AK on the GO

"In the meadow we can build a snowman..." Or, in this case, the whole neighborhood, if you're Snowzilla.

What could be better than eating a lot, sleeping in, then waking up to fluffy snow falling outside? Eating, sleeping, waking up to snow, AND having a full calendar of pre-holiday fun sitting in your inbox, that’s what. It is indeed post-Thanksgiving Fun Friday, typically one of our busiest posts of the year, and we’re charged up to share a long weekend o’ family fun with you. A big, snuggly ‘thank you’ to Fun Friday sponsor Alaska Center for Pediatrics, who reminds parents to make sure kids have appropriate headwear if they’re going to be shredding ski slopes or sledding hills. (REI has a winter sale going on, btw, with all helmets marked down 30%).

Giddyup, let’s go, let’s get out in the snow this weekend. Leave the shopping to other people!

FRIDAY: Light up your evening with the Anchorage Downtown Partnership’s annual Tree Lighting event at Town Square Park. At 5 p.m. the fun kicks off with music, followed by the arrival of Santa Claus and his eight not-so-tiny reindeer. Stick around for some cocoa and more music before wandering the lit streets of downtown Anchorage. FREE. Park at any one of the downtown garages tonight and donate to local charities, too! All ages. Bundle up!

The Anchorage Museum is hosting its annual Craft Weekend and Read Alaska Book Fair Friday-Sunday. We adore this event for all the opportunities to browse Alaskan artisans and pick up holiday gifts, yes, but also to allow AK Kid to check out Wonderland of Toys, a display of children’s playthings that date back to the 1800′s. Museum staff love this exhibit, and each year look forward to showing modern kids just how much fun one can have with a toy that doesn’t plug in. Both events open Fri-Sat, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday Noon-5 p.m. FREE.

Creamer’s Field in Fairbanks welcomes everyone to “Thanksgiving For the Birds” today from 12-4 p.m. Make a variety of bird feeders, learn about feathered friends who hang out all winter long in Alaska, and enjoy some hot chocolate and cookies in the Farmhouse Visitor Center. FREE, suitable for all ages.

The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is FREE all day today, as a ‘thank you’ to supportive visitors. A snowy day is the perfect time to say howdy to the moose, caribou, elk, bears, and bison of this incredible facility in Portage. Have visitors? Pack ‘em up in the family truckster and head south.

Wood bison huddle together on a cold, winter afternoon at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center in Portage.

SATURDAY:

It’s Police Navidad, going on at the Dena’ina Convention Center in downtown Anchorage! A cooperative effort between Anchorage law enforcement and social service agencies, this event is FREE and chock-full of family fun for all ages. Crafts, music, cultural presentations, and tons of prizes that will blow your mind, like Alaska Railroad trips, custom-built playhouses, and much, much more. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Eagle River Nature Center offers its own Thanksgiving For the Birds celebration at 2 p.m. Kids K-6 will make suet and bake ‘bird cookies’ for ERNC’s feathered visitors and hang them around the Center’s woodsy surroundings. FREE, $5 parking for non-members.

Zoo Lights welcomes your family now through January 8, each Thursday-Sunday at the Alaska Zoo. Open at 5 p.m. (get there right on time for best results) and lit up through 8 p.m., Zoo Lights is a wonderful way to get into the holiday spirit. Wander the trails, listen to musical polar bears, and embrace the lighted world of our Alaska Zoo. Tickets and info available HERE.

Hanging out in Homer this weekend? Take the kids to the Pratt Museum and a Stocking Stuffer Party from Noon-5 p.m. We love this little museum, where art and culture meet science in a quiet, unassumming manner that works. Decorate some holiday cookies, make a graham cracker house, and enjoy the fun exhibits during Family Free Day. Call 907-235-8635 for more info.

Everything is lit up for ZooLights at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage.

SUNDAY:

Take the fam on a little outdoor adventure with volunteers from Eagle River Nature Center. Bundle up the kiddos, pack some snacks and warm drinks and hike the 1.25-mile trail to a Public Use Cabin, leaving the center at Noon. Have small children? Sleds are perfect for this adventure. It’s an easy hike, and you might spot a moose browsing in the trees or spy an eagle flying overhead. Call 907-694-2108 to sign up, since space is limited. FREE, $5 parking for non-members.

After the hike, warm up in the ERNC’s cozy seating area and check out Bird TLC’s awesome raptors, visiting for a little post-Thanksgiving treat! This food-related, unique celebration will be absolutely a blast, because Bird TLC is asking for, um, raw, leftover turkey necks or fresh cranberries for this party. FREE, $5 parking for non-members. Donations always welcomed for Bird TLC.

Speaking of hiking and outside and such, we’ve been trekking the trails around Anchorage, and having a ball! This fresh snow is perfect for some snowshoeing and skiing, and we’re lucky to have so many open spaces for both. You don’t need to drive far to explore; try Russian Jack Springs park at the corner of Boniface and DeBarr in northeast Anchorage, Campbell Creek Science Center off Elmore Road in southeast Anchorage, or Goose Lake park in Midtown Anchorage. Wind your way around the birch trees, see how many animal tracks your kids can find, and make your only agenda that of F.U.N.

Our AKontheGO Calendar is full, full, full of family fun this holiday season. Want to know more? Click on the “Calendar of Events” tab at the top of the page, or shoot us your event at togoak@gmail.com.

In the meantime, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

The Alaska Zoo, a must-see when visiting the 49th state.

Yesterday’s Alaska Travelgram Show (Podcast HERE) was a fabulous hour of travel power. Not only was Scott McMurren reporting live from the Emerald City of Seattle, giving us the 411 on where to stay and play during the late-autumn months, but in the studio with moi was Eileen Floyd of the Alaska Zoo with tons of great info on Alaska’s arctic/subarctic-themed crittle castle. Eileen wanted to make Travelgram listeners marked their calendars for tomorrow, Thursday, and the debut of three little bears (sans Goldilocks), who were brought to the Zoo from south Anchorage a month ago. These adorable little critters will be allowed to roam their enclosure starting tomorrow, and you can be one of the first to join me in thanking the Zoo for their care of these cubs. The zoo opens at 10 a.m., so hop on over; I might even grab a latte and see you there!

AK Dad and Kid explore one of the many lighted areas of the Alaska Zoo during Zoo Lights 2010/11

Additionally, Eileen tossed the schedule for 2011/12 Zoo Lights our way, announcing opening day of Friday, November 25, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Continuing through January 8, 2012, Zoo lights will take a break until February 24, when the night sky will light up for Fur Rendezvous through March 4, 2012. Tickets are $7/pp, $5/pass holders pp, and advance purchase is available right HERE! AK Fam had a wonderful time last year, arriving right at 5 p.m. and revelling in the growls of the tigers, the rustle of the yaks, and the dance party music from some of the displays (the hockey playing Nanooks and Seawolves was quite spectacular, btw). Do go.

JetBlue's nonstop service to Long Beach, CA begins May 25, 2012!

Scott and I announced the return of JetBlue to Anchorage next summer (oh, happy dance; I’m so excited for free snacks and television!). Service begins May 25 (1 a.m. flight, remember) and runs through September 4, 2012. WAIT! Mr. McTravelGuru says to hold your horses, however, before snapping up any tickets; in a burst of fortune-telling, he believes prices will go down, and hard, after the first of the year. So wait right HERE before you do anything about your Southern California adventures.

HONORING THOSE WHO SERVED:

So, on to an important week for Alaska, the place with the highest number of veterans, per capita, than any other state in the Union. We’re pretty proud of our men, women, AND their families, who serve and protect our country. AKontheGO is honored to know you. Here are a few events/places to visit with the kids between now and the weekend for an opportunity to experience the history of Alaska’s vets:

The whole family will appreciate the many exhibits at the Alaska Veterans Museum in Anchorage. (photo courtesy AVM)

Alaska Veterans Museum, 333 W 4th Avenue, Anchorage. A new facility honoring all service members, past, present, and future, this museum is a recent addition to the slate of great exhibits found in many of Alaska’s museums. Located in the 4th Avenue Mall near D street, up in Suite 27, the museum is planning a Veterans Day (Friday) ceremony and open house to honor all vets in the state, but most notably the late Senator Ted Stevens. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday during the winter, the museum welcomes families! A small fee of $3 (kids under 2 FREE) gets you in to see some great airplanes, ships, and memorabilia from those dedicated service members who continue their job at great sacrifice. Visit their website for event details and times.

This afternoon, the Alaska VA Healthcare System is honoring women veterans with a ceremony at the Loussac Library in Anchorage at 3 p.m. While this event is not exactly geared toward children, older tweens and teens might garner an appreciation (and earn a merit badge for citizenship, attention scouts!) by attending this event. Women played an enormous role in WWII and beyond (my great aunt, in fact, was an Army nurse who accompanied General Douglas MacArthur to the liberation of the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp), and today’s ceremony will provide insight, information, and recognition of women like her. FREE. Lower level of library.

The Alaska Aviation Museum, of course, is always a wonderful place to visit and chat with museum volunteers, many of whom are veterans. Give kids a few questions to answer before heading out, like “Why do you think military life would have been difficult in Alaska?” or “Can you find out the five branches of military service?” You’d be surprised what kids can find out.

The Anchorage Museum, too, offers some great exhibit space for learning more about Alaska’s role during WWII, especially the Aleution exchanges, including launches of air strikes against Japan from Anchorage, with many photographs to back it up. Labeled as the “Alaska At War” exhibit, this might be better suited for older kids due to the subject matter and complex photo captions.

The state has a wealth of outdoor memorials and monuments dedicated to our Alaskan veterans, and come Memorial Day, we’ll provide a list of these outside options. For now, take a few hours, if you can, and visit these indoor spots. Don’t forget to thank a veteran, current or past, and encourage your kids to thank they, and their families, too.

(photo courtesy Anchorage Museum)