The best days are sometimes those you never see coming. Today, we were going to Chena Hot Springs because it was only an hour north/northeast of Fairbanks (and there really isn’t a lot to do in Fairbanks).  We had zero idea what to expect but it was pretty inexpensive, and we could go anytime before 11:45pm.  No early morning schedule meant we could sleep late. The weather cooperated with a nice gentle rain until about 11am.  We had a big brunch of eggs and bacon, and stayed in our PJs until almost noon! Finally, we got motivated to pack up and head out. 

The Chena Hot Springs were discovered in 1905 by 2 mining brothers looking to ease the pain of rheumatoid arthritis. However, while they enjoyed the hot springs, they failed to stake. Three years later, George Wilson established a Homestead and staked his claim. By 1911, the Chena Hot Springs Resort was one of the premier destinations for the Alaskan Interior. 

We discovered the Hot Springs from the Alaskan Department of Tourism, TripAdvisor and ChatGPT. 😉 It is one of 4 things that repeatedly pop up when you search “what is there to do in Fairbanks?” The Chena Hot Springs are about an hour drive from our cabin on some of the most rolling/dippy road we’ve ever traveled. It wasn’t the terrain that rolled, it was the road – we’re guessing it’s due to the freeze/thaw/freeze of Alaska. 

We also saw a new kind of snow marker to advise snow plows of the edge of the roads. We found this out by using Google Image search, but the fact that it seemed to know the road we were on from the picture was a little unsettling 😬

The drive to Chena Hot Springs looked like we were driving to the NC Blue Ridge Mountains.

Finally we made it to the Resort. If you love kitschy, cheesy, left behind by time places – you have to come here! It is awesome! We aren’t entirely convinced that the whole operation isn’t a front for the Russian Mob. But whatever, we had a blast!

After you come through the entrance, there a giant plane in the air and an old fire truck with no explanation for either.

Then there is a giant dome like structure with no signage (later we found out this was the Ice Museum – more on that later).

We headed to the pool sign-in area. Picked up our rented towels and changed into our suits. There was an indoor pool warmed by the hot springs and then the outdoor hot springs. The Hot Springs keep the water at 106°. There was a slight sulfur smell and it was a gravel-bottom pool/pond but it was still really cool to be in naturally heated water in 50° weather.  (There were also several men who gave off a Tony Soprano vibe but we’re just going to roll with it at this point.)

Then we decided to head in to the chlorinated hot tubs and relax even more. We have had such a great trip together. As much as I loved being with the boys when they were little, it’s been pretty great getting to who they are becoming.

After the hot tubs, we showered and changed back into dry clothes. We wanted to check out the ice museum but the next tour was about an hour away. We decided to grab some quick appetizers while we waited. The restaurant at the resort just continued the show with animal hides and oversized tables. It was just the best! (We may or may not have seen a chipmunk scamper across the lobby after we ate, but we are not focusing on that).

After our snack, we headed back to the Activities Center for our tour of the Ice Museum. While we waited for the start, we checked out the Activitorium 🤣🤣

Then came the Ice Museum! Oh my word, this was place was crazy! It was so cold that we all got parkas when we entered. And then they opened the door… everything was made of ice!

Seriously, how random is it to stumble onto this???🤣🤣🤣

They actually rent out these rooms and give you military grade blankets and suits to stay warm. Why would you ever want to spend the night here???

We did enjoy the little apple martini served in an ice glass! We saved it afterwards so boys could drink Diet Coke from it afterwards 😁 and we loved the toys made of ice 🧊

Love that they had red noses when we left 🤣

We headed home after the coolest most random day ever!

We had dinner of fried pork chops back at our cabin, and made it through half a game of garbage before we decided to relax with some TV before bed.

Tomorrow we leave our cabin in the woods and head out to explore the eastern sign of the Alaskan Interior.