Georgeson Botanical Garden
When many people think of Alaska's vegetation, they conjure up images of flat, treeless tundra, so the variety of native and cultivated flowers at this idyllic spot is often unexpected. The garden, 4 miles west of downtown, is part of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. A major focus of research is Interior Alaska's unique, short but intense midnight-sun growing season, and the results are spectacular. The nonstop daylight brings out rich and vibrant colors and—to the delight of locals and visitors—amazing vegetable specimens that don't grow anywhere near as big in the Lower 48. An adjacent children's garden includes a treehouse and hedge maze to explore. On Thursdays in the summer, check out a free concert, and remember to bring a lawn chair.
