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Attractions

• Alaska SeaLife Center

  The Alaska SeaLife Center is one of Alaska's finest attractions. The exhibits range from oil-spill displays and the Alaska Waters Gallery, aquariums holding colorful fish and gossamer jellyfish to a tidepool touch tank, where you can hold sea anemones and starfish. The highlight for most visitors is a series of two story, glass-sided tanks where you get the above-water view of seabird rookeries and recuperating harbor seals or a below-the-water view of prowling sea lions and puffins diving for dinner. An outdoor observation platform offers a fabulous view of the mountains ringing Resurrection Bay and a chance to watch salmon thrash their way up a fish ladder.

• Boat Cruises

  The most popular way to view and Resurrection Bay and the dramatic fjords, glaciers and marine wildlife of Kenai Fjords National Park is to book passage on one of the many tour-boat cruises. Tours range from wildlife cruises in Resurrection Bay to day-long outings that take visitors to Holgate Arm or Northwestern Fjord within the national park. Some offer a stop for lunch buffet lunch on beautiful Fox Island.

• Charter Fishing

  Seward has a large charter fishing fleet that is well developed to take visitors out into Resurrection Bay and further for some of the best angling of any Kenai Peninsula port. The main catch is silver salmon that start to appear in July in large schools to feed on candlefish in preparation for the spawning runs at the end of August. Other species of interesting to anglers are king salmon and halibut.

• Exit Glacier Nature Center

  Overlooking Exit Glacier is Exit Glacier Nature Center. The National Park Service visitor center features interpretive displays on the natural history of the glacier, has a small gift shop and is the starting point for ranger-guided hikes.

• Flightseeing Tours

  For those limited on time, the best way to view the glaciers of Kenai Fjords National Park and the stunning mountain scenery that surrounds Seward is on a flightseeing tour. Several air taxi companies operate out of the Seward Airport and offer a variety of tours and options.

• Kayaking

  Some of the best and most impressive kayaking in the Kenai Peninsula is found within Kenai Fjords National Park with many visitors utilizing water taxis to reduce the amount of paddling needed to reach the tidewater glaciers and marine wildlife found in the heart of the park. Others chose to kayak right outside Seward in Resurrection Bay. Within town are outfitters that rent kayaks, provide water drop-offs and offer guided trips.

• Kenai Fjords National Park Visitor Center

  Kenai Fjords National Park Visitor Center is located in Seward's small-boat harbor and has displaus on the national park. Visitors also stop by for information on hiking and camping or to obtain maps and field guides to the area.

• Seward Museum

  Exhibits at the Seward Museum range from an excellent Iditarod exhibit and a rare 49-star US flag to relics of Seward's Russian era, the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake and 1989 oil spill. Most surprising to many visitors is a 'cow raincoat' designed for the oft-drenched cattle at the now-defunct Seward dairy.

• Seward Silver Salmon Derby

  The annual Seward Silver Salmon Derby is staged in mid-August and attracts anglers from around the country. The lucky anglers who finish with the largest silver salmon divide a prize pot totaling more than $100,000.

• Sled-Dog Mushing

  In Seward visitors can tour a sled-dog kennel and listen to stories from veterans of the state's famed Iditarod Seld Dog Race. Or they can hop on a helicopter for a flight to a glacier, where they'll be met by a musher, his dogs and an opportunity for a sled-dog ride, even in July.

• Wilderness Cabins

  Surrounding Seward is a number of public-use cabins that can be reserved for a wilderness get-away. The remote, rustic cabins are reached by paddle, float plane or on foot and are maintained by the Alaska Division of Parks in Caines Head State Recreation Area, the U.S. Forest Service in Chugach National Forest and the National Park Service as Kenai Fjords National Park has several boat-accessible public-use cabins.