Town Square Park

Town Square… ah. Well, this park isn’t really a park… it is a Square in the European tradition the serves as a gathering place for festivals, concerts and other special events. It doesn’t have playground equipment or anything like that. What it does have is ice sculptures during much of the winter months and amazing color themed flower beds in the summer.
The park itself really does deserve 5 stars, but through no fault of of its own, gets 3 stars for the hobos that make it difficult to enjoy the park. Anchorage has a real problem with inebriates, and Town Square is a hangout for them, much to the disdain of area merchants. During festivals and special events they clear out, but during the week they’re everywhere. Anchorage Police have been very diplomatic in respecting the rights of the homeless to enjoy the park as well, so as long as they aren’t causing a disturbance, they are permitted some latitude. Unfortunately this has created an uncomfortable situation for other folks that would like to enjoy the park as well.

Town Square park is a disaster. They’re sleeping homeless people hidden in the trees, lividly drunk people, consistent fights, beggars, vagrants and the dregs of society seem to convene there. For an area that is so frequented and central to AK tourism, this park is neglected and should not be visited.

Great central downtown gathering place that plays host to a variety of events throughout the year, ranging from free live music on summer Fridays to festivals, sometimes with food trucks and beer gardens, offering a taste of local fare. The space can even turn into a roller rink for roller derby. I love the wash of big, colorful flowers in the sunshine. It’s also great for people watching – you can see all kinds here.

This is Anchorage’s living room.
Smack dab in the middle of downtown lies this park.
It’s not particularly big, but it’s central location means there is always SOMETHING going on here.
Winter:
Christmas Tree
Lights
Ice Sculptures
Summer:
Concerts
Kids
Gelato
Hacky Sack
If you get take-​out food downtown, this is where you should eat it.
If you want cheesy photos for your Christmas cards, this is where you should take them.

This is a cute little spot in downtown Anchorage. It’s beautiful during the summertime with all the gorgeous, insanely big flowers in full bloom. There’s not much to it, but it’s deserving of a walk-​through. And sometimes there’s some liver performances and other interesting things to watch. And you can grab a reindeer dog from a nearby cart and sit and eat it here.

I just want to say that Karen lied. Look at her pictures compared to mine. They look nothing like that!
(Joking!)

I’ve spent many years of my childhood in Anchorage, but have yet to visit Town Square. Quite sad really, but this year I finally fulfilled my long awaiting wish!
I finally got to see the beautiful ice sculptures around this beautiful park. Wonderfully frozen, we danced on the ice covered pavement (for your ice skating pleasure) while holiday songs played in the background. Sillyness in -12 °F weather, but a whole lot of fun. I really forgot that I had toes… mostly because I could barely feel them. Ahahha!
Next goal is to come visit again during the summer and see the beautiful flowers in full bloom.
Coming to Anchorage, this is a definite sight to see. If you come during working hours, you may have a sip of coffee or cocoa at nearby cafes or shop at the 5^th Ave Mall.