Sitka, Alaska Cruise Port Guide

Sitka National Historical Park (Totem Park) — A 113-acre national park where the Tlingit and Russians fought the pivotal Battle of Sitka in 1804. Today a network of forested trails winds past 18 magnificent totem poles standing among the old-growth Sitka spruce — one of the most beautiful and atmospheric park settings in America. The visitor center has excellent exhibits on Tlingit and Russian-colonial history. A working Native carver is typically on-site in the carving shed. About a 20-minute walk from Centennial Hall. Free admission.

St. Michael's Russian Orthodox Cathedral — One of the most iconic landmarks in Alaska — a stunning 1848 Russian Orthodox cathedral in the center of Lincoln Street, filled with extraordinary 18th and 19th-century icons rescued from a 1966 fire by Sitka citizens who formed a human chain to pass them to safety. The cathedral represents 150 years of Russian Orthodox presence in Alaska and is still an active parish. Small admission fee.

Russian Bishop's House — One of the few surviving examples of Russian colonial architecture in North America — completed in 1842 and the center of Russian Orthodox authority in a diocese stretching from California to Siberian Kamchatka. Beautifully restored and managed by the National Park Service, with original furnishings and exhibits on the Russian colonial era in Alaska. A remarkably intact piece of American history.

Alaska Raptor Center — A bald eagle rehabilitation facility that also houses owls, ravens, and falcons unable to return to the wild. The encounters are intimate — you'll get closer to a bald eagle than almost anywhere else on earth. Small, meaningful, and genuinely moving. Approximately $14 admission. About a 10-minute walk from downtown. One of the most memorable wildlife experiences available at any Alaska cruise port.

Fortress of the Bear — A wildlife rescue center housing bears that cannot survive in the wild — primarily brown bears and black bears. Visitors observe the bears at close range in large naturalistic enclosures. An excellent wildlife encounter for those who want to see Alaska's most iconic animal safely and in an educational context.

Sheldon Jackson Museum — One of Alaska's oldest museums, housing one of the finest collections of Native Alaskan artifacts in the world — collected by missionary Sheldon Jackson in the late 19th century. Tlingit, Haida, Aleut, Yup'ik, and other Alaska Native objects of extraordinary quality and cultural significance. An essential cultural stop in Sitka.