The heart of Juneau is it’s historic downtown, which is still in transition, but has lots to see.  Many of the old buildings are being renovated and the main street has become home to a long line of shops for the many cruise ship tourists the city hosts.

There are nods to the region’s native cultures and natural resources throughout downtown such as this beautiful metal work on a small lot park, which depicted the story of the mythical seawolf’s relationship with his mother-in-law.  Read the story here.

Our favorite spot downtown was by far Tracy’s King Crab Shack.  Featured on Food Network, the crab shack is world famous for amazing crab bisque, which we not only enjoyed twice while in town, but took home thanks to frozen packs at a local grocery store!  The front portion of the crab shack features a fun gift shop with lots of Deadliest Catch momentos, including some very cool crab pot chandeliers!

I also spotted this whale tale mural piece above the display behind the register.  Although it wasn’t “crabby” it was still pretty cool.

I was too busy enjoying my crab bisque in the covered seating area out back on the dock to take pictures, but it was just as cool as the inside and was perfectly set up to contend with Juneau’s rainy weather.   The best part of our visit to the crab shack was their staff, who were certainly the friendliest we experienced during our trip.  Thanks to their website, you can experience their amazing products without traveling to Juneau, but if you do visit this unique city I highly recommend a stop here!