INDOOR ACTIVITES IN PALMER

Named for the 203 families in the Matanuska Colony Project, 203 Kombucha is Palmer's first Kombuchery! Enjoy open mic nights, cribbage tourneys, live music, and of course, delicious kombucha!

Serving non-alcoholic drinks only.

Explore Alaska Like a Local and ride off into Alaska’s wilderness with Alaska Backcountry Adventure Tours. Alaska Backcountry Adventure Tours offers Alaska vacations, packages and tours.

Experience the rich culture and history behind Alaska's farms and food. Join us for an in-depth half day farm tour, perfect for folks looking for the ultimate Anchorage day trips, with stops at historical sites, living homesteads, and urban food landscapes to understand the lives of Alaska's farmers, ranchers, and homesteaders who call Alaska home.

Experience Alaska’s Great Frontier while enjoying the modern comfort of their luxury home. Knotty Pine boasts 8 acres of spruce forest, which attracts frequent moose visitors. Their scribed 3800 sq. ft. log home was carefully designed to take advantage of the spectacular surrounding mountain range.

Alaska Zipline Tours & Adventure Park
Alaska Zipline Adventure Park is Alaska’s first and only all-tandem side-by-side zipline course conveniently located just a short 90-minute drive north of Anchorage. Our Alaska zipline tours are one of a kind, situated on a 280-acre working farm surrounded by majestic mountains with stunning 360-degree views, all just outside Palmer, AK.

In addition to our Alaska zip line tours, our adventure park also offers full horseback trail rides, western arena activities, kids summer ranch camps, a retreat center and more! There is nothing else like it anywhere in Alaska.

This 1.6 mile trail is fully paved and perfect for people of all ages.  Though just outside Palmer, it offers a variety of activities such as disc-golf, running, biking, and even Nordic skiing in winter.

For directions and additional information, please contact the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Development Department of click on the website link above.

Backcountry Bike & Ski offers daily and weekly rentals for cross country skis. They rent Rossignol waxless ski packages that include skis, boots, and poles. Also, they offer bikes and fat tire bikes for rent.

Part of a 30+ mile network of trails in the Matanuska Greenbelt, it cuts through the forest in a loop just over a mile long.  These dirt trails are dotted with about 100 signposts to help with navigation and provide hours of exploration.

For directions and additional information, please contact the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Development Department or click on the website link above.

At Big Dipper Ice Cream, we are serving an extensive and ever-changing variety of delicious homemade ice cream prepared on site at our fun family-friendly Palmer ice cream shop. As a locally owned business, we look forward to bringing joy to our community through our love for people and ice cream.

Our flavors are range from the traditional that you will remember from your childhood to the more adventurous flavors that are sure to pique your curiosity.  We pride ourselves in using locally sourced ingredients in a number of our flavors.

And yes, we do have dairy free ice cream and sorbets!  Be sure ask about our variety of all frozen deserts we carry.

Confident, strong, and healthy. Body In Balance is an independently-owned physical therapy practice in Palmer, AK.

Bushes Bunches Produce Stand is a family owned business that opened in 1954. They supply Palmer, Alaska and the surrounding areas of Wasilla and Anchorage with fresh local produce at our farmers market stand located just outside of Palmer. They are more than just a produce stand. With over 14 acres in production they are an active Alaska farm specializing in local vegetables.

Family-owned establishment featuring an array of traditional homestyle American meals that are always available any time of the day in a comfortable setting. If you visit us on Sunday, you can enjoy prime rib for breakfast, lunch or dinner, cooked just the way you like it.

The Crevasse-Moraine trail system features over 6 miles of interconnected trails and is is open year round.  These trails run along what was once a glacier bed and ranges widely in difficulty from trail to trail.

For directions and additional information, please contact the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Development Department or click on the website link above.

Drill Team Six Fishing Excursions is ready to take you on your next adventure! Located just 50 minutes from Anchorage, we provide YEAR-ROUND all-inclusive fishing packages. Trips range from guided salmon & lake boat charters to a variety of ice fishing excursions. Fish May-Oct on our spacious 20ft jet boat with the capacity for up to 6 people. If you enjoy the cooler weather, we offer a variety of ice fishing excursions Dec-Apr. Enjoy the beautiful back country of Alaska by snowmobile on one of our remote Northern Pike day trips. Targeted species (depending on season) include: King & Silver Salmon, Rainbow Trout, Arctic Char, Northern Pike and Burbot. All packages include safety equipment, bait, gear, tackle and heated shelters for ice fishing. At the end of your trip we will fillet your fish along with placing them in a bag for easy transport. Licensed, insured and USCG certified. We are a Veteran owned/operated family-oriented small business. Ask about our MILITARY & 1ST RESPONDER discounts. Also, like and follow our FB for future giveaways. Copy link to connect to FB: https://www.facebook.com/DrillTeamSix/.

Established in 2001, Fireside books is the premier book venue in the Valley.  They offer a broad selection of new and used titles on just about every subject.  They also carry a number of journals and literary souvenirs!

The park sits beside a beautiful lake and delicious on-site restaurant. Fox Run is conveniently located off the Glenn Highway, in Palmer, on the beautiful Matanuska Lake and is open to visit year round.  They include lakefront efficiencies, 1 or 2 bedroom suites, rough cabins, as-well-as tent and RV camping.

This 16 mile (round trip) trail follows the Little Susitna river up to it's headwaters.  One of four major trails in Hatcher Pass, north of Palmer, it has a gradual incline for the first few miles before becoming much steeper.  It is open to hiking, biking, and skiing, and you can even do a little gold panning along the way.

For directions and additional information, please click on the website link above or alaska.org/detail/gold-mint-trail.

In the peak winter months Government Peak features 9 miles of combines trails for skiing, skijoring, sledding, snowshoeing and more.  Take in the sights as you adventure along the Chugach mountains just north of Palmer.  Note that the parking area is open from 8 AM to 8 PM, so don't get locked in.

For more information, please contact the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Development Department or click on the website link above.

Located in the heart of Palmer, Just Sew is a quilter's paradise.  They specialize in premium quilting fabrics, current quilting books, patterns, notions, and inspiration for quilters of all skill levels!

Two trails, the Lazy Moose Trail and Lazy Mountain Trail, are the primary ascent of the mountain.  The former is a longer, winding trail with moderate slopes and an easier climb, while the latter is much shorter and more difficult as it offers the straightest path to the peak.  From the top you can see the Chugach and Talkeena Ranges.

For directions and additional information, please contact the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Development Department or click on the website link above.

This trail is just over 4 miles long from end to end and showcases phenomenal views of the Matanuska and Knik rivers, and of Cook Inlet.  The climb starts out easy, but increases in difficulty as you go, and you will certainly want to bring appropriate attire for changing weather.

For directions and additional information, please contact the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Community Development Department or click on the website link above.

They are based in downtown Palmer, AK and offer a spectrum of fun yoga classes for people of all backgrounds and skill levels in an inviting atmosphere. Their classes are drop in friendly.

Just a couple minutes North of downtown Palmer, the Musk Ox Farm is a non-profit organization dedicated to the domestication of the musk ox and to the promotion of qiviut production as a gentle and sustainable agricultural practice in the far north. Tour the farm and learn about these arctic ungulates!

Based out of Sutton, just north of Palmer, NOVA Alaska Guides has incredible experiences for everyone. Established in 1975, NOVA is Alaska’s oldest river rafting tour company under original ownership. Since 1975, we have accomplished many firsts in guided adventure travel in Alaska, including the first to offer commercial whitewater rafting on Alaska rivers and the first guided hikes on the Matanuska Glacier more than 25 years ago.

Our early wilderness trips included several first descents and trips through the newly formed National Parks and Refuges with organizations like National Geographic, Connaissance du la Mode and the National Audubon Society. Our expertise in this theater has grown over the years to include combination trips that offer mountain and glacier trips with river trips.

A beautiful, non-motorized trail that follows an old railroad bed along the Matanuska River.  The trail can be started either from downtown Palmer, or Moose Creek, and runs approx. 6 miles from end-to-end.

For additional information, please contact the Matanuska-Sustina Borough Community Development Department or click on the website link above.

As part of your RV Alaskan vacation, stop in and stay a day or week in beautiful Palmer, Alaska. With 30 extra-large camp sites on the grass, this RV Park and camping area is the perfect home base to visit the beauty of Palmer and the entire Mat-Su Valley.  Includes shower/laundry facilities, full water/sewer hook-ups, and a shared grill and firepit area.

A small 18 room motel with three cabins, and the only remodeled motel in Palmer. The Pioneer Motel has been a part of Palmer, Alaska since 1953. We offer a casual, friendly atmosphere with comfortable and modern clean rooms. This vintage “mom and pop” motel is centrally located right off the Glenn Highway in the “Heart of Palmer.”  Queen size dog-friendly rooms are available.

PizzaRia Delphi has been in Palmer for very long time. Their food is good, price is fair and good service. This is a very local restaurant that is frequently visited by people living in this area.

With over 20 local businesses under one roof, there is literally something for everyone!

Come find: Up Cycled Furniture, Home Decor, Apparel, Gifts, Jewelry, Yarn, Baby Clothing, Art Work, Antiques, Vintage finds, and more.

Pyrah's is an authentic Matanuska Valley farm with an astounding presence in the community.  They host several events throughout the year such as the Fall Harvest Festival and Country Christmas, as well as being a "U-Pick" farm where you can gather your vegetables fresh from the field.

His artwork is in full production or at least as full as the sunshine and the salmon allow. Step into his gallery and see what he offers.

The Reindeer Farm sits at the feet of Bodenburg Butte just 10 minutes out of downtown Palmer.  The farm site was originally part of the Matauska Colony Project, operating as a dairy farm, but would move to reindeer and various other animals in the 1980s.  Being the only stop in the valley to offer tours of a maintained herd of 100-300 reindeer, 2 elk, a bison, and a moose (including petting and feeding), as well as horseback tours, it is an incredible experience for the whole family.

Nestled into the gorgeous mountains of Hatcher Pass, Skeetawk is a groomed, maintained ski area opening in December of 2020.  The site currently hosts a beautiful warming hit, a patrol / first-aid station, and a freshly installed chair lift.  The project is managed by HAX, a local non-profit dedicated to bringing the dream of a real ski resort to the Valley.

Fun projects, something for the entire family, delicious espresso, hand scoop ice cream, and gourmet confections await at The Art Cafe AK that is do it yourself home for artists and aspiring artists.

Located in beautiful downtown Palmer, The Fern is the place to go for handcrafted açaí bowls, fresh smoothies, and artisan coffee, teas and cacao. Enrich your wellbeing with our thoughtfully crafted menu. Treat yourself to all the healthy + delicious flavors that The Fern has to offer!

Turkey Red is the leading fresh food restaurant in Palmer, Alaska. They are dedicated to serving fresh, high quality, local and organic ingredients prepared in traditional ways with care and creativity.

Vagabond Blues is popular among locals. They serve great coffee, espresso drinks, and  healthy & tasty food with lots of locals artwork on display.

Valley Hotel Café is open 24/7, including all holidays.  Serving traditional diner fare, from biscuits and gravy to burgers and just about everything in-between, they have something for everyone.