1: Board the Riverboat Discovery. This sternwheeler boat tour has the perks of an Alaskan cruise in just 3 hours and runs about $60 for adults and $40 for kids.

2: Soak in the Chena Hot Springs. A day pass runs you only $15 -- and taking one last dip in the hot springs at 11pm before heading out to see the Northern Lights is priceless.

3: Sample some of Alaska’s finest beer at Silver Gulch Brewery. The American Strong Ale has a 7.9% alcohol content to commemorate an earthquake that reached, you guessed it, a 7.9 on the Richter scale.

4: Visit the Large Animal Research Station. $10 admission gets you up close and personal with muskoxen, caribou and reindeer. Beware: that “musk” can only be described as “rank.”

5: Go running after reindeer. In a birch grove at the base of Moose Mountain you can frolic in the forest and play reindeer games at Running Reindeer Ranch. Side note: did you know that females grow antlers, too?