Exclusive Editor’s Tips:

When Alaskan Brewing Co. opened in 1986, it was one of the first craft breweries in the country. Today, it is also one of the largest by volume. And while you can likely buy its potables at home, it’s worth pulling up a bar stool at its Juneau tasting room, where there’s always a selection of beers found nowhere else, including pours from their Rough Drafts and Barrel-Aged series. Afterward, check out the rest of the home-grown libations scene including Barnaby Brewing Company, which tends to be more playful (they used edible glitter in one of their sours) and Amalga Distillery, whose Juneauper Gin is made from locally sourced ingredients including Devil's Club, Labrador Tea, and rhubarb. Insider tip: If Sitka spruce tips are listed as an ingredient, get it. They impart a mellow pine and raspberry flavor.

Dine on fresh seafood

Don’t let Tracy’s King Crab Shack proximity to the cruise ship terminal deter you—this dockside joint isn’t a tourist trap. In fact, it serves up some of the most reasonably priced (and unreasonably tasty) seafood in the 49th state, much of which was pulled from the surrounding waterways by local crabbers. The sweet and meaty king crab legs are the reason there’s typically a line out the door, but the snow and Dungeness crab are worth donning a bib for too. It’s also worth ordering the homemade crab bisque and an extra side of garlic rolls. If you want to do as the locals do, you can instead beeline for Shack 2 (which is literally a shack at 300 Whittier Street). The food is the same but it’s always less crowded and it’s served al fresco.

Learn about Indigenous culture

Indigenous people have lived in Alaska since time immemorial and one of the best places to learn about their history is the Alaska State Museum. It does an excellent job of explaining what Alaska has looked like through different groups' eyes over the last few thousand years, through traditional artwork, artifacts, and interactive exhibits. There’s also the Sealaska Heritage Institute, where it’s possible to see a full-scale replica of a clan house and a sprawling exhibit on tribal masks. Finally, there’s the one-mile-long Kooteeyaa Deiyi (totem trail), with 12 poles, each telling a different story, that line the seawalk.