Museums, Galleries & Shows of the Alaska Highway
Museums, galleries and entertainment along the Alaska Highway will take you back in time to the Ice Age, the Gold Rush and World War II.
We’ve selected a few of the museums along the Alaska Highway route. By no means an exhaustive list, it’s a sampler to ignite your interest and get you researching the many places to visit and activities to enjoy on your road trip.
At the very start of your journey, Dawson Creek has some great attractions located right alongside the Alaska Highway (Alaska Avenue here).
The Northern Alberta Railways Park, Dawson Creek
See the Mile ‘0’ Cairn, the Railway Station Museum and the Dawson Creek Art Gallery as you get your road trip organized at Mile ‘0’. The Mile ‘0’ Cairn beside the traffic circle is a stone monument marking the original site where Alaska Highway construction began in 1942. On a plaque near the cairn, the American Society of Civil Engineers dedicated the Alaska Highway as 16th International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in the world. Other historical sites here include the expansive Walter Wright Pioneer Village and the Kiskatinaw (log) Bridge.
Northern Lights Centre, Watson Lake
The Northern Lights Centre is the only stop in the Yukon that celebrates the Aurora Borealis. Enjoy The Yukon’s Northern Lights (filmed and produced entirely in the Yukon) and Big, a sky show that explores the mysteries of the universe with a light-hearted storytelling style, 3D animation and surround-sound.
Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
This is a fascinating research and exhibition facility located at km 1423 (Mile 886) on the Alaska Highway in Whitehorse, Yukon, which opened in 1997. The focus is the story of Beringia, the 3200 km landmass that stretched from Siberia to the MacKenzie River and remained non glaciated during the Pleistocene. First Nations peoples. Woolly mammoths. Sabre-tooth togers.
Frantic Follies Vaudeville Revue, Whitehorse
The Frantic Follies is a turn-of-the-century vaudeville revue that depicts entertainment enjoyed by the pioneers of the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s: Comedy. Intrigue. Can-can dancers. The company has been in operation for 46 years and is known as the most popular and successful show in the Yukon and Alaska.
Kluane Museum of Natural History, Burwash Landing
Kluane Museum of Natural History offers a world-class wildlife exhibit along with displays on the Southern Tutchone people and the many plant species that make their home in the national park. The museum features realistic diorama displays of over 70 animals, birds and fish native to the Yukon. It also contains displays of Southern Tutchone artifacts, clothing and tools.
Da Kų “Our House”, Haines Junction
This Cultural Centre celebrates the vibrant language, culture and traditions of Champagne and Aishihik First Nations people, and offers guided tours, campfire talks, traditional artwork, artefacts, and more. Explore our lands in the map room depicting traditional trails, villages, and special places. View the intricate beadwork of CAFN people. Watch artists at work indoors and out. And visit our retail store for locally made First Nations arts and crafts.
Sullivan Roadhouse Historical Museum, Delta Junction
Located at the end of the Alaska Highway across from the Delta Junction Visitor Center, the Sullivan Roadhouse Historical Museum is housed in the oldest roadhouse in the interior of Alaska. Built in 1905, the log lodge now houses a museum that focuses on the Valdez-Fairbanks Trail and its roadhouses. Outside, enjoy a garden exploding with wildflowers, a vegetable garden with potato patch and interpretive pathways.
Photo Credit:
Destination BC – Andrew Strain