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Alaska is not known for having many resorts where you might check in and then just stay put, but Wedgewood Resort, a member of the Fountainhead Hotels group is just such a place. Set outside of the downtown bustle in a naturally wooded environment, the resort’s lodge-style buildings spread out across 30 acres, and it’s all next door to three other natural attractions. There’s so much space, in fact, that trams are available to whiz you around the property. Here you can strike that perfect balance between staying in contemporary, luxurious accommodations, but also communing with nature.
As part of Fountainhead Hotels—Fairbanks’ locally owned, premier hotel group—Wedgewood’s main resort area is comprised of 306 suites. Their "home suite home" 1- and 2-bedroom suites (measure up to 1,000 square feet and-delete) are a great option for groups and families. During the summer, you can also choose among the 157 guest rooms at Bear Lodge, a separate building 400 feet away from the visitor center, which also houses the Golden Bear Restaurant, the Bear’s Tale Lounge, an internet café & espresso deli and the Bear Essentials Gift Shop.
Check out the activities going on at the onsite Taiga Center, where you can take a watercolor class, meet an Iditarod musher, or take a self-guided walk through the wildlife sanctuary. The Taiga Center also offers evening movies, live performances or the beloved live owl show starring resident hooter Earl Gray. (Who is perhaps only upstaged by Nugget the Moose, a longtime Wedgewood “resident” who can often be seen as you drive onto the resort grounds). Spend some time at the farthest north antique auto museum, a 30,000-square-foot facility steps away from the Taiga Center.
That said, you’re not cut off from the shopping and restaurants of the city—Wedgewood is just one mile from downtown, an easy trip on the free summertime trolley.
Nature abounds at Wedgewood Resort. Walking paths meander through the beautifully landscaped area, punctuated by flower gardens, or you can explore the old miner’s cabin at the activity island. Right next door, too, are three natural attractions. The resort owns the 75-acre Wedgewood Wildlife Sanctuary, home to 100 different bird species, 15 kinds of mammals and even a beaver hut . There’s also the Alaska Bird Observatory, the northernmost observatory in the Western Hemisphere. Or, take the hiking trails that lead to a famed state-owned bird preserve, Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge, which is home to both seasonal birds and some year-round denizens, such as owls and chickadees.
Your up-close interaction with nature need not end at night, either. If you’re staying anytime close to northern lights "season"—even early or late summer—be sure to ask the front desk for a wake-up call if any auroras light up the sky.
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