Alaska Botanical Garden
Campbell Airstrip Road, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily
Gentle walking paths guide visitors to stunning perennial, rock and herb gardens in a wooded setting that once served as a military training area. Interpretive signs help with plant identification, including native plants along pathway borders. The garden connects to a 1.1-mile trail adjoining the facility. No admission, but a donation is suggested. 907-770-3692
Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge
Mile 115 Seward Highway
A boardwalk takes visitors into the heart of a 2,300-acre wetland for easy bird watching, complete with interpretive displays of the refuge's animals and plant life. Expect to see Arctic terns, Canada geese, trumpeter swans, grebes, gulls, ducks and other waterfowl. Salmon also return to the area as summer progresses. Nearby is the Potter Section House Historic Site, home of the Chugach State Park headquarters.
Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum
4721 Aircraft Drive, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily
Overlooking Lake Hood, the world's busiest floatplane lake, the museum has 20 different airplanes and remnants of others on display. The museum also offers a presentation of Alaska's aviation heritage and its flying pioneers and veterans. Exhibits include photo displays, and several films are shown in the theater throughout the day. An observation platform is a good place to watch local pilots take off from Lake Hood. A gift shop and snack bar are on site. Admission: $8 adults, with discounts for military, seniors and children. 907-248-5325
Alaska Native Heritage Center
8800 Heritage Center Drive, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, mid-May through September
The Alaska Native Heritage Center theme this year is "Furs, Feathers and Fiber: Covering Native Alaska." The program features master artists from around the state producing garments using traditional materials and techniques. The center's performing and demonstrating artist series allows artists to share their art forms. The center also offers interpretive displays, daily performances by Native dance groups and five traditional Native village exhibits on the 26-acre site. Hand-crafted kayaks built last summer are on display. Transportation is available from downtown aboard the 4th Avenue Theatre Trolley. Admission: $19.95 adults, $14.95 children ages 7-17, under 7 free. 907-330-8000.
Alaska Zoo
4731 O'Malley Road, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily
A variety of animals -- some native to Alaska and some imports -- highlight the wooded hillside location. Polar bear Ahpun and brown bear Oreo are two of the zoo's favorites. Other animals include Siberian tigers, musk oxen, a wolf, foxes, coyotes, caribou, otters, Sitka deer, Dall sheep, eagles, camels and an African elephant. There's also a picnic area and a gift shop. Admission: $7 adults, $6 seniors 65 and older, $5 students ages 13-18, $4 children ages 3-12. 907-346-3242
Earthquake Park
West on Northern Lights Boulevard
A trail system with interpretive signs helps visitors understand the destruction of the 1964 earthquake that devastated much of Alaska, killed nine people in Anchorage and caused $68 million in damage in the city. The park is where dozens of homes were destroyed as the land slid toward Cook Inlet.
