Cop culture is the focus of the Alaska State Trooper Museum, a small, downtown repository of mementos from the state's various law enforcement agencies, such as handcuffs and leg irons, early radios and walkie-talkies, and a shiny 1952 Hudson Hornet patrol car that any speeder would be proud to be pulled over by. Being one who prefers to minimize the time he spends with the local constabulary, I was in no particular hurry to see this museum. I wasn't especially impressed by all the badges and insignia on display, or by the goofy-looking Safety Bear costume. But I found myself getting caught up in seeing what cops find interesting, and I couldn't help but get sucked into the exhibits on early efforts to sabotage the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and on Alaska's first serial killer (he came to the territory with the U.S. Army during the Klondike gold rush, and ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the legislature in 1912). I wouldn't go out of my way to see the Troopers Museum, but it's worth a quick stop if you're passing by.
- Frommer's Staff