As the state's business, culinary and cultural capital, Anchorage offers an abundance of activities, dozens of gourmet restaurants, four-star hotels, museums, and fine shops with prices comparable to most large cities. Many tours and activities are available just minutes from your hotel. Accommodations range from major chains to locally-owned hotels, providing more than 6,000 guest rooms plus excellent meeting and convention facilities. The city's premier meeting facility is the William A. Egan Civic and Convention Center with room for more than 2,500 delegates. Spring through fall, the area's climate is similar to Pacific Northwest's spring weather.
Winter reminds visitors of ski resorts in the Rocky Mountains, Canada and Europe.
Visitors to Anchorage can now discover those customs and traditions for themselves at the first-ever Alaska Native Heritage Center which opened in May of 1999. A gathering place for Alaska Natives and visitors alike, the Center will celebrate, perpetuate, and share the diverse cultures, languages, and traditions of Alaska's indigenous groups. For visitors, the Center provides an unprecedented opportunity to experience Alaska's many Native cultures in one location. Native people from the five cultural groups represented at the Center will demonstrate their heritage through Native arts and crafts, dance performances, interpretive displays, and other educational activities. The Alaska Native Heritage Center is located near the intersection of the Glenn Highway and Muldoon Road, just 10 minutes from downtown.