5 Awesome Alaska Activities for Kids & Teens

Give your kids a breath of fresh Alaska! Our exclusive family program is the only one of its kind in Alaska travel. Developed in conjunction with National Geographic Education, it’s designed to help kids and teens develop the attitudes, skills, and knowledge of an explorer. Most of all—it delivers glacier-sized fun. Here are just some of the amazing activities they can do on your memory-making family expedition. Get Inspired By Photos, Videos, Webinars, Stories, And Exclusive Offers. Sign Up

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Glaciers form in places like Alaska and Antarctica where more snow falls each winter than melts each summer. These enormous rivers of ice can be tricky to understand but kids will discover how they work in the most delicious way possible—by making ice cream sundaes! Watch as naturalist Jared Funderbunk demonstrates. 

Earn a Zodiac driver’s license

What’s cooler than zipping around glittering icebergs or zooming past a raft of sea otters in a Zodiac? Taking the reins and steering the craft yourself. With help from a naturalist, kids will learn how to cruise through the water like a master navigator. When the lesson is complete they’ll take home their official driver’s license—now that’s something they’ll want to show and tell!

Direct a nature documentary

Kids can work with a Lindblad-National Geographic certified photo instructor to experiment with time-lapse, slo-mo, and other cool video features on their smartphone as they head out into the field. Will they focus on soaring bald eagles with a six-foot wingspan or capture the thunderous spectacle of a calving glacier? Get a close-up of a giant bear track on the trail or pan across a river teeming with salmon? Using their observation skills and imagination they’ll learn to tell a unique story of the wild wonders around them.

Explore like a true scientist

Every kid receives an exclusively developed and designed Field Notebook to record their daily observations. They’ll keep track of wildlife sightings, from breaching humpback whales to boisterous Steller sea lions; and jot down stories, notes, and sketches as things inspire them on a hike, a kayak, or while observing from the ship’s bow. Different activities earn them “points” all on their way to becoming a National Geographic Global Explorer.

Be part of a plankton tow

Plankton are a key source of food for whales, fish, and other large marine life who make their home in Alaska. Kids can head out in a Zodiac and help drop a special plankton net into the sea to gather up some specimens. Back on board ship they’ll examine their catch under a microscope and discover what makes these very important, free-floating organisms tick.

Ready to bring the whole family to Alaska this summer? Explore Alaska's Coastal Wilderness over 8 thrilling days or take a 6-day action-packed Wild Alaska Escape.