Spring in Anchorage brings bright evenings, budding foliage, seasonal events, and endless natural beauty – the perfect setting for celebrating Mother’s Day. Make plans to pamper the mothers in your life. Reserve a table for brunch, book a massage, attend a special community gathering, or spend time immersed in the outdoors with the ones you love. In Anchorage, there’s a special spot for every style of celebration.
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Start the day with some spring flavor: Savor brunch at one of Anchorage’s many unique local restaurants. Treat mom to some king crab Benedict, a sizzling reindeer sausage frittata, or any number of other Anchorage specialties, then toast to the occasion with a mimosa or hot cup of fresh local coffee.
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Find spring flora at the Alaska Botanical Garden. Stretch out and enjoy some outdoor serenity in the 110-acre spruce and birch forest. You can also listen to music by Knock on Wood, plant a sunflower station, sip on coffee or hot chocolate from Kaladi Brothers, shop nursery plant sales alongside the garden gift shop, and much more.
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Celebrate the special day at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center where all mothers get in free. Walk, bike, or drive the 1.5-mile loop through 200 acres of spacious habitats. Don’t be surprised if you see a brown bear swimming, wood bison roaming, wolves posing, and more.
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Spot Anchorage’s four-legged, finned, or feathered mamas with a wildlife safari around the city. Go bird-watching on the boardwalk at Potter Marsh, look for moose with spring calves at Point Woronzof or along the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, and drive out to Beluga Point to watch for Cook Inlet beluga whales sliding through the surf of Turnagain Arm.
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Head out to Alyeska Resort to spend some time at the new Nordic Spa. Experience a circuit of hot and cold pools set against the backdrop of the Chugach Mountains and the lush northernmost rainforest. Explore the Forest Loop, a wooden pathway that links visitors to a series of barrel saunas, Bayna saunas, and cedar soaking tubs, all tucked into the spruce and hemlock forest. Afterward, recharge with a bike ride or stroll on one of Girdwood’s scenic forest trails, and don’t miss a family photo opportunity at Virgin Creek Falls, just a short walk away.
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Enjoy a sunset view with one of the Anchorage area’s renowned Dena’ina matriarchs, “Grandma Olga” Ezi, whose statue sits at the Ship Creek small boat harbor surrounded by big views of the mountains, inlet, and city skyline. Learn about Dena’ina history and Ezi’s role in it, soak up the scenery, and celebrate the mothers in your life while watching the evening alpenglow crown the Chugach Mountains in shades of pink and gold.
