Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¼´Ê±¿ª½±

Alaska Sealife Center in Seward.

© Nathaniel/Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¼´Ê±¿ª½±

Alaska Sealife Center

Top choice in Seward


A fitting legacy of the Exxon Valdez oil-spill settlement, this $56-million marine research center is more than just one of Alaska’s finest attractions. As the only cold-water marine-science facility in the Western Hemisphere, it serves as a research and educational center and provides rehabilitation for injured marine animals. Plan to spend the better part of a great afternoon here.

Kids will love the tidepool touch tank, where they can hold sea anemones and starfish, as well as the ship's helm and the massive two-story tanks where you can see seals, birds and more both above and below the water. An outdoor observation platform offers a fabulous view of the mountains ringing Resurrection Bay where you can watch salmon thrash their way up a fish ladder.

It’s worth including an Encounter tour (per person $75): you’ll get face to face with the creatures you normally only see behind the glass with deeper dives into the lives of octopus, puffins or marine mammals.


Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¼´Ê±¿ª½±'s must-see attractions

Nearby Seward attractions

1. Seward Community Library & Museum

0.26 MILES

This eclectic museum has an excellent Iditarod exhibit, a rare 49-star US flag, and relics of Seward’s Russian era, the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake and…

2. Small-Boat Harbor

1.15 MILES

The small-boat harbor at the northern end of 4th Ave hums during the summer with fishing boats, charter vessels, cruise ships and a number of sailboats…

3. Benny Benson Memorial

1.37 MILES

This humble monument at the corner of the Seward Hwy and Dairy Hill Lane honors Seward’s favorite son, Benny Benson. In 1926 the orphaned 13-year-old…

4. Kenai Fjords National Park

8.92 MILES

Where Seward ends this wonderful park begins. Comprising 587,000 acres of mountains, the park is home to tidewater glaciers, a massive ice field and…