Seward

Travelers' Takes

Rates and Deals

Alaska SeaLife Center

More Photos
samepenny
samepenny
First Reviewer
4 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
5
Reviews
16
Photos
Sort by: Most Recent|Positive|Negative|Most Useful
1-5 of 5
Editor Pick

Sea Life Center

  • February 3, 2006
  • Rated 4 of 5 by tamtbell from Fairbanks, Alaska
Sea Life Center

On our last day in Seward, we all decided to make a quick trip to the Alaska Sea Life Center since I had heard such great things about it. We arrived about 10am on a Sunday morning, which is a great time to visit, since there was barely anyone else there. We almost had the entire center to ourselves for about the first hour. Admission is normally $15 for adults and $12 for children, but we purchased our tickets ahead of time through the Seward Military Lodge at a discounted military rate.

Upon walking through the center, I was surprised to learn that it has only been open since May 1998 and owes its existence to funds mostly provided from the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Settlement. It is dedicated to understanding and maintaining the Alaska marine ecosystem through research, rehabilitation, education, and exhibition, and it does a great job. My husband and I were already somewhat knowledgeable about Alaska, yet we still learned quite a bit. My in-laws, on the other hand, were, of course, new to Alaska, and they admitted to us afterwards that they were really surprised how much they learned in the few hours at the center.

There are interactive displays and several tanks showing all types of sea life native to Alaskan waters, as well at least three different large exhibitions that showcase stellar sea lions, water fowl, and harbor seals. Many of these beautiful animals are currently being rehabilitated so they can be returned back to their natural habitats. On the lower floors you can even watch as the seals seem to perform for you. My husband and I seemed to make a friend of one of them, as he swam back to us over and over again.

Before you leave, make sure to take a visit outside on the balcony, as there is a great view of Resurrection Bay. It makes a great photo opportunity for friends and family back home!
For more information regarding current hours of operation and news, see http://www.alaskasealife.org/.

From journal Alaska Experiences with the In-Laws

Kenai Fjords National Park-- Exit Glacier

  • September 9, 2005
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Makai from Savannah
Kenai Fjords National Park-- Exit Glacier

Equipped with a nice Visitor's Center, a scenic walkway, and free guided tours led by Park Service employees, I can't think of any other way to see Exit Glacier at Kenai Fjords NP (except maybe on one of those moving walkways they have in the airports).

You can, of course, explore without a tour guide--the path loops around, with an option to continue on a longer hike. The glacier has signs posted all over, warning you not to get too close (apparently it's not desirable to be squashed by falling chunks of ice), but of course there are always a few tourists who ignore the warnings in order to get that up-close snapshot for their home slide shows.

You might see a grizzly bear if you're lucky (or terribly unlucky, depending how you look at it).

From journal 5 Days in Seward, Alaska

Editor Pick

Exit Glacier

  • August 24, 2002
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Jack Ventura from Scottsdale, Arizona
Exit Glacier

Exit Glacier Road is a gravel road (and is planned to be paved) which runs alongside the Resurrection River a couple kilometers away from the town of Seward. The park entrance is a pretty 10 kilometer drive from the T-intersection at Seward Highway, even if bumpy in places and stretches.

Exit Glacier is within the Kenai Fjords National Park, and normally charges a nominal vehicular entrance fee. But Park Rangers were absent, the entrance kiosk empty, on the day of our visit.

A maze of nature trails leads from the parking lot to the head of the glacier.

After the previous day's viewing of Aialik Glacier from the safe, distant vantage point of our cruise boat, Exit Glacier was an unbelievable, close encounter. Close enough to nearly touch its blue ice, to watch the wall melting into the mineral laden, milky white flow of a vigorous river, to pick up its calved ice chunks washed up on the river's shore, to taste the crystallization of earth's ancient precipitation.

I was sorely tempted to take the Harding Icefield Trail which leads onto the glacier itself. But its crevasses and seracs shouldn't be taken lightly, and I certainly wasn't prepared for a stroll on the surface of this river of ice. We were in no hurry to return to Anchorage, but the playful, hands-on experience we had at Exit Glacier was satisfying enough - a fitting farewell to Seward.

My friends were quiet and subdued on the drive back. Until we began to wish out loud an itinerary for exploring the rest of the Kenai Peninsula! Perhaps next year...

From journal The Edge of Sea and Summer

Editor Pick

Alaska SeaLife Center

  • August 24, 2002
  • Rated 3 of 5 by Jack Ventura from Scottsdale, Arizona
Alaska SeaLife Center


After a sightseeing boat cruise of the Kenai Fjords, its glaciers and wildlife, a visit to the Alaska SeaLife Center is a great way to put the experience into perspective. Several aquariums, with mesmerizing underwater viewing windows and outdoor viewing platforms, offer close looks of the many creatures you may have seen earlier in the day from afar.

My favorite exhibits were: the intertidal marine creatures 'petting' tank, the endangered Stellar sea lions, Alaskan king crabs in deep pressurization, and puffins "flying" underwater to catch fresh frozen fish.

Be sure to note, first thing, the time for the start of the next film showing in the large screen theater. It's worth watching, an excellent overview of the Kenai Fjords National Park. Another looping film to watch, either sitting on the carpetted floor or on vinyl ottomans, is a brief historical vignette of Seward and the seas of southern Alaska.

The Alaska SeaLife Center does not have a football field size aquarium. This isn't SeaWorld San Diego; it is very modest as must-see destinations go. Its primary function is a research facility, in part supported by public viewing of its exhibits. The ASLC was built, in fact, with reparations from the Exxon Oil Company for the Valdez oil spill that devastated the Alaska coast of Prince Edward Sound in 1989. Consequently, it is renowned for its wildlife rehabilitation expertise. Exxon's settlement and continuing payments for the ecological disaster may have faded from most people's memory, but the Alaska SeaLife Center is 'righting the ship' and insuring that the fertile waters of Alaska remain pristine for our future.

The ASLC is located at the far end of town, at Milepost 0 of the Seward National Scenic Highway. Admission is $12.50, $10 for children and free for kids. Its gift shop is excellent, for all ages. I purchased a caution-yellow long sleeve t-shirt that, to this day, is a wardrobe favorite.

From journal The Edge of Sea and Summer

Alaska Sealife Aquarium

  • October 30, 2000
  • Rated 4 of 5 by samepenny from Fort Worth, Texas
Alaska Sealife Aquarium

If you've been studying up on Alaska, by this time you will know that the roads are marked with Mileposts which tell you where you are in relation to a specific point. That origin point is at the Sealife Aquarium. The Alaska Ferries dock at Seward at this point as do many cruise ships. For many people '0' is their starting point to tour around the 'big' part of Alaska. Or departure point. The 1964 earthquake did significant damage to Seward/ Resurrection Bay. There were many casualities. The Sealife Aquarium is a major part of the rebuilding of Seward. Open all year, winter hours 10am to 5 pm.

www.alaskasealife.org

From journal Knowing Alaska's 'real' places

Sort by: Most Recent|Positive|Negative|Most Useful
1-5 of 5

Compare Seward Rates

1. Enter travel information

City

2. Select websites to compare rates

Each selected website will open a new window.

Seward Travel Deals