Ports of Call - USA - Alaska - Ketchikan

Usually the first port of call in Alaska for cruises, passengers are often woken with the greeting - “Welcome to Alaska” - when the cruise ship docks.

And Ketchikan has a lot to offer visitors.

A self guided walking tour, with a map from the shore excursion office or the Ketchikan Visitors Bureau’s visitor information center offers a leisurely stroll of about 60 minutes and takes in a number of popular attractions including local museums, Creek Street, and native cultural attractions.

Historic Creek Street in the heart of downtown Ketchikan is a pedestrian thoroughfare of wooden boardwalks offering a number of attractions in one small area including the famous brothel, Dolly’s House Museum, one of many bordellos popular in the prohibition period.

Also on Creek Street, next door to the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show that celebrates the lives and work of lumberjacks, the interpretative Southeast Alaska Discovery Center explores the importance of the Tongass National Forest for the area.

Ketchikan also has the world's largest collection of standing totem poles.

The Totem Heritage Center in Ketchikan features a collection of “rescued” totem poles in the area, and two miles south of Ketchikan, Saxman Village’s s totem park features the single largest collection of totems. Native artists can be found here demonstrating their traditional skills in carving. Eight miles north of Ketchikan, Totem Bight State Park offers more totem poles and a native community house.

Shore excursions in Ketchikan will offer a number of opportunities to enjoy wild life and the natural scenery both in and around the town and further afield such as Misty Fjords National Monument, a designated wilderness area and part of the Tongass National Forest.

With a large community of artists, Ketchikan is also noted for is arts and culture and is recognized as one of the top 100 small arts communities in the USA.

Other attractions include fishing. Not for nothing is Ketchikan known as the “Salmon Capital of the World.”

A tip for visitors to Ketchikan - be prepared for the weather - it will probably be raining. Ketchikan enjoys more than 152 inches of rain a year. A good reason to pack an umbrella.

Photo: Saxman Native Village's Beaver Clan House. Photo courtesy Ketchikan Visitors Bureau



Main attractions in Ketchikan include:

Historic Creek Street
Dolly’s House Museum
Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show
Southeast Alaska Discovery Center
Totem Heritage Center
Saxman Village
Totem Bight State Park
Tongass National Forest
Misty Fjords National Monument
Whaler Watching
Wildlife Viewing