Earthquake Park, out on West Northern Lights Boulevard near the airport, has interpretive signs about the Big One on Good Friday 1964, and a view of the skyline and the Chugach Mountains. But the views are even more dramatic from Point Woronzof, another mile or so out.

Tony Knowles Coastal Trail parallels the coast along Earthquake Park and Point Woronzof; it continues from downtown all the way south to Kincaid Park. And speaking of Kincaid, the trails here are a destination for hikers and mountain bikers all summer, and cross-country skiers when the snow flies.

Covering 11 acres of land at Campbell Airstrip Road off Tudor Road, the Alaska Botanical Garden (907/770-3692, www.alaskabg.org, daily year-round, $5) is home to more than 1,100 varieties of plants. An information kiosk is at the entrance, and a pleasant one-mile nature trail leads through the perennial, rock, wildflower, and herb gardens. Take a guided tour of the garden daily at 1 p.m. June–August.