Kenai Peninsula Museums & Cultural Centers

Discover the rich cultural heritage of the Kenai Peninsula through its captivating museums. Explore indigenous traditions, learn about the pioneers who shaped the land, and marvel at the diverse creatures that call this region home.

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Museums, Cultural Centers

Home­steading is a huge part of Alaskan his­to­ry and the Alaskan expe­ri­ence; and to learn about how Sol­dot­na was home­stead­ed in 1947, this is the place to come. The muse­um itself is a his­toric vil­lage; the orig­i­nal log cab­ins were trans­port­ed here. Each has a motion-acti­vat­ed speak­er with nar­ra­tion on the sig­nif­i­cance of the build­ing, as well as sig­nage about the building.

Season: Year Round $10 adult, $5 child

Homer’s Pratt Muse­um pre­serves the sto­ries of the Kachemak Bay region and pro­vides a gath­er­ing place for peo­ple to learn and to be inspired by this region and its place in the world. The museum’s exten­sive col­lec­tion offers an excel­lent way to learn more about the land­scape, com­mu­ni­ties and ecosys­tems of the area.

While you’re explor­ing Homer and it’s eco­log­i­cal-rich envi­rons, a stop at the Cen­ter for Alaskan Coastal Stud­ies adds to your appre­ci­a­tion of the his­to­ry and wildlife of the area.

The Hope-Sun­rise His­tor­i­cal and Min­ing Muse­um exhibits pho­tographs and arti­facts of the Tur­na­gain Arm Gold Rush of 1896 and the years since.

The Chal­lenger Learn­ing Cen­ter of Alas­ka was cre­at­ed to meet the edu­ca­tion­al needs of stu­dents through­out Alas­ka. Using sim­u­lat­ed space and earth sci­ence mis­sions, dis­tance edu­ca­tion and hands-on work­shops, the CLCA inspires youth to devel­op an inter­est in sci­ence, tech­nol­o­gy, engi­neer­ing and math (STEM), and to con­sid­er careers in these fields. Using space and earth sci­ences as a medi­um, par­tic­i­pants work in an envi­ron­ment that spans the…  ...more

Take a step back into Seldovia’s past while learn­ing about the present at the Sel­dovia Muse­um & Vis­i­tor Cen­ter. Check out detailed exhibits on the cul­tur­al tra­di­tions and lega­cies of the Native peo­ples of the area, see inter­ac­tive wildlife exhibits and pick up free trav­el infor­ma­tion and maps.

The muse­um presents the chief events of Seward’s his­to­ry through pho­tographs, arti­facts and doc­u­ments. There is also a fine col­lec­tion of Native bas­kets and ivory carv­ings on dis­play. Dur­ing the sum­mer there are evening pro­grams con­sist­ing of two slide shows: The His­to­ry of Seward and The His­to­ry of the Idi­tar­od Trail. A spe­cial open house is held every August 28 in hon­or of the found­ing of Seward in 1903. Muse­um shop car­ries books by local  ...more

The local his­to­ry muse­um, oper­at­ed in part­ner­ship with the Res­ur­rec­tion Bay His­tor­i­cal Soci­ety, is sit­u­at­ed on the first floor. The library, locat­ed on the sec­ond floor, offers com­put­er with inter­net access, youth pro­grams, and preschool sto­ry time for no cost. 

This lit­tle muse­um is a must see in Coop­er Land­ing. Housed in two his­toric build­ings, the old school house, built in 1955 and Jack Lean’s Cab­in, cir­ca 1920; the Coop­er Land­ing His­tor­i­cal Soci­ety Muse­um cov­ers the min­ing his­to­ry of coop­er land­ing, the lifestyle of ear­ly res­i­dents and the nat­ur­al his­to­ry of this area. Don’t miss the brown bear skele­ton recon­struct­ed by local school children.

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