Totem Bight State Historical Park sheltered in a lush, temperate rainforest rich in Native history and art, beaches with waterfront views, and indigenous plants and animals—it is the top pick for visitors and residents alike. you will also visit Potlatch Park next door (Totem Poles, Clan House, Carving Center, Antique Cars, Gun Museum, Shopping) 10 Miles North $5.00 park entrance not included
Herring Cove where you have chance to see my fishing grounds, salmon swimming upstream, eagles are usually abundant and possibly black bears & Seals, (when in season) 8 Miles South
drive through
Ketchikan Creek served as a summer fish camp for Tlingit natives for untold years before the town was established by Mike Martin in 1885. He was sent to the area by an Oregon canning company to assess prospects. He established the saltery Clark & Martin and a general store with Nova Scotia native George Clark, who had been foreman at a cannery that burned down.[10] Ketchikan became known as "Alaska's first city" due to its strategic position at the southern tip of the Inside Passage, connecting the Gulf of Alaska to Puget Sound. In 1905 a mission house was built, which in 1909 became the Yates Memorial Hospital. In 2020, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named the former hospital as one of America's most endangered historic places.
you’ll have the opportunity to explore 5 Native Alaskan clan houses and see what life would have been like here 200 years ago. The inside of the clan house is as spectacular as the outside. Throughout the park, you’ll find spectacular totem poles, even an incredible 42’ tall pole! Staff will be able to tell you the exciting legends the poles represent and answer your questions. they also have a collection of rate antique vehicles in our Antique Car Museum! Do not miss our 1934 Ford Coupe or 1924 Stanley Steamer! There are many more classics for you to appreciate throughout the park!
Creek Street is a historic boardwalk perched on pilings along the banks of Ketchikan Creek in Ketchikan, Alaska. A former Red Light District where both men and salmon swam upstream to spawn. It is now a quaint place to tour Dolly’s House museum, view totem poles, shop at locally-owned stores and galleries, enjoy local art and culture. In the summer months salmon gather by the thousands to spawn upstream; seals and otters are never far away with eagles perched in the trees above.
Art is very knowledgeable and the totem pole park was awesome. We learned so much and he was very friendly and accommodating for my 89 year old mother. Would definitely recommend Art!
Art was a stellar guide and me and my kids had a BLAST on this tour! He’s very adaptable and took us to places we wanted to go as well as included our natural tour experience. We saw two bears, a million salmon, bald eagle, searched for gold flakes (found some!), and beautiful totems.. wonderful tour but too short! We could have spent another few hours with Art at least! Highly recommend!
Our tour guide Art, was great. Took us to spots we never would have found on our own. We loved his commentary during the tour.
Art was an excellent guide - friendly, knowledgeable, and adaptable. We saw bears in the wild (mom and two cubs), a water fall, and experienced local culture and food. Our family of 6 thoroughly enjoyed our small group, private tour with Art. We were picked up on our cruise ship dock and dropped in town at a location of our choosing. The local knowledge was especially appreciated. Highly recommend Art and this tour!
James was a perfect guide...we saw bear and eagle and learned so much about the area .Highly recommend this tour! We went early morning and then had time to explore!
Art was flexible with our time and very informative. He is and Alaskan native and share his insight from his clan.point of view, which was awesome. He answered questions with ease and it was obvious that he loves Alaska. We loved it, too.
Art was very flexible, talking about his experiences and offering to spend the time however we wanted. Tried the best smoked salmon any of us has ever had, saw a beautiful waterfall, encountered two bears and watched the salmon as well as visiting Buggy’s beach. So much to do!
We could not have been more pleased with our Ketchikan tour with Rainy Day Tours. Communication was first rate. Art was prompt, knowledgeable, and personable. We were two adults and three children, and he was able to provide a car seat and booster seat, which was terrific. His vehicle was clean and comfortable. Art met us in Ward Cove where our cruise docked, so we didn't need to waste time during our port call to take a shuttle into downtown Ketchikan. His suggested sites which we visited were varied and interesting - we saw totems, a waterfall, bears, eagles, mini crabs, and more. My kids warmed up to him immediately and he kept all of us engaged throughout with stories and his knowledge of the area.
Art gave us the best tour experience I've ever had, anywhere. He asked us what we were really interested in doing, and was totally open to changing the itinerary for us. His local knowledge and the small van took us to places that the large buses can't even go, and made the tour so special! And the time spent in each location was up to us (as long as we left enough time for the other things we wanted to do). We saw eagles close up and bears roaming at the first stop, and the tour quality stayed excellent until the end!
Art was incredible! One of the best tours we have taken! He was so knowledgeable and really catered to what we wanted to see. Can't say enough! Very personable and is native and knew history, and knew the artists. He actually brought salmon eggs to bring in eagles and bears!!!! He took us to places other tours did not, he new the ins and outs of each stop and took us to areas other tour guides did not
This was a wonderful excursion. Art was a great guide. He picked us up right at Wards cove and his knowledge of Ketchikan was amazing! You can tell he really loves where he lives. We saw bald eagles and even a bear and his knowledge of the totem poles was so interesting. I would highly recommend this tour. Thanks again Art! The Moore Family.
Art was a wonderful guide and a real wealth of knowledge. The three hours went so fast even if we didn't see any bears and it was raining the entire time. Highly recommend
Art was on time, flexible and passionate about providing a great experience. Knowledgeable and flexible to change sights based on customer priorities or weather changes.
We loved our private tour of Ketchikan! Art was a great guide that took us to spots that interested our family. We enjoyed hunting for bears, visiting a beautiful waterfall, shopping at a local stand where we bought jelly and Spruce Tip Soda, and learning about Art’s native culture at the Potlatch Totem Park. We left our tour feeling like we made a new friend!
Art was a fantastic tour guide, very knowledgeable of the local area and customs, and willing to be flexible to our needs. We really enjoyed our time and would highly recommend Art for anyone interested in learning about Ketchikan and the people from the area.
Art was an absolutely amazing guide. Super patient with the kids and showed them a real adventure. Catered our tour to what we were interested in and gave us lots of options. Clean fully equipped van. Would recommend him very highly!
This tour was perfect! Six of us on a private tour. He had plenty of ideas on what to show us and give a good history and background. And personalized pick up and drop off spots. Definitely worth it!
Art was such a lovely and comical guide. He showed us many sights that wouldn’t have been on traditional large group tours. It was great having just the six of us on the tour. Art was flexible and very accommodating!
We are so glad we booked this tour in Ketchikan. Art was a fantastic guide and being from a local tribe added an air of authenticity to this experience. He let us trailer what we wanted to see and made the tour very flexible. We were fortunate to see humpbacks, and a pod of Orcas. No bear sightings, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. We even got to view local fishermen casting lines for King Salmon. At even invited us back to personally take us fishing if we come back to Ketchikan. We wouldn’t hesitate to spend another afternoon with Art.
Art was amazing. He was extremely informative and taught us a lot about the area. I highly recommend touring with him
I don’t even know where to start. For our tour, we had Art as our expert guide. A native Alaskan himself and a member of the Haida tribe, Art’s expertise in the native cultures, wildlife and natural world, and the way the Ketchikan has changed over the years made this tour one of a kind. He took the time to get to know us and geared the stops to our interests. He also found ways to get us away from the major tourist stops to those lesser seen locations where we felt like the center of his narration. We all shared in Art’s excitement when we discovered that the King Salmon run was beginning. (We were sure he went fishing after he dropped us off). If you are trying to decide on an activity in Ketchikan, I cannot recommend this tour any higher. Art was the guy that even other tour guides turned to for information.
Art, from Rainy Day Tours, is an exceptional tour guide. He is very knowledgeable about the Ketichican area and the native Haida people. He is flexible and friendly. Art is full of information about the floral and fauna in the region as well as Totem poles. He's one of the best tour guides we've ever encountered in our travels. We thoroughly enjoyed our day with Art and appreciated all that he taught us.
Art was an amazing guide. He knew all the best spots for viewing wildlife and when the best time to see them was. Our family had a great time exploring the nature and beauty of Ketchikan!!
Our tour guide Art was very knowledgeable, funny, friendly, accommodating. Made our experience very memorable. We highly recommend this tour!
KETCHIKAN This was well presented by ART who is one of the indigenous people. He added personal experiences , changes since his childhood , insight into local wildlife and vegetation. Enjoyed the totems , carvings and history.
Art was very knowledgeable and entertaining. Being a local he was a treat to spend time with. Was very patient with our small kids and made adjustments on the fly which was greatly appreciated.
Art is the best. We were approached by another tour vendor while waiting and when he saw Art pull in to pick us up he said you already have the best. Can’t get a better recommendation than from a competitor.
Al was an amazing tour guide!! He took us to places that were not crowded which was fantastic and he was very knowledgeable!! I highly recommend this tour!!
If a guided tour was an art-form - Art (the organizer of this tour) was a maestro of his craft. He communicated super timely and picked us up in his van right outside our ship. He is extremely knowledgeable about everything since he is a local from the area. He took great care to inquire about our priorities and showed us around to Herring Cove, local waterfalls, little hiking trails, introduced us to local fruits and berries and even knew the local cultivators so we could buy some locally made jams. He also knew where wildlife was hiding. We saw dungeness crabs and starfish and incredibly beautiful birds. We saw totems and had an awesome guided tour. Of all tours and small guided experiences I have had, this was definitely one of the best, if not the best and most caring experiences.
Our tour was with Art, the owner of Rainy Day Tours. Art is in his late 50’s and a lifelong member of the Tlingit clan. As the native people of this region, their presence has a long and rich history. Four of us spent the day with Art. As a career educator, I was in awe of how Art shared the passion of his clan, his people. His comments were steeped in a rich tradition and reverence for his culture, and their relationship to the land and sea. Art gained our respect due to his candor, his communication skills, and his willingness to answer any questions. In our twelve day cruise, we did many excursions. Nothing came close to this experience, as it enlightened us, educated us, and touched our souls. To hear Art’s regard for his Tlingit clan, along with the other tribes in Alaska, is a testimony to the truth and importance of history. Anyone choosing Rainy Day Tours will be pleased.
Art picked us up as scheduled and we went on to have the best tour ever! Art customized our tour by offering various options that all turned out to be spectacular and would not have been available if we had scheduled a tour through our cruise line. My brother and his wife were traveling with my wife and me, so the four of us were the only ones in the van. Art is a member of the tribal community and his knowledge of the history and practices of the tribes gave us a deep appreciation of all of the things we saw. Whenever we had questions, he was able to give detailed information on all topics from totem poles to fishing and wildlife. This tour has been the highlight of our entire cruise and we highly recommend Rainy Day Tours.
We had the most awesome time with Art! He took us to see bear catching salmon, among other wildlife. Wee saw amazing views and will never forget.
Our guide was very knowledgeable and did his best ! No salmon no bears just maybe 30 minutes at the totem poles! Too expensive for what we saw! It was raining so maybe that didn’t help!
Art, our private guide, was very knowledgeable about the area, being a local resident and native Alaskan. He took us to areas where we saw bears, and eagle and locally made totem poles.
Multigenerational native, so much knowledge about the local area, culture and history. Art gave us many indigenous stories about the local tribes.
Saw areas of Ketchikan that had never seen previously. Also enjoyed seeing bears come down to the water for the salmon.
We had a great private tour experience in Ketchikan, Alaska guided by Art from Haida. He was friendly and knowledgeable. One of the highlights was visiting the salmon ladder- Art explained how it works in such an engaging and informative way. He also took us to several other must-see spots around Ketchikan. We highly recommend booking this tour.
We had the best experience with Art. Saw many bear and caught a great video of a bear catching a huge salmon. Art was a delight and told us the history of Ketchikan. I would highly recommend Art.
Great communication. Saw everything we wanted to without the crowd. Our tour guide was friendly and never made us feel rushed.
Art was amazing and knows everyone about town. He took us to see bears, waterfalls, rain forest, a beach where we discovered hermit crabs in tidal pools and pyrite. He grew up in a small village and has an incredible knowledge of the area and its native heritage. We also had great conversations about other places, like NYC, we all enjoy, and the joy we find with our families, and in doing things to help others. We learned so much about totems and their meanings, and his honor to have spent his childhood with the only women totem carver in Ketchikan. We look forward to going back to Ketchikan, spending more time there, and connecting with Art.
Art is a warm and enthusiastic guide! He curtailed the day around what our group wanted to do, answered questions, gave space where needed, and was happy to show us his stomping grounds. It is clear he is known and loved in the community and we loved our morning with him in Ketchikan!
Private tour with Art - an area local (native). Such a nice way to see everything!!! Art takes what you are interested in and works the day around you! He is charming. My 84 year old mom was with me - recovering from hip replacement. Art made sure he took her mobility into consideration. Highly recommend!!!
Very good trip and guide. Very intresting information from the driver/ guide. I recommend this firm. 👍
Our host, Art, did a great job showing us Ketchikan sights and culture. We got a glimpse of local scenery and wildlife (waterfalls, salmon, bears, and deer). We got to taste some wild berries and learn about native cultures in this region. He had a planned itinerary but was flexible in adapting to our group's interest (e.g., we spent more time at scenic/wildlife stops and explored Creek Street on our own after drop-off). Good information and conversation throughout the tour.
Ricky was very knowledgeable about the area, a lot of special local information. So pleasant and accommodating.
Private local guide experience much better than being with a large group. Guide is a local native and much more knowledgeable than many others.
Art Shayen made our Alaska visit so much better. He was in regular communication with me before we got off the ship and took us to multiple places. We saw Eagles, Bears, Salmon and lots of totems. Being a native American he was full of history and facts about his people and gave us a very informative tour. He was also one of the nicest people we met there and Alaska is filled with nice people. I highly recommend Rainy Day Tours!!
If you want to get a real flavor for life in Alaska I highly recommend this tour. Our guide was Art, a local native American who can trace his family back rons. He was incredibly knowledgeable and a true pleasure to be with. We saw eagles. Bears, salmon, totems and much more as well as learning the history of his culture. I very highly recommend!!
We had the best time with Rainy Day Tours. Art, our guide, was so kind and helpful to our 12 and 8 year old grandchildren. We saw 3 bears, the salmon running, eagles, and seals. Art pointed everything out to the girls and they had a great time! We then went to the beach and Art helped the girls find crabs and fools gold. We ate wild huckleberries and black berries. So much fun. Thanks RDT and especially thank you to our amazing guide Art!
This was our favorite excursion in Alaska. Art is a native of Ketchikan. We saw Ketchikan off the beaten path with an overview of the history, culture & daily life there. We saw a black bear, several bald eagles, waterfall, Potlatch Totem Park, and other areas. We ate berries and pine tips. Art is extremely knowledgeable and friendly. He never rushed us. So glad we booked this excursion.
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