Historical / Cultural Tours

Homer

Pratt Museum - The Pratt Museum is located in Homer, Alaska, on the shores of Kachemak Bay, approximately 200 miles south of Anchorage, on the Kenai Peninsula. Kachemak Bay, located on the southeast part of Cook Inlet, is circled by mountains, glaciers, and active volcanoes. The region's four national parks, five national wildlife refuges, state parks and critical habitat areas support a diversity of wildlife, from seabirds and sea lions to brown bears and the endangered humpback whale.

Alaska Islands & Ocean Visitors Center - Your window to the largest seabird refuge in the world, with all the natural wonders of Kachemak Bay right outside its doors! Dedicated to understanding & conserving the marine environment. Free admission. Open year round.

Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies - The Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies (CACS) is a 501-c-3 environmental education not-for-profit organization in Homer, Alaska. Established in 1982, CACS delivers educational programs and guided tours to over 11,000 students and other visitors every year. Our grassroots organization has grown to over 350 memberships and we have more than 70 active volunteers and an annual Kachemak Bay Coast Walk event that involves more than 200 additional volunteers.

CARL E. WYNN NATURE CENTER  - Foster responsible interaction with our natural surroundings, and to generate knowledge of the unique marine and coastal ecosystems of Kachemak Bay through environmental education, stewardship and research.The Nature Center, located at 1.5 mile East Skyline Drive along the bluffs overlooking Homer, Alaska, is staffed and open on a daily basis from June 15 - Labor Day and for school field trips by reservation in September. Use fees are collected to help support nature center management. From October 1 - May 31, visitors are welcome to enjoy skiing and snowshoeing on self-maintained trails.

Homer Pier One Theatre - Celebrating live theatre on the Homer Spit for over 35 years!

Historical Harbor Walking Tour - Take a scenic stroll with your family around Homer’s historic boat harbor was started after the earthquake 1964. Featuring different types of boats, docks, fuel, etc…Tour available June-September.

Kenai

Kenai Landing - At the mouth of the famous Kenai River, Steeped in 100 years of Alaska history, Kenai Landing is a vibrant waterfront fisherman’s destination community surrounded by wildlife and natural beauty. Arts and entertainment thrive within this historic waterfront which features a full service restaurant, lodging, theater, boat launch, outdoor pavilion, waterfront promenade and docking facilities, and an indoor warehouse market featuring shops with local crafts, clothing, arts and food.

Kenai Visitors & Cultural Center - The Kenai Visitors & Cultural Center houses the City of Kenai's permanent collection of natural history objects, archeological material, native artifacts and contemporary art.  All items in the collection relate to the history and culture of Kenai and Alaska.

Leif Hansen Memorial Park - Community Memorial Park. Memorable plaques & plants line the sidewalks. Two memorials adorn the park, as well as a large fountain and a large custom town clock. The park’s gazebo is a popular wedding location.

Erik Hansen Scout Park- Small community park, contains a bronze statue of a Boy Scout overlooking the Cook Inlet. Interpretive displays point out many features of the landscape. A walkway leading to the bluff’s edge affords a vista of lower Cook Inlet, tidal lands, and mouth of the Kenai River

Kenai Wildlife Viewing Area - Community viewing area overlooking the Kenai River tidal flood plains. Many different birds, i.e., snow geese, cranes migrate here. Caribou, coyote, moose and occasionally bear can be spotted here, as well as Mount Redoubt.

Historic Russian Orthodox Church - The Russian Orthodox religion arrived in Alaska in 1741, with Vitus Bering. Fifty years later, in 1791, Russian traders landed at Kenai. They were followed by a Russian Orthodox monk four years later. Chapel built in 1906 near the Holy Assumption Church, honors Father Igumen Nikolai, who started the first permanent parish in Kenai in 1845. He baptized 1,432 Kenaitze Indians. The Russians also inoculated Native people against smallpox, in 1860.

Seward

Resurrection Bay Historical Society / Seward Museum - The museum presents the chief points of Seward's history through photographs, artifacts and documents. There is also a fine collection of Native baskets and ivory carvings on display. During the summer there are evening programs consisting of two slide/tape shows: The History of Seward and The History of the Iditarod Trail. A special open house is held every August 28 in honor of the founding of Seward in 1903. Museum shop carries books by local authors and other items relating to local area.

Alaska Sea Life Center - Alaska’s only public aquarium and ocean wildlife rescue center is celebrating ten years on the shores of Resurrection Bay. Visitors to this “window on the sea” have close encounters with puffins, octopus, sea lions and other sealife while peeking over the shoulders of ocean scientists studying Alaska’s rich seas and diverse sealife.

Exit Glacier Tour - With just a 10- to 15-minute drive out of Seward, you can hike right up to Exit Glacier and feel the dense blue ice while listening to it crackle. Walk the lower trail (a gentle half mile) to get a good photo in front of the glacier face. The trail also provides access for people with disabilities. The upper trail provides an overlook, as if you're standing right on the glacier. Please be careful, as it is an active, calving glacier. You can see the changes in vegetation with the gradual melting of the glacier, and note the signs pointing out the glacier's reach in years past.