Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to common questions. 

They are presented here as questions. Jump down to the answer by clicking on the question.

1. I don't have much to spend, what can I do in Fairbanks?
2. When is the best time to see the Northern Lights?
3. How far is Fairbanks from Denali Park? (now includes distance calculator link)
4. I am coming to Fairbanks in September. Since most places close on Labor Day, will there be anything left to see or do?
5. Why are your italic typefaces hard to read on my Mac?
6. Why are there events in the calendars with old dates?
7. How can I add my event to your calendars?
8. You get a lot of traffic - Can I buy advertising on your site?
9. Why are there no motels or hotels on your site?

1. I don't have much to spend; what can I do in Fairbanks?

We, who have lived here most of our lives, want inexpensive things to do, too. So we have been searching out ways to enjoy Fairbanks without spending a fortune. You can find the results of our research at Fairbanks on a Shoestring. Check back now and then, as we continue to add to this page. If you have a little more money, check out our Summer Attractions page, our Winter Attractions page, and the Events page (for the dates you will be in Fairbanks.)

Back to Top

2.When is the best time to see the Northern Lights?

The Aurora Borealis, otherwise known as the Northern Lights, are present year round in the skies above Fairbanks. But they show up best in the winter months. Between April and July they are difficult, if not impossible to see, because of the midnight sun. The very best months for Aurora viewing are in the spring and fall; February, March, September, and October (the Ranch Motel staff recommends March for those wishing to see the ice carving competition, or September). 

For more information about this phenomenon, you can go to our Northern Lights page. UPDATE: BE SURE TO READ THAT PAGE ABOUT THE LOW LIGHTS IN 2009. The Geophysical Institute has been researching the phenomenon for years and has more information. If you tour their facility, they will show you a video about it.

Back to Top

3. How far is Fairbanks from Denali Park?

Denali Park is 120 miles south of Fairbanks and 240 miles north of Anchorage. The Alaska Railroad makes daily trips to Anchorage every morning, stopping at Denali Park on the way. Below is a link to a calculator you can use to find the distance to or from Fairbanks to or from other places on the Alaska Highway:

Distance Calculator.

Back to Top

4. What is there to do in September; and how about winter?

This is a good question. And so important that we have decided to add a page with ideas especially for September. You can find it here. For winter months, see this page.

Back to Top

5. Why is your typeface hard to read on my Mac?

Our new site relies heavily on the Georgia font face, which may not come installed on your computer. When a browser cannot find the correct font, it will display using the default font. For Windows users, this usually means Times New Roman. But for the Mac, it usually means Times (which is similar, but has no italic). Lacking italic, it mechanically leans the type to mimic italic. It does not look well, especially at smaller sizes. We have been gradually lowering the use of italics on our pages. Most italics we use now are for headings, which are typically larger sizes.

To help our visitors with Macs solve this problem, we have added a Font Information Page, which explains the problem, offers a quick tutorial on web fonts, and helps you to download free fonts to solve the problem. Even windows users might benefit from this page!

Back to Top

6. Why are there events in the calendars with old dates?

We can only update events as their organizers send up their new dates. Many of them do not do so, and there is so much happening we do not have a lot of time to search their websites looking for updates. Some of them do not update theirs until the month of the event! We always appreciate it when someone lets us know when new information is out and we will try to update our info as soon as we can. In the meantime, we purposely leave the old date (but try to highlight the year in yellow so you will notice) especially if the event is likely to be repeated the following year. That way, there is less typing to do when the event is updated, if not many other changes are made.

Back to Top

7. How can I add my event to your calendars?

For the quickest action, email us your information in the format we normally use, so we can copy and paste. That will save us formatting time.

Start with the name of the event (not too long), followed by the date(s) in parentheses, and then the time, where and other info about what. At the end, put contact info, like a website, email or phone number. If we do not get new dates for a repeating event the next year, at least our readers will have a way to reach you to find out the new dates (and if we are lucky, they will then let us know!)

Back to Top

8. You get a lot of traffic - can I buy advertising on your site?

Yes, we do allow discrete text advertising to help defray the cost of our site. The text ads may not include pictures; if you want pictures, opt for the full page mentioned below.

Here are the other guidelines:

Back to Top

9. Why are there no motels or hotels on your site?

Our first sponsor, for many years, was the Ranch Motel. In deference to them, we have always limited out site to that one motel. We are now in the process of separating them out to their own site, to help them cut down on some of the calls that concern the website, rather than the motel. They will be located at http://TheRanchMotel.com when the separation is completed.

Back to Top