Wasilla is Alaska’s sixth-largest city, situated within the Matanuska-Sustina valley within the state’s southern central region. It’s named for indigenous Dena’ina Chief Wasilla. The city is a major hub for dog sled sport and offers a spread of family-friendly attractions for visitors, as well as museums and state recreational areas. Near Palmer is that the host of the annual Alaska State fair and the Junior Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race dog sled race.
The Iditarod Trail Headquarters honor the famed dog sled race of a similar name that has been run every year in March since 1973 and takes elite groups on a 1,100-mile route from Anchorage to Nome. The museum boasts a range of exhibits concerning the race’s history, as well as the taxidermy of famed sled dog Togo, whose 1925 journey across Norton Sound to deliver contagion blood serum impressed the race’s route. A sculpture of famed raced Joe Redington, older and his dog Feets stands outside the museum, and a video area permits guests to research historic race footage. Dog-led cart rides are offered for visitors throughout the summer months for a further fee.
Alaska museum of Transportation and industry was originally opened in 1967 because the Air Progress Museum, that showcased transportation history exhibits inside six refurbished retired railroad cars that were dropped at the region throughout warfare II. The rail cars earned the nickname “The Centennial Train” and operated because the state’s solely depository on wheels till 1973. Since 1992, the museum has been headquartered at a 20-acre location in Wasilla and operated as a private nonprofit organization. Guests could explore historic train cars, business fishing boats, automobiles, and a good kind of farm and industrial machinery. Exhibits highlight topics similar to the state’s gold mining and aviation history, and children’s displays of vintage trains and toys keep young guests entertained.
The Dorothy G. Page museum is known as for the woman known as the “Mother of the Iditarod,” who organized the inaugural event in correlation with the centennial celebration of America’s purchase of the state of Alaska. Following her death, the Wasilla depository was renamed in her honor. Today, it showcases exhibits tracing the city’s social and cultural history, from its early Native Athabaskan days through its industrial and mining heritage within the nineteenth and twentieth century. Many galleries showcase exhibits highlight the history of the Willow Creek Mining District, the Knik mercantilism Company, and therefore the history of the Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race. Temporary exhibits are showcased periodically, and field trips and tours are obtainable for college teams and organizations.
Alaska Live Steamers is a noncommercial organization that’s dedicated to the preservation of the state’s railroading history. The organization is entirely pass volunteer railroad enthusiasts who work along to make miniature scale replicas and restore historic train cars. It offers seasonal train rides aboard historic trains on Saturdays and Sundays between could and September. Scenic rides last around twenty five minutes and showcase the region’s natural sights and historic places, as well as the Seward and Curry train stations. Rides are available for participants of all ages, and an automobile for guests with disabilities is provided upon advance request.
Nancy Lakes Recreation area is an expansive park that’s situated ninety minutes north of Anchorage on the Parks Highway, providing opportunities for hiking, fishing, canoeing, and skiing throughout stretches of unspoiled forest. The region has been preserved in its natural state due to its lack of mining potential and remains one in all the few flat landscapes within the state preserved for public recreation. Lake, wetland, and forest areas serve as a significant home ground for black bears, moose, beavers, and waterfowl. Thirteen rustic cabins are available throughout the recreation space on Nancy, James, Lynx, Bald, and Red Shirt Lakes, with every providing wood-burning stoves, outhouses, and hearth rings.
Wasilla Farmer’ Market is presented by the Wasilla Knik Historical Society and offers the most effective in regional produce and craftsman goods. The market is control weekly on Wednesdays each summer between June and September and showcases goods from native farms, as well as a number of the freshest fruits, vegetables, and herbs available within the region. Native gardeners sell flowers, whereas bakers produce contemporary breads, jams, jellies, and alternative pantry goods. A range of Alaskan-made arts and crafts are oversubscribed by native artisans, and music performances are given by local musicians. The market is found close to the Idita-park at the corner of Weber and Lord Nelson Streets.