4 Best Sights in The Bush, Alaska

This museum, located in the Richard Foster Building, holds the long-term exhibit Nome: Hub of Cultures and Communities Across the Bering Strait, which centers on five Arctic themes and involves interactive environments, such as an Iñupiat skin boat and miner's tent, along with hands-on technology to help engage the narratives. A second space contains a changing contemporary exhibit that typically features a regional artist or artists.

This remarkable museum highlights the cultural, military, and natural history of the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands. You'll find an array of objects representing some of the region's history, from gut parkas and repatriated religious artifacts to original drawings from Captain Cook's third voyage. The exhibits also give glimpses into the Unangax̂ way of life, as well as illustrating the impact of Russian contact and occupation, the gold rush, World War II, the fishing industry, and more. In the summer, the museum sponsors archaeological digs as well as periodic lectures by visiting scientists, historians, and researchers.

Named after Thomas "Pinky" Sekanoff, who walked across the Bering Strait to escape the Russian Revolution in the early 1900s, the 22-acre Pinky's Park remembers his life in Bethel and constant goodwill toward the kids in the community. Take a stroll on the park's nearly 2 miles of wooden boardwalks, decks, and trails. These structures are engineered to hold up to the often harsh climate while not damaging the tundra underneath. There's also a nice community garden, along with a playground and multiuse sports field that acts as a hub for all of Bethel's July 4 festivities.

The cultural center hosts a range of community and art events, including classes, movie screenings, summer camps, concerts, and summer Saturday markets. The center also has a library and a museum, founded in 1965 as the Bethel Museum, with more than 2,500 artifacts, photographs, and art pieces from the Athabascan, Cup'ik, and Yup'ik cultures, including masks, statues, and intricate carvings in ivory, baleen, and whalebone. The Kuskokwim Art Guild also runs a gift shop on the site.