This is a good tour if you need a filler, but I was not super impressed with the two museums we visited. The Alaskan pipeline is literally a quick stop at a viewing point for taking a picture.

We always like to take a city tour so we know where we want to go back to. This one was great for what we wanted - a bit of driving around and stops at a few places. Aaron, our guide, is a local and very informative about Fairbanks. There is not a lot of specific information on economics, history and statistics of Fairbanks but more aimed at seeing what's here with stops at various points of interest. The Visitors Center is well worth a visit - even has a variety of free movies about Alaska. We didn't have time to see a movie on the tour but went back later. The Museum of the North on the University of Alaska is fabulous also has films for a small charge and our visit for about 30 minutes was just a taste so we'll go back. We wanted to mail our Christmas cards from North Pole and Aaron very kindly took us to the Post Office there for a brief stop to do that. Santa Claus House is fun - it's a big gift shop but so interesting and the Santa there is great - his name is really Santa Claus - he'll show you his driver's license! Don't miss the Alaskan Bowl Factory - the work is beautiful!! A good afternoon.

Because we went in mid-January, with winter in full swing, tours that meant someone else drove were wonderful. In warm weather, you could do all this yourself in a rental car, but if you don't choose to drive, I highly recommend this tour. The Museum at the Univ of Alaska, Fairbanks and the visit to North Pole were the best parts for me. The Morris Thompson Center was also wonderful, but I had earlier walked there myself from our hotel Springhill Suites and spent enough time to watch all the movies, which you don't have time for on this tour. The driver was very nice and knowledgeable, too. I believe his name was Aaryn. My brother an I were the only two people in the van, so we had a chance to dialogue a lot.

Private tour of the city with a guide who stayed with us during most of the tour, was knowledgeable and friendly, and gave us recommendations for where to eat. Perfect highlights of Fairbanks tour!