After our combined whale watching and Mendenhall Glacier tour, our tour guide offered to drop us off in town or back at the dock. Our immediate family opted to eat lunch and explore town, while the extended family went back to the boat. Corey gave us a few lunch suggestions and we took off exploring.
Juneau is Alaska’s state capital. Surrounded by the rugged Mount Juneau and Mount Roberts, Juneau cannot be reached by land.
Like Skagway, the town got its start during the Gold Rush days, although it played a much smaller role in the gold rush. I didn’t think it had the same quaint, historic feel as Skagway. Juneau is an interesting mix of new buildings and old storefronts (including new structures trying to look old).
We wandered through the streets but didn’t go in to many stores. We found the shops to be more mass-marketed, touristy kitsch than authentic Alaska items, although I’m sure there were some hidden gems that we missed.
We did pop into the Sealaska Heritage Institute. Its facade was beautiful, adorned with native Alaskan carvings. The interior was just as impressive, with a huge collection of artwork and carved clan house fronts. The kids were hungry so unfortunately we didn’t venture beyond the lobby into the exhibits but we enjoyed our short walk through.
Taking one of our guide’s suggestions, we ate at The Hangar on the Wharf. The food was good but the view was even better. Now that the fog had cleared, we could actually see the Disney Wonder in port.
After lunch we started to make our way back to the ship. I really wish we could have squeezed in a ride up the Mount Roberts Tramway to see the view and explore, but I was too worried about getting caught up there and being late. I can’t imagine anything worse than being stuck on a long line for the tram coming back down and watching your cruise ship pull away!
The Wonder was at the furthest cruise ship dock (the A.J. Dock) and although we could have made the 20 minute walk, we opted to take the free shuttle back instead. Since we had not arrived in town on the shuttle from the dock, we had a little trouble finding exactly where to catch it. There were several different shuttles and tour buses that gathered at the base of the Mt. Roberts Tramway and it was just a matter of finding the correct one to take us back. Once we did, it was a quick and easy trip and we were back on the ship in no time.
Some Juneau fun facts:
- Juneau is the only state capital not accessible by road.
- Juneau is the only state capital that shares a border with another country (Canada).
- Gold was discovered in the area by Joe Juneau and Richard Harris in 1880. Originally named Rockwell and then renamed Harrisburg, the town was renamed again to Juneau in 1881.
- Juneau’s 3,248 square miles are made up of urban development (264 square miles), water (704 square miles), ice caps, (928 square miles), and rainforest (1,352 square miles).
- Downtown Juneau is at sea level but the mountains next to it rise to over 3,800 feet.
- Roughly 20,000 bald eagles live in Juneau.
- The longest day of the year is June 21, when Juneau experiences 18 hours and 18 minutes of sunlight.
- June has the longest average daylight hours, with 18.25, while December has the shortest, with only 6.42 hours.
- Between October and March, “Taku winds” blow down from the mountains with 100 mph gusts.
