Best Things to Do in Fairbanks Alaska 2026 — Northern Lights, Hot Springs & Midnight Sun
Why Fairbanks
Fairbanks is Alaska's second largest city and sits 360 miles north of Anchorage, two hours from the Arctic Circle by car. Most visitors come for the aurora in winter or the midnight sun in summer — and both experiences are legitimately extraordinary. But Fairbanks also has a dense collection of things to do that reward slower exploration, from one of the best natural history museums in the country to a minor-league baseball game played at midnight without artificial lights.
Northern Lights — The Primary Draw
Fairbanks sits under the auroral oval and sees aurora on clear nights whenever the KP index reaches 3 or higher, which is most clear winter nights from August through April. The best accessible viewing spots are Cleary Summit on the Steese Highway (Mile 20) and Murphy Dome Road. Both are free, no permit required. Chena Hot Springs Resort, 60 miles east on paved road, offers the most comfortable viewing experience — you can watch the lights from a 106°F outdoor mineral pool. The resort runs aurora alert calls to wake guests when activity spikes. Rooms run 00–350/night; the day-use pool pass for non-guests is around 0.
Chena Hot Springs in Detail
Chena is worth a full day trip even if aurora is not your goal. The outdoor rock lake pool stays at 106°F year-round. In December and January, soaking while surrounded by snow-covered spruce trees at -30°F is a genuinely surreal experience. The resort also has an ice museum (open year-round, carved fresh each season) and dog mushing demonstrations in winter. Reserve the pool in advance on weekends — it has a guest capacity limit. Sixty miles from Fairbanks on a paved road, accessible by regular car.
Museum of the North
The University of Alaska Fairbanks Museum of the North is the best Alaska natural history museum in the state. The collection covers 4.5 billion years of Alaska geology, extensive fossil collections including a near-complete Alaskan mammoth skeleton (Blue Babe, a steppe bison mummy), Alaska Native art and material culture, and contemporary Alaska art. The building itself is architecturally distinctive. Admission is around 4 for adults. Plan 2–3 hours. Located on the UAF campus, free parking.
Midnight Sun Baseball Game
Every June 21st, the Fairbanks Goldpanners play a baseball game that starts at 10:30pm and finishes past midnight without a single artificial light turned on. The sun doesn't fully set on the summer solstice in Fairbanks. This game has been played continuously since 1906 and is one of the genuine novelties of the Alaska summer. It's family-friendly, cheap (under 5 admission), and genuinely strange in the best way. The stadium is in downtown Fairbanks.
Santa Claus House and North Pole
North Pole is a suburb about 14 miles south of Fairbanks where the streets have names like Snowman Lane and the streetlights are painted like candy canes. Santa Claus House is a year-round Christmas shop and tourist stop that has been operating since 1952. It's earnestly odd and completely worth a 45-minute detour if you're traveling with kids or have any tolerance for Americana kitsch. Free to enter; the gift shop is extensive.
Practical Notes
Fairbanks is reachable by Alaska Airlines from Anchorage (1-hour flight, multiple daily) or by the Parks Highway (8–9 hours of driving from Anchorage). Rental cars are available at the airport. Winter driving in Fairbanks requires experience with ice and extreme cold — if you're not comfortable with those conditions, stick to guided tours or Uber for the main attractions. The aurora season runs August through April; the midnight sun peaks from late May through late July.
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