ACENT Alaska Center for Ear Nose and Throat

When you visit Alaska, the wildlife will seem like it's everywhere! To familiarize yourself with your new surroundings, a visit to the Alaska Zoo might be in order. You'll marvel at the incredible diversity of creatures as well as how accurately they represent the animals you might encounter as you spend time in the state. The large viewing area features such popular zoo inhabitants as caribou, moose and Dall sheep grazing along together. Also, one of the zoo's most dramatic attractions is the 25-acre bear habitat where you'll see black bears, glacier bears, and brown bears, also known as grizzlies. Some of the zoo's other more notable inhabitants include a few camels, a Siberian tiger and an elephant that has the distinction of being the only one in the entire state!

What's a visit to Anchorage without uttering the word "mush?" Well, shouting the word is more like it at the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race held every March. World-class sled racers and their dog teams mush toward the Bering Sea coast through the area's rugged terrain in what has been termed the "Last Great Race on Earth." The route is a staggering 1,150 miles and it all starts in downtown Anchorage the first Saturday in March with a grand ceremony to begin the race.

The Tony Knowles Coastal Trail was named for the Anchorage mayor and Alaska governor. This trail extends for ten miles from downtown Anchorage to Kincaid Park. The paved thoroughfare is popular with all kinds of outdoorsmen and athletic-types like in-line skaters, bikers, and walkers. The section of the trail that stretches through Westchester Lagoon is tagged as the "fitness trail" and features chin-up bars, steps and other items that encourage cross training among the trail's visitors. Also, the trail is not without its natural beauty, as moose, whales and birds can be seen from several vantage points.