Top Dining Choices in Juneau (2023)

FAQs

What food is Juneau known for? ›

You might have heard, Juneau seafood is to die for — salmon, halibut, and crab make up the Alaskan seafood trifecta. Don't forget about regionally caught scallops, spot prawns, and Dungeness crab! Don't forget to take home a gift of smoked salmon.

Juneau is a great place for people who love the outdoors, beautiful scenery, and a community. The community is big enough to support a decent gathering and small enough to still have that small town vibe. You'll always see someone you know, no matter where you go.

Alaska's state capital is also one of its most beautiful cities and one of the most visited communities in the state. With so much to see and do, there's certain to be something for you in Juneau.

The Red Dog Saloon is a drinking establishment at 278 South Franklin Street in Juneau, Alaska, U.S. The Red Dog has been recognized by the Alaska Legislature for its longevity as the oldest man-made tourist attraction in Juneau.

With so much to do and see, you would ideally want to spend a full week in Juneau, but with proper planning, you can experience the highlights over a long weekend getaway. If you're planning a 3-day trip to Juneau, you won't be hard-pressed for things to do.

Plan Your Trip

Enjoy the downtown Red Trolley Tour! Hop off at the State Museum, Salmon Hatchery and the life size Breaching Whale Fountain.

Downtown Juneau is very walkable, and you can get to many landmarks within 15 minutes from the docks. You can also explore at your own pace by renting a car.

The Juneau AK crime rate for 2018 was 827.02 per 100,000 population, a 11.72% decline from 2017. The Juneau AK crime rate for 2017 was 936.8 per 100,000 population, a 9.51% increase from 2016. The Juneau AK crime rate for 2016 was 855.48 per 100,000 population, a 2.5% decline from 2015.

The absence of a road network is due to the extremely rugged terrain surrounding the city. This in turn makes Juneau a de facto island city in terms of transportation, since all goods coming in and out must go by plane or boat, in spite of the city's location on the Alaskan mainland.

Is it better to go to Juneau or Anchorage? ›

Anchorage is larger and therefore has more attractions, but it also has less attractive areas. Juneau is smaller and enclosed by mountains, making its general layout more attractive by default.

Juneau is a wonderful place in Alaska where you can watch the Aurora phenomenon. Go hiking on some of the trails at Juneau to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights.

Meaning:Queen of heaven; young. Juneau is a gender-neutral name of Latin origin. It is a variation of Juno, meaning "queen of heaven" or "young." Suitable for both boys and girls, Juneau offers you a worth of possibilities, from celebrating baby's angelic presence to the innocence of their youth.

The northern lights occur all four seasons of the year, although they are harder to see under the Midnight Sun. The best time to see the northern lights in Alaska is between August and April, when less daylight leads to darker night skies.

The highlight was a famous "shot glass' drink called a Duck Fart. Which is made up of a third Kahlua, a third Bailey's Irish Cream and a third Whiskey.

The Alaskan Hotel in downtown Juneau opened one-hundred-years ago and is the oldest operating hotel in the state. Owners Bettye Adams bought the hotel in 1977 with her husband Mike; it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Opened as a sandwich shop at 449 N. Main Street in the Fitzgerald Hotel during Prohibition, the Red Dog Saloon was first licensed in 1933 after Prohibition was abolished.

The best time to visit Juneau is between May and August. You'll have to compete with hordes of cruise passengers at the area's top attractions, but the days will be long and sunny. Plus, these months correspond with whale migration season, meaning you're guaranteed to see some activity in the water.

Juneau, Alaska gets 71 inches of rain, on average, per year.

Can you do Mendenhall Glacier on your own? ›

While many people go to Mendenhall Glacier with a tour group or on a shore excursion, you can also get to the glacier on your own. You can take a taxi from Juneau, drive to the glacier with a rental car, or take the city bus to Glacier Spur Road and walk the rest of the way (1.5 miles).

The walk from the cruise port to the Downtown Transit Center (DTC) was less than 10 minutes where we caught bus# 3 at 8:05 am and arrived at the Glacier Stop-439 at 8:55 am. From here we walked the 1.5 mile and arrived at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center by 9:25 am.

Day use passes sell for $5 per person and collectible season passes will be for sale for $15 for the card holder and one guest the entire season. Those age 15 and younger are free.

With all that said, we successfully used both Uber and Lyft in Juneau on a number of occasions. Overall, the drivers that we had were quite nice and several of them gave us some pretty good inside information about different attractions.

Juneau is incredibly spread out, so if you're staying outside downtown, you'll need a car (or a serious appetite for hiking). There are, of course, numerous chain hotels near the airport, but you can do better than that.

Juneau has one of the highest overall crime rates of any U.S. city. For comparison, the national total crime rate is 2,489 incidents for every 100,000 people. Juneau's overall crime rate is 32% higher than the overall crime rate in Alaska.

The city of Juneau is too small to be able to pick out good or bad neighborhoods. The good thing is, you'll either be on foot or taking a paid ride anywhere, so you can't drive into the “wrong” part of town. Most tourists stay on the beaten path and that makes it a lot safer for everyone.

There were 15,842 crimes reported in Anchorage, Alaska in 2019, the most recent year crime data is available. Adjusted for population, the city's annual crime rate is 5,506 incidents for every 100,000 people.

Freezing temperatures can happen in Juneau anytime from September until May. Juneau typically sees 128 frosty nights a year. The coldest nights drop down to below 0 °F (-18 °C), which happens on average twice a year. For an average of 39 days annually the thermometer never rises above freezing.

Why are there no roads in Alaska? ›

Alaska's climate and geography provide significant challenges to building and maintaining roads. Mountain ranges, permafrost, long distances between small population centers, and the cost of transporting materials all add to the costs and challenges of Alaska's road system.

Juneau is the largest city in the United States and the only state capital, excluding Hawaii, that doesn't have road access.

Alternatively, Alaska DOT operates a car ferry from Ketchikan to Juneau 3 times a week. Tickets cost $110 - $180 and the journey takes 18h 15m.

Temperatures will continue to drop, with highs only reaching the mid 50s and lows going down to the mid 30s. Therefore, if you booked a September cruise to Alaska, make sure to bring heavier layers of clothes, such as thick wool sweaters, socks, hats, a warmer jacket, and a sturdy pair of gloves.

8,430 km²

Juneau / Area

Auroras appear to the naked eye as a very faint, white glow in the night sky to the magnetic north. Many auroras are totally invisible to the naked eye or can only be seen by looking at them indirectly, i.e. out of the corner of your eye. It is extremely rare to see them in colour with the naked eye.

If you're wondering if Iceland or Alaska is better for viewing the Northern Lights. The answer is that both offer incredible opportunities. The ideal position for viewing the Aurora Borealis is north of 65 degrees latitude. It will need to be a cloudless night and preferably away from city lights.

November through to February offer the darkest skies and longer evenings for maximum sky-gazing. The strongest lights tend to appear between 9pm and 2am, though the best sightings often occur between 11pm and midnight.

The name Juno is primarily a gender-neutral name of Latin origin that means Goddess Of Love, Marriage & Childbirth. Roman chief goddess of Goddess of Love, Marriage & Childbirth and the female counterpart to Jupiter.

Juno as a girl's name is of Latin origin meaning "queen of heaven." In Roman mythology, Juno was the equivalent of Hera in classical mythology, and the protector of women and of marriage; hence June is known as the bridal month.

Is Juneau a French name? ›

The name Juneau is primarily a gender-neutral name of French origin that means Young. Most likely a derivation of the French word jeune, meaning "young one." Capital city of the state of Alaska, U.S.

Juneau is many things: a mountain town, a coastal community and the most scenic capital city in the U.S. A natural wonder, wildlife hotspot and cultural jewel, Juneau is rich in history, art, music and Native heritage.

On Celebrity, cruises to Alaska and Iceland just might yield sightings of Aurora Borealis. That said, even if you don't see the Northern Lights during your cruise, there's plenty to fall in love with in these exciting destinations, from incredible dog-sledding competitions to hiking along stunning fjords.

Yes, you can see the northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, from Anchorage - but not in the summer. The aurora actually occurs all year long, but the sky needs to be clear and dark to see it. Views are best from September to April. Winter is the prime viewing time.

So why is there no road to Juneau? A road going due east wouldn't work out so well with an icefield the size of Rhode Island separating Juneau from Atlin, British Columbia. Similarly, the route up the Taku River is blocked by ever-shifting glaciers.

Meaning:Queen of heaven; young. Juneau is a gender-neutral name of Latin origin. It is a variation of Juno, meaning "queen of heaven" or "young." Suitable for both boys and girls, Juneau offers you a worth of possibilities, from celebrating baby's angelic presence to the innocence of their youth.

The city is named after a gold prospector from Quebec, Joe Juneau, though the place was once called Rockwell and then Harrisburg (after Juneau's co-prospector, Richard Harris).

We expanded that question to ask why Juneau remains the capital. It's fairly easy to see why Juneau became the capital in 1906 – Anchorage didn't exist yet and Fairbanks was a remote settlement, but Juneau had a thriving mining industry and was only a steamer trip away from Seattle.

Juneau, Alaska gets 71 inches of rain, on average, per year.

Juneau is definitely worth visiting. It is rich in history and became the capital city of the territory in 1906 and of the state in 1959. It has a marvelous State Museum that contains artifacts and displays, an active waterfront with piers full of boats, ships, and floatplanes.

How long is the ferry ride from Juneau to Haines? ›

A trip from Juneau to Haines takes about 4.5 hours and only 1 hour to get from Skagway to Haines. Ferries typically run once a day in summer. The Haines Skagway Fast Ferry makes multiple trips per day between Haines and Skagway.

The name Juno is primarily a gender-neutral name of Latin origin that means Goddess Of Love, Marriage & Childbirth. Roman chief goddess of Goddess of Love, Marriage & Childbirth and the female counterpart to Jupiter.

Juno as a girl's name is of Latin origin meaning "queen of heaven." In Roman mythology, Juno was the equivalent of Hera in classical mythology, and the protector of women and of marriage; hence June is known as the bridal month.

The name Juneau is primarily a gender-neutral name of French origin that means Young. Most likely a derivation of the French word jeune, meaning "young one." Capital city of the state of Alaska, U.S.

Although you may not see them all on your next Alaskan cruise, Juneau is well known for its incredible wildlife — both on land and by sea. Juneau is popular. In a given year Juneau can receive as many as 900,000 cruise ship passengers and an additional 100,000 independent travelers. There's no place like Juneau.

At $33 for adult tickets (and $16 for kids between 6 and 12), the tramway can be expensive for some. Although, that price includes all-day unlimited rides, a short film viewing and a visit to the Juneau Raptor Center and the Raven Eagle Gifts & Gallery.

Learn More About Alaska

State Nick Name: "The Last Frontier" - the name Alaska is derived from the Aleut word "Aleyska," meaning "great land."

There are two main reasons. First, Canada wasn't its own country in 1867. Second, Great Britain controlled the Canadian colonies. Russia did not want to sell Alaska to its rival.

The municipalities of Anchorage, Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in public and private employment, public accommodations, and housing. This represents about 46% of the state population.