butcher, first woman to win the world-famous Iditerod race, which starts each winter from Anchorage, and a pilot connected with the tour does multiple take-offs and landings on the river for souvenir videos and selfies. www.riverboatdiscovery.com

Fairbanks is a university town, and the modern and airy Museum of the North is situated inside the sprawling hilltop University of Alaska campus, with picture postcard views across the valley. There are extensive displays for each of Alaska’s many indigenous tribes, including Yup’ik and Inupiaq, with intricate basketry, birchbark canoes, beading and more, plus contemporary art and mammoth skeletons. www.uaf.edu/museum

Some of the earliest settlers of Fairbanks were Jewish immigrants from Europe, including the city’s very first mayor, in the early 1900s. A small but fascinating museum details their contributions to the city’s growth, along with the role of Alaska Air pilots who evacuated threatened Ethiopian Jews to Israel in 1984 in the secret mission known as Operation Moses. It was their skill as bush pilots who could take off and land anywhere which helped make the secretive humanitarian mission a success. www.alaskajewishmuseum

The well-named Alaska Scenic Railroad travels between Anchorage and Fairbanks daily spring through fall. It’s a relaxing and picturesque eight-hour trip, including jaw-dropping views of Denali, the tallest mountain in the USA, formerly known as Mt. McKinley. The train slows down for photos, when everybody presses to one side of the train.
www.alaskarailroad.com

Or, your clients can exit at either the Denali or Talkeetna stops and spend time at one of the many guest houses in the area, to hike, bike, watch for wildlife including moose, elk and bear, or just sit on a deck and appreciate its awe-inspiring magnificence. From May to September, private vehicles can travel the first 15 miles of road into Denali National Park, to a visitor center/museum; tour buses and Jeep tours can travel further into the park.
www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm

For more information visit: www.explorefairbanks.com