2 Best Sights in Fairbanks, the Yukon, and the Interior, Alaska

If you stop in North Pole, don't skip this shop. Look for the gigantic 42-foot Santa statue and the Christmas murals on the side of the building, as well as the year-round department-store-style display windows. Inside, you'll find toys, gifts, Alaska handicrafts, and, of course, Christmas cookies. Santa is on duty to talk to children in summer and during the holiday season. Also in summer, visit Antler Academy inside the red reindeer barn, where guests can interact with Santa's sleigh team. And yes, you can get your mail sent with a genuine North Pole postmark, a service offered since 1952.

This shop has a large selection of Alaska handicrafts as well as a mounted wildlife display and a yard full of spruce-burl sculptures that photographers find hard to resist. Burls are actually caused by parasites in the living tree, and they create beautiful patterns in the wood. Don't forget to scoop up one of 50 ice cream flavors at the spruce-burl counter.