2 Best Sights in Fairbanks, the Yukon, and the Interior, Alaska

With sweeping exterior curves and graceful lines that evoke glaciers, mountains, and the northern lights, this don't-miss museum is one of Alaska's most distinctive architectural works. Inside, two-story viewing windows look out on the Alaska Range, while the lobby features a 43-foot bowhead whale skeleton (and a beluga skeleton) suspended from the ceiling. "Please touch" items include the molars of a mammoth and a mastodon, animal pelts and bones, replica petroglyphs, and a massive quartz crystal found in Alaska's Brooks Range. The gallery also contains dioramas showing the state's animals and how they interact, and the fantastic collection of Alaska Native clothes, tools, and boats provides insights into the ways that different groups came to terms with climatic extremes. Another highlight is the superb Rose Berry Alaska Art Gallery, representing 2,000 years of Alaska's art, from ancient to modern times. Future plans call for Bus 142 (of Christopher McCandless's Into the Wild fame), which is currently being restored, to be placed outside the grounds sometime in 2025, and eventually for the construction of a planetarium at the museum.

The historical society offers two-to three-hour walking tours that take in historic buildings, among them Ft. Egbert, and includes tales of the famous people—among them Arctic explorer Roald Amundsen and aviation pioneer Billy Mitchell—who have passed through this historic Yukon River border town. These depart from the courthouse at 9 am daily in summer. The society also maintains an extensive archive, photo collection, and museum store stocked with regional history books and locally made items. Eagle is a sleepy town, so call ahead to schedule an appointment.