For those of you who don’t know me or how aren’t familiar with my work I have two passions; travel and photography. I have the best job in the world. It allows me to explore both of those things. In this blog I want to share with you a few of my favorite places that I have traveled to recently and maybe you just might want to check them out for yourself.
The southeastern most city in Alaska, Ketchikan is a small town with a rich history. With a population of just over eight thousand the residents typically work in one of two industries, tourism or fishing. Tourism is a huge part of the economy in Ketchikan, and the many attractions will let you know that.
Many tourists come to Ketchikan to see its famous totem poles. The small town boasts the largest number of them in Alaska. Chief Johnson’s Totem Pole sits at the center of town, while the others are spread thought Ketchikan. Some of the posts are more than 100 years old. Ketchikan loves to boast its native heritage along with some of the other parts of the town’s history.
One of the other parts of history that Ketchikan likes to preserve is Dolly’s House Museum. Long ago, Dolly’s House provided a certain kind of female companionship. After a long day at work the men of the town would make their way to Creek Street, also known as the heart of the red light district. The most famous of these brothels was located at 24 Creek Street, Dolly’s House. As visitors step inside the house they are transported in time. Visitors are still able see the house covered in its original wall paper and the hiding places for liquor during the prohibition era are opened for all to see. To make the tour more authentic, the women who give tours through the old brothel wear attire of those who worked there during the house’s heyday.
Another attraction and one that is a little more family friendly is The Great Lumberjack Action Show. This show is action packed with things like tree climbing races, log running, and axe throwing. The men that are in the show are actually trained and experienced lumberjacks. The lumberjacks are also world champion athletes who go head to head in competition every day for the tourists of Ketchikan.
The other industry that is really big in the small town is fishing. Ketchikan is known as the salmon capital of the world and it does not disappoint. The fish is caught local so its fresh and it is prepared a million different ways: sautéed, broiled, battered, or baked. The towns restaurants also serve salmon burgers, salmon jerky, smoked salmon spread, cured salmon, salmon rolls, and salmon roe among many other salmon dishes. Hungry yet?
Thank you for spending your time to read this blog! Please come back next week as we explore another amazing location!