Alaska's cities
Fairbanks lodging
Interior hub has lots of rooms and restaurants
By Leon Unruh / Alaska.com
Accommodations in Fairbanks range from fancy hotels to campgrounds. During the summer, they are often packed, but a call ahead can guarantee you a place to relax at the end of the day.
Fairbanks, with 30,000 people the largest city in the Interior (the Fairbanks North Star Borough counts 83,000 residents altogether), thrives on summer tourism. It's the northern terminus of the Alaska Railroad's passenger service and the hub of bush air travel. The Parks, Steese and Richardson highways come to Fairbanks, bringing traffic also from the Elliott, Dalton and Alaska highways.
The Golden Heart City boasts two dozen motels and hotels, more than three dozen B&Bs and several hostels. In addition, lodges welcome visitors to locations outside Fairbanks such as Chatanika, Chena Hot Springs, Ester and Salcha.
Fairbanks has family-owned lodging, as well as a number of establishments operated by national chains. Several hotels are new, built in the past couple of years to handle summer tourism. There are also a half-dozen RV parks and campgrounds in Fairbanks and 12-miles-distant North Pole.
Chena Hot Springs Resort, an hour's drive east of Fairbanks and close to a state park and campground, is popular with Alaskans year-round. In addition to the 156-degree springs used for bathing, it has lodging and a restaurant. The Angel Creek Lodge, a Yukon Quest checkpoint, and hostels are nearby.
Restaurants
Dining in the region runs from solid meals served at riverside to national hamburger chains.
Restaurants -- including national hamburger chains and the world's northernmost Denny's -- are available throughout Fairbanks. Most of the larger hotels have restaurants.
Locals dine along the water at three Chena River establishments: Pike's Landing, Chena's Fine Dining & Deck at the River's Edge Resort, and the Chena Pump House, which is as much a museum as a restaurant.
Downtown has several restaurants, among them Gambardella's Pasta Bella, which has garden seating, and the Co-op Plaza on Third Avenue, which includes a diner.
A popular spot with tour groups is the Alaska Salmon Bake at Alaskaland Pioneer Park. North of town, Alaskans get nice cuts of meat at The Turtle Club in Fox and pizza at the Vallata Restaurant on Goldstream Road. Hot Licks Homemade Ice Cream is a favorite near the university.
Near Fairbanks, the Chatanika Gold Camp, Mile 28 of the Steese Highway, has a popular restaurant and saloon. Off Mile 351 of the Parks Highway south of Fairbanks, the Ester Gold Camp has a dining hall, inn and revue.
More on this topic
 Fairbanks weather
Fairbanks hiking and camping
Winter fun in Fairbanks
Bus service in Fairbanks
Flying to and from Fairbanks
Trains in Fairbanks
Driving around Fairbanks
Fairbanks: Info and contacts
Fairbanks-area fishing
Fairbanks sports
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