Badger Barber Shop

While visiting Alaska is a truly unmatched experience, hearing a perspective from one of the state's most highly regarded residents will shed a new light on various aspects of the area that you might have missed. Fortunately for tourists, that person is Mary Shields. The popular Alaskan Tails of the Trail with Mary Shields is an opportunity to share a personal home visit with this celebrated Alaskan musher and author. Her insights focus on her famous sled dogs, but Shields also is a splendid storyteller and her accounts of various events of Alaska's past are quite entertaining.

Nature lovers and history buffs will have plenty to talk about when visiting Mosquito Lake. Not only is the lake visually appealing with its eye-catching surroundings and tranquil waters, but it also has a historical significance. The area has been occupied intermittently over the past 4,000 years by the ancestors of the modern Nunamiut Eskimos. This was most likely their hunting grounds on which they captured caribou and Dall sheep. In a sense, it is an outdoor living history lesson that is a pleasure to experience and learn.

The World Ice Art Championships take place in Fairbanks every March. The competition is held over the course of eleven very dramatic and excitement-filled days. The event attracts the best ice sculptors in the world as they display their considerable talents in various competitive classes. Among the many categories, two of the most popular are abstract and realistic ice sculptures. The public is invited to watch the sculptures being created during the first two weeks in March and then to view the finished work during the last two weeks of the month. The festival is held at Ice Alaska's Ice Park which not only features the competition but also offers a kids' park with rides and other attractions.

Get out of the cold for a while and warm up with some good friends for an entertaining game of bingo. Downtown Bingo has proven to be one of the city's most popular choices for a relaxing game or two. The friendly venue also features a great menu of snacks and soft drinks for you to enjoy while waiting for your chance to call out "bingo" to claim your prize!