Sure, you can pan for gold at hundreds of places in Alaska, but very few of these spots let you really work a claim. But at Crow Creek Mine, less than an hour from Anchorage, you’ll learn how to work a pan, and then how to run a creek-side sluice box. That’s because Crow Creek is an operational mine run by a mining family. Search for gold all day, or tour the historic grounds, once one of Alaska’s largest mines. Set in a picturesque valley high in the Chugach Mountains, the site is like a beautiful outdoor museum, with original buildings—the oldest in the Anchorage municipality—and turn-of-the-century mining equipment. Crow Creek Mine has been in operation since 1896 and the start of the Alaska Gold Rush, at one time mining an astounding 700 ounces a month. World War II brought an end to the large-scale mining, but even today, some say that half of the original deposit is still buried in the ground. The very ground you’ll be mining! https://www.alaska.org/detail/crow-creek-mine#map

What was it like for a family living in Anchorage in 1915? The Oscar Anderson House Museum, located in Elderberry Park at 5th Avenue and M Street, is the perfect way to find out. Oscar Anderson played a large role in the development of early Anchorage, and his house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The restoration took place between 1978-1982 with help from the Anderson Family, and particularly their daughter Ruth. The interior was intricately restored to represent its earliest décor. The Museum was opened to the public in the early 1980s and has provided Alaskans and visitors with a chance to experience life in early Anchorage for over 30 years. Tours are available by appointment and regularly from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. Or come visit during Swedish Christmas, the first two weekends each December, when the house is elaborately decorated and special Swedish treats are available. https://www.alaska.org/detail/oscar-anderson-house