Ketchikan, Alaska

Ketchikan is best known for three things: feisty salmon, idyllic scenery, and being incredibly rich in Native Alaskan culture.

The rich cultural history of Ketchikan is showcased throughout the entire town. From the waterfront, home to George Inlet Cannery and the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show, to Creek Street, where loggers, miners, fishermen and other local miscreants went to misbehave at Dolly’s House back in the town’s lawless years, as well as the Tongass Historical Museum.

The evidence of Native Alaskans is everywhere in Ketchikan, from a colorfully painted city bus to Chief Johnson’s Totem Pole at the center of town - Ketchikan boasts the largest number of totem poles in Alaska, a collection that includes recently carved poles and some that are more than 100 years old. The Totem Heritage Center, which offers classes in Native arts, houses a large collection of Native artifacts, including several ancient totem poles, cedar bark baskets, beaded regalia, button robes, and other beautifully hand-crafted works of art.