After a few thrilling days, we decided to “take it easy” today, and rallied behind the idea of snacking our way through Skagway. (Spoiler alert: we did.)

As we disembarked today there was a shuttle that cost $5 round trip to take us to Skagway. We figured many would take the shuttle since it was basically required in Sitka, but you could literally see the shops from the port, so we opted to walk and it only took 8 minutes. I also got a few nature photos on the walk.

We did some shopping for souvenirs then had our first snack. We got some coffee-esque beverages and some Alaskan Fry Bread! The best part is NO DAIRY! It’s literally flour, salt, and water.

We spent some time exploring the shops around Skagway. It’s a nice town, but given the Klondike Gold Rush theme, Skagway almost feels like a Disney theme park area as the buildings were historically-maintained but it felt fake.

As we walked into town this morning, we noticed what looked like a painting on the side of the mountain. We made a joke that it would be good advertising, but couldn’t quite figure it out.

We pulled out the binoculars and tried to make sense of it. The part we could make out was Kirmse’s Curios and what looked like a clock but wasn’t sure. We thought nothing about it until we saw…

Turns out it was a famous store called Kirmse’s Curios that used to sell and repair pocket watches and also expanded to other items. The paint was done a few years after they opened (and before billboards existed!) and it’s stayed there since!

There were two places we really wanted to visit before coming to Skagway. One of those was the Skagway Brewing Company (because 🍺) and now is the time. They had a restaurant upstairs and a pub downstairs—we opted for the pub to get beer and some snacks. We snacked on salmon dip (not me because of dairy) and blackened fries (exactly what it sounds like) and made a hidden dish—scoop the salmon dip onto the blackened fries! I had a flight of beers in order to sample a few different ones, including a spruce-flavored lager that was surprisingly tasty.

The other “must see” destination for us was the Red Onion Saloon which was a famous saloon and brothel during the Klondike Gold Rush, and was the third stop for our snack tour. The dairy-eaters split a deliciously-smelling pizza and I had the main share of a bowl of chili…and some beers! 🍻

After collecting enough souvenirs, snacks, spirits, and steps, we headed back to the ship 🛳 with time to spare so we could all take a little siesta and enjoy the evening.

I did finally explore up to the 12th floor of the ship and found that there was a glass area that overlooked the below decks.