Another Alaskan Treasure - Alaska Sealife Center
Written: Sep 09 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Well-done and thoroughly modern. Beautiful setting.
Cons: A bit pricey... but it's Alaska! Out of the way for many.
The Bottom Line: Whether you're on a long vacation, a resident, or simply ending or beginning your cruise in Seward, this is a "don't miss" stop.
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| pilotpat's Full Review: Alaska SeaLife Center |
INTRODUCTION
Besides the incredibly beautiful Ressurection Bay and Kenai Fjords National Park, the Alaska Sealife Center is one of the main attractions of Seward, Alaska . Created largely with funds from the Exxon Valdez mishap, the Alaska Sealife Center opened several years ago, but is now coming into its own. On our last visit in August 2003, we were impressed by how polished the center has become.
LOCATION
As stated above, the ASLC is in Seward, Alaska , approximately 2 to 2.5 hours South of Anchorage by road, which includes a trip through the spectacular Turnagain Arm. Appropriately, the ASLC is located on the water's edge (which you will find later is imperative to its design). To get there, one simply continues along the Seward highway through the small town until it dead-ends in the ASLC parking lot. Parking, by the way, is free. Alternatively, you can catch a shuttle from the harbor and Alaska Railroad station for about $5. The walk from the harbor is healthy, but not terrible - I'd say about a mile.
ADMISSION and HOURS
Admission is $12.50 for adults, $10 for kids, and is FREE for ages 6 and under - a boon for parents of small children. Package deals with the Alaska Railroad (www.akrr.com) and some tour companies are available if you search a bit.
Hours of operation are 8am to 8pm through the summer, with reduced hours during the winter months. The center is closed on Christmas and Thanksgiving.
DESIGN
To get a rough idea of how the ASLC is designed, think Monterey on a slightly smaller but much more modern scale. Designed for both research about and exhibition of Alaskan marine life, a good portion of the facility is devoted to huge pumps and filters that exchange water between the ASLC and the bay. Much of the facility is not accessable to the public, and includes areas for resuscitating orphaned or injured seabirds and mammals. While the center lacks the huge open-water pen of the Monterey aquarium, it instead offers a large balcony section from which one can observe the bay (and usually get a good glimpse of the sea otters that frequent the waters just off the beach).
EXHIBITS
The center has two floors accessible to guests. The tour starts with an escalator ride up to the second floor, following life-size sculptures of a herd of Steller Porpoises. From there, one enters an interpretive section that describes the basic ecosystem of the waters surrounding Alaska, including the good and bad interactions of humans with the rest of nature through ecology, commercial and sport fishing, and pollution/environmental cleanup. I appreciate the relatively balanced approach in this section - not a Bambi-esque "man in the forest" tirade on evil humans destroying all they see, but not pulling many punches either.
Next, one follows several large aquariums (fed by the bay) depicting sealife from several different habitats, from the ocean floor to tidal zones. A large touch tank is manned by friendly and knowledgeable staff who invite you to get a closer look at anemonae, seastars, and other sealife. The water here also is exchanged with the bay and maintains a "brisk" 40 degrees F.
The center’s main attractions are three huge tanks featuring harbor seals in one, Steller Sea Lions in the second, and seabirds in the third. Each has open viewing above the waterline and underwater viewing through huge windows engineered so that the animals can see the human visitors equally well. When the center first opened, we enjoyed interacting with the seals and sealions, who would whirl and spin with their noses touching the glass and following your motions. Unfortunately, over the years the animals have become quite accustomed to the mammals on the other side of the glass and are more likely today to swim by with much less interest. Seats are provided to rest in as you watch the animals interact with each other in the large tanks - quite a relaxing way to spend an afternoon.
The rest of the lower floor offers still more live aquarium habitat "slices" before your tour ends with a well-done short repeating movie segment on Alaskan wildlife and our responsibility to be good stewards of it and the land.
Of course, your tour would not be complete without a visit to the museum gift store. The ASLC's gift store is relatively large, and offers everything from local watercolors and handcrafts to jewelry to gifts for the kids.
MORE INFORMATION
www.alaskasealife.org
OVERALL
The center is very well done, and quite up-to-date. The design is airy and well-presented, providing a good opportunity to spend a significant spot of time investigating a single exhibit, without impeding the flow of more casual observers. Whether you're on a long vacation, a resident, or simply ending or beginning your cruise in Sewards (most AK cruises stop or start here), this is a "don't miss" stop.
OTHER ALASKA REVIEWS
Seward, Alaska
Turnagain Arm
Kenai Canoe Trails
SOME OTHER MUSEUM/TRAVEL REVIEWS
Trakai, the Enchanted Castle
Vilnius, Lithuania KGB Museum of Genocide
Perazzi Shotgun Factory Tour
Recommended:
Yes
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pilotpat
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Member: Pat
Location: World Traveler
Reviews written: 96
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"Never tell your neighbors to wait until tomorrow if you can help them now."
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