Home of the Iditarod
Alaska Hotels
Wasilla and the Susitna Valley are close to
Anchorage, via the George Parks Highway, or from Palmer
on the Palmer-Wasilla Road. Wasilla ("breath of air") is
a newer agricultural center, developed since 1977.
It's almost an Anchorage suburb, and many of Wasilla's residents work in the larger city. The town became world-famous in 2008 when Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, Wasilla's former mayor, became the vice-presential candidate for the Republican Party.
The Wasilla Visitors Center is on Main Street,
north of the Parks Highway, in the same building as the Dorothy G. Page Museum. The historical museum is
open year-round, and is filled with odd artifacts of
local settlement. Behind the museum (and included in the
entry price) is Old Wasilla Town Site Park, with a
collection of old buildings including the town's first
schoolhouse, a bunkhouse exhibit, and a steam bath.
Wasilla is the headquarters for the Iditarod dog sled
race that runs each winter from Anchorage to Nome. The Iditarod Museum and Visitor Center are found at
Mile 2.2 of Knik Road. Summer hours are from 8 a.m. to 5
p.m. daily, and Monday through Friday for the same hours
during the off season.
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