Southeast Alaska Discovery Center

Welcome to the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center

We are located in downtown Ketchikan at 50 Main Street, for driving direction.

Things To Do at the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center

The Southeast Alaska Discovery Center includes exhibits and interactive displays about the land, people, and culture of Southeast Alaska. Walk through the temperate rainforest, experience a native fish camp, view wildlife through a spotting scope, and much more.

Exhibits

Temperate Rainforest

Step into Alaska's coastal temperate rainforest, where cool temperatures and ample rainfall create a lush evergreen forest. Conifers tower over dense tangles of berry bushes and Devils Club, a spiny shrub related to ginseng. A blanket of moisture rich mosses, ferns, and lichens cover fallen trees and soften to footsteps of the wildlife within.

Native Traditions

Learn the culture of the early inhabitants of Southeast Alaska in a life-size display of a native fish camp complete with smoke house and hand carved canoe. View examples of traditional clothing, masks, baskets, and bentwood boxes created by Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian artisans. Listen to Native Elders as they share their culture and heritage.

Ecosystems

Discover diverse ecosystems and habitats of Southeast Alaska and wildlife common to each with interactive displays spanning from high alpine meadows to coastal water ways. Watch salmon fry swimming in an aquarium or in Ketchikan Creek via live video feed. Search for mountain goats through a spotting scope aimed at the 3,000-foot summit of Deer Mountain.

Natural Resources

Alaska's history is interwoven with the use of its natural resources. Mining, fishing, and timber industries shaped the lives and economy of Southeast Alaska. Alaskan's also find time to play with a variety of recreational opportunities available on the public lands including camping, hiking, boating, kayaking, hunting and fishing. Recreational and industrial use of the natural resources affects the lives of Alaskans today; with proper use of the resources on public lands will have a positive influence on Alaska's future.

Theater

During the summer season attend an interpretive program or watch a film in the theater. November through April be a part of Friday Night Insights, a weekly lecture series focusing on the natural and cultural history of Alaska. Special events occur throughout the year. Check the calendar for event listings.

Bookstore

Browse through the Alaska Geographic Association bookstore for guidebooks, videos, maps, books for children, and other souvenirs.

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