I live in a little unincorporated town in Southcentral Alaska called Willow. It’s one of those places that if you blink on your way through, you might miss it. But, it’s central location is perfect for exploring some of my favorite places in Alaska, some of the most beautiful, yet accessible by car places.

One of those fun places is Talkeetna, Alaska, just 45 minutes north of where I live. Every year we head to Talkeetna at least 3 or 4 times. It’s a fun little town to explore. So I thought I’d share some of our favorite things to do there, and our must stop shop before we head home.

First, parking in Talkeetna can be insanely difficult. It’s a small town with narrow streets and limited parking. I usually go down and park by the baseball diamond as there’s more parking there than anywhere else. There are a couple of places to park just coming into town, but a lot of them charge money for parking. The baseball diamond is also just one street off main street and a good central location.

Mainstreet is very walkable, with marked walking paths on both sides of the street, although when there’s not cars, it turns into a wide walking path taking up the whole road. There are shops all along the street on both sides to explore. Some are locally owned (my favorites), and some are corporate shops (you can tell because their products are all the same). We like to start down by the quilting store, Patchwork Moose, and then hit our favorites on our way through town.

If you go back one street from main street to the road South Alley, there are a number of historical and educational buildings to explore. Some are free and some ask a small fee for maintenance. The National Parks Service has a beautiful little building toward the end of that street that has some pretty interesting information about Mt. McKinley, that’s where the climbers all check in before they head to the base camp.

We usually like to walk all the way through town, and end at the end of the road where the Talkeetna river and the Susitna river converge. From there we’ll often head down the side of the Talkeetna river to the train bridge. There’s foot path on the side of the bridge, and this is my kids favorite place to go. We cross over and on the other side there is a large beach, the river is shallow, and we enjoy spending some time hanging out, collecting and skipping rocks, and just playing in the water. Sometimes the beach is gone if the water is high, but most of the time it’s there.

We love getting ice cream in Talkeetna, and there are 2 great places to do so. Right on the corner of the Talkeetna Spur road and main street there is little ice cream shack that has some great Alaska flavored ice creams. One of the best is the fireweed flavor. Another great place for ice cream is at the corner of B street and main street. Again, great ice cream with lots of Alaska flavors. We also like to stop and get roasted nuts in the same area.

My favorite dinner place has to be Mountain High Pizza Pie. They have excellent pizza at a good price. They have limited indoor seating, but a lot of outdoor seating. They aren’t just pizza though, they have pizza, pasta, salads, and sandwiches. We love the Razzies at the bakery, a raspberry cinnamon roll, but they sell out quickly, so if you go later in the day, they’re usually closed because they’re sold out.

But, our very favorite, and often the only reason we go to Talkeetna place to get something to eat is Talkeetna Spinach Bread. They also have more on their menu, the only other thing I tried was the rhubarb crisp which was excellent as well, but not as good as the bread! It’s a little airstream RV that they’ve converted into their kitchen. They have a little patio out front with picnic tables and umbrellas. If they are open they are almost always busy, and there’s good reason.

They are a cash only business, so make sure you’re prepared. The spinach bread is $9 per plate, and you can get a take and bake frozen pack that is $18 (2 servings). Spinach bread is a flat piece of bread, I can’t remember what kind, with a layer of spinach, garlic, and cheese on top. I have no idea if they put anything else on it, but whatever else, the combination is fantastic!

They also head out across Alaska to some of the larger events on the road system, like the Midnight Sun Festival in Fairbanks this weekend (June 20), the Alaska State Fair, and many other locations. You can find their scheduled events on their Facebook page. They are close in Talkeetna on Tuesday’s.

If you’re planning a trip to Alaska, Talkeetna is a fun stop to make. If you’re on the train, it stops in Talkeetna so you can get off and explore. If you’re on a tour bus, they often also stop in Talkeetna as well, so check your schedule. Even though my kids are grown, they still like going, and whenever we have family come, it’s one of the stops we make.

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