Along Alaska's Inside Passage, a network of waterways provides cruise passengers with access to miles of pristine coastline, glaciers and vast populations of porpoises, whales, sea birds, seals, sea lions, otters and eagles.
One- and two-week cruise itineraries include stops at Sitka, home to Sitka National Historic Park, which houses an impressive collection of totem poles. Visitors to the park can wander forested trails while learning about stories the poles tell.
Sitka is the ancestral home of the Kiksadi Tlingit Indians, captured by the Russians, and then sold to the USA. It has 24 attractions listed on the National Register of Historic Places, seven of them National Historic Landmarks .... one of them St. Michael’s Cathedral, a bright blue, onion-domed Russian Orthodox Church that dominates Sitka’s skyline. Saint Michael’s Cathedral houses an important collection of Russian Orthodox art and church treasures. Built in 1844-48, it was totally destroyed by fire in January 1966. Many of the icons and religious objects were salvaged and are in the rebuilt structure.
Inside Passage cruises bring cruise passengers within touching distance of major attractions such as Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Misty Fiords and Admiralty Island National Monuments, Mendenhall Glacier at Juneau, LeConte Glacier near Petersburg, and the Stikine River near Wrangell.
Photo: Sitka small boat harbor at sunset ©Frank Flavin, ATIA
|
top Sitka attractions
Sitka National Historical Park
Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center
Alaska Raptor Center
Sheldon Jackson Museum
Russian Bishop’s House
Isabel Miller Museum
Saint Michael’s Cathedral
Russian Block House
Totem Square
Whale Park
Japonski Island
nearest ports
Juneau (Alaska)
Ketchikan (Alaska)
Seattle (Washington)
Sitka (Alaska)
Vancouver (British Columbia)
Victoria (British Columbia)
cruise features
alaska - cruise to lose is a winner (NCL)
alaska – hot bouillon, icy waters (Holland America)
alaska – into the last frontier (Crystal)
|
|
All Rights Reserved 2008 © Prow's Edge Cruise Magazine - free cruise magazine and resource cruise guide packed with news on cruises, cruising, cruise lines, commentary on the cruise industry by top cruise line executives, recipes and cuisine tips from cruise line chefs, medical tips for cruise passengers, and suggestions on suitable books on cruising and travel.
|