Five of My Favorite Things about Palmer, Alaska
1.) Hatcher Pass. Hatcher Pass is a 300,000 acre state recreation area located right outside of Palmer, in the Talkeetna Mountains. It's truly otherworldly with how beautiful it is up there. There's a seemingly endless number of trails available for all skill levels, and in the winter it becomes a playground for skiing and snowboarding. It's also home to the Hatcher Pass Scenic Drive, which is a stunning drive up through the mountains, and in the summer you can actually drive all the way to Willow. This drive holds a special place in my heart. You see, when we first moved to town we lived right outside Hatcher Pass. Annika was a horrible sleeper as a baby (actually, she still is), so when she was a little I would sometimes take her for drives to get her to sleep. I got in the habit of grabbing a coffee from the nearby coffee stand and driving up into Hatcher Pass. It was a relaxing and scenic way to spend naptime.
2.) Coffee, Coffee, Coffee. Palmer is home to some great coffee. Vagabond Blues is my favorite restaurant in Palmer and also my favorite place to sit and sip a cup of coffee while I get some work done on my computer. There is no shortage of drive-thru coffee huts here, which is something I LOVE about Alaska and haven't encountered in many other places. Brew HaHa is a little drive-thru coffee hut that is by my office that I frequent and I cannot say enough good things about it. There's also about a million other good places to get coffee.
3.) Breweries. So many good place to get beer. Bleeding Heart is my favorite. It used to be set back on a really beautiful farm and beer was served outside in a cool, old farm building. The setting was amazing. They were moving/expanding this summer + COVID, so I'm not sure what their current setup is. I love their beer though. Matanuska Brewing is another great one. They have a quirky little brewery right underneath the famous Palmer water tower. I highly recommend stopping by there too. Or, if you want food with your beer, check out the Palmer City Alehouse. In non-COVID times the alehouse often has live music and events too (my personal favorite is their weekly Yoga & Beer class during the summer!).
4.) Little Shops. So many cute local shops. Palmer is one of those unique towns that hasn't totally sold out to big business and it shows in a big way. The downtown stretch of Palmer is so scenic - big mountains rising in the distance and tiny shops lining the streets. You can get food at any number of local restaurants, buy books at Fireside Books, or get some locally made goods at Alaska Chicks, Cobb Street Market, Poppy Lane, or any number of other spots along the main drag and beyond.
5.) Community Events. Palmer is all about the community events. There's the Palmer Wine Walk, Friday Flings, Food Truck Fest, Vintage Home Market, Yoga & Beer, Colony Days, Colony Christmas, Halloween Hollow, the Alaska State Fair, and so many more. Seriously, I can't even begin to describe how many cool events we've been to since moving here. There is something new happening every week. It's really neat to be a part of a small community with such an active group of residents constantly working together to make events happen. It really makes Palmer a cool place to live (or visit!).
Currently listening to...Taylor Swift - Cardigan
