Southeastern Alaska is a land of many awesome sights, wildlife, and history. We visited a really unique place while exploring Juneau: Glacier Gardens. This beautiful and idiosyncratic landscape on a steep hillside is the creation of a passionate gardener, Steve Bowhay, and his family. Faced with a hillside of fallen trees (the result of a landslide), he has created a remarkable succession of waterfalls, ponds, and gardens punctuated by his own unique creation: the Upside-Down Flower Tower! Growing fast in the long Alaskan summer days, these awesome mega-sized flower baskets are created in the roots of trees planted upside down: see the photo above! A visit includes a guided tram ride through the rainforest to the top of Thunder Mountain for fantastic views over the bay. Truly a garden that must be seen to be believed! http://www.glaciergardens.com/
Mendenhall Glacier, located just outside Juneau, is a spectacular sight: a walk-up glacier! Its massive wall of blue ice loams over a beautiful lake which you can hike around almost to the base of the ice. The excellent visitor center explains the life of glaciers and the history of this particular one. Boat rides on the lake are available, as well as helicopter flights up onto the glacier itself. A trip into the ice caves below the glacier is awe-inspiring. Check out the details at http://www.alaska.org/detail/mendenhall-glacier-visitor-center
There are lots of other organized activities for the tourist in Juneau: whale watching trips, the tram to the top of Mt. Roberts for awesome views, ziplining on Douglas island, the list goes on and on! And don’t miss the salmon chowder and other seafood at one of the many excellent local restaurants.