Ketchikan: Pub Crawl with Local Stories & Drinks

4.92

(131 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t expect to start my afternoon in Ketchikan by laughing with strangers over a glass of something I couldn’t even pronounce (it was some kind of spruce tip beer — sharper than I thought). Our guide, Mike, just nodded like he’d seen this reaction before. He handed around old photos from the port days, the kind that smell faintly of attic dust and coffee. The first bar was barely a block from where our cruise ship docked, but it felt like a different world — low ceilings, wood worn smooth by years of elbows and boots.

We wandered down the street (it’s only about three-quarters of a mile total, but you feel every step when it’s raining sideways), ducking into two more pubs. Each one had its own thing — one bartender told us about her uncle’s fishing boat getting stuck in the harbor ice back in ‘89. I tried asking about it but she just grinned and poured another round. There’s something about Alaskan rain that makes you want to linger inside with a warm drink and listen to these half-true stories. The main keyword here is definitely “Ketchikan pub crawl” — you’ll get that vibe right away.

Honestly, I still think about the way the last place smelled: cedar smoke mixed with fried fish and something sweet I never figured out. We finished up with coffee (or tea if you wanted) and everyone seemed a little friendlier than when we started. Maybe that’s just what happens after sharing drinks in Ketchikan with people who know all the town’s secrets. I left feeling like I’d seen a side of Alaska most people miss — or maybe just forget to look for.