our last Fairbanks activity was taking a 3 hour river boat cruise down the Chena River. 

the boat was called the Discovery III, but we also saw the Discovery II and the original Discovery. the business is family owned and operated, and was started in the early 1900’s to move cargo down the river.  now it’s just a passenger cruise to share the history of the area.  the captain of the boat was the grandson of the original captain; at one point we passed his family home along the river and waved to the 4th generation. one family tradition the boat cruise still maintains is having fresh blueberry doughnuts on-board for all the guests. delicious.

the whole trip was fun and well coordinated, and i’m glad we did it.  it was the perfect way to spend a gorgeous afternoon.

while on the cruise we were able to see a bush pilot take off and land on the river, the Susan Butcher (5 time Iditarod winner) Kennel for sled dogs with a demonstration & talk about what they do, and we got off the boat for a walk around a replica of an Athabascan Indian village.  at the village we also had the opportunity to learn more and even pet the sled dogs.  Susan Butcher passed away from cancer in 2006, but her husband carries on the business and was the there to autograph his children’s book called Granite, about their sled dog of the same name.

so was it a tourist attraction? yes, but not cheesy at all, and worth the money. i recommend it if you have some extra time in Fairbanks.