I have always wanted to visit Alaska. From the pictures I have seen of it it looks like a beautiful place. If I was ever to visit, what would be the best place to go to for a great Alaskan experience?

I have always wanted to vist, but my husband hates the cold and is dead set against going. I have told him that it isn't always freezing and the weather can be quite nice depending on when and where you go. Can you please tell me the best time of year to visit when the temp is comfortable (60's +) and the best place to visit and see lots of sights and tours. Your help would be wonderful and greatly appreciated.

Yes, please. I hope to visit at the end of May 2007. I will stop in Anchorage for 3 to 4 days. Is there anything you can suggest that I shouldn't miss?

OK Ladies-- sorry if we're not all ladies, guy [hehe].... Anchorage is WAY up there- I'm in SE / panhandle. Most people come up here in summer-- to the tune of 1 million visitors a year now. The cruise industry has extended the 'season' to 5 months per year, you can get some good deals in May and September, but rest assured, you'll also get wet-- rains ALOT in Spring and Fall if you choose to do the "Inside Passage" cruise. We average 8 degrees colder than Seattle- see TV. Anchorage is cooler than here- my son lives up there. In summer, 60-75 degrees, here 65-80. BUT- the entire panhandle is in a rainforest, so you never know when it will be rainy in summer- [it HAS been dryer in recent summers]. Much info is on my site [in progress- no where near done]- AlaskaCatalog.com Many "Alaskafacts" and pictures there... As for Anchorage, check ADN.com-- anchorage daily news must have a May Activities agenda, as the tour season startS then. Try to go at the end of May. I've been, but am embarassed to admit, can't think of any attractions off hand- if you live in Alaska, & get to go ANYWHERE, the major concern is usually shopping- Dimond Center Mall...? And COLD? I HATE THE COLD. This is the first cold winter in awhile, snow has 'rained away' already. I'm a tour guide, so can tell you: The bigger cruise ships are cheaper, but they will get you w/ the tips, the art auctions, the cards under your door every a.m. telling you to get a facial, a massage, a haircut, manicure, pedicure, and the gaming, shops, drinks, etc. They will feed you into oblivion, and herd you around like cattle. Still, they are big, glamorous, and have pools, dances, movies, parties on board; a literal floating city. Some people like them a lot. You have to be careful if going through a travel agency- one woman told me she had to get mean and INSIST they tell her of the smaller options, as many of the men hate the bigger, louder ships... The smaller ones-- Cruise West for instance, will have 100 person capacity boats, cater to your every wish, make you feel part of the family, and take you into the whale nooks and glacier corners those big ships couldn't get into if thier life depended on it. The smaller ones tend to have the same people booked over and over for years-- not sure why- except I substituted for a prep cook on one last summer, and it felt like we were all working on our own "Rich guy's" yacht. I suppose the travelers felt the same. At home. Big contrast- more beauty, more relaxed crowd. No RUSHING RUSHING HURRY HURRY even when it came to booking the tours. Everything more personalized, luggage delivered to your cabin. I actually got cards from some pax [and wrote back] Hard to explain it except that the big ships are not from USA, have mostly foreign crews and pay very little in wages, so they depend heavily on tips. Smaller U.S. comapnies pay well, and the trip will cost you the same in the end [took me awhile to figure it out- listening to the pax over the years], but have all english speaking help, and everyone acts like they love you [it's easy if you're happy to be at work]. I was also very impressed to see the corporate guys pitch in and help [washed dishes when travel came to a near stand-still during the "Start bagging all your little liquids" week on the airlines, and replacement personnel couldn't get here..] I have been the 'shore support' -- bus driver/ tour guide for them all - [I was going to write a book- the kids wiped out he hard drive on the other compuiter-- there went most of it... 6 yrs... ~Sigh~] THOSE were 2 travel options. Another is to get on a Ferry- big 'Alaska Marine Highway' Vessel in Bellingham, WA - and come up here w/ an RV or car or bikes or? and go from place to place [Islands] on your own. Or you can drive up the AlCan highway and bypass the island communities (Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka-- the SE Panhandle). Many sites to research it all... Men should go fishing- King Salmon derby can win them up to 10,000 even if they are not local-- in Ketchikan, Juneau, Metlakatla, more-- maybe google Alaska King salmon derby to find out where & when. There are many things to do-- bear watching, eagles everywhere, Fish hatcheries in Juneau and Ketchikan, seals, whales, orca, and glaciers. look throughout my postings to see many more pics- and these are not taken by pros. Taken by me, friends, family, locals. Click on pics, Contact me if you need, and thank you all. Karen