Aurora Lodge is north of Fairbanks but not so far that you couldn’t drive into town for lunch or dinner. We stayed 4 nights after our cruise ended with hopes of seeing the Northern lights. Externally it is an old miner’s lodge. Internally it is quaint and charming and the hosts are friendly and helpful from providing information on the history of the building and area, to providing tips on things to do and see while in the area, to waking you up and making sure that you see the northern lights if they are out. A made to order breakfast comes with the room and the food was excellent. Pancakes or waffles or French toast (depending on the day), eggs made to order and the yummiest bacon! There is also coffee, juice, yogurt, bagels and toast. At night you can fix a coffee or hot cocoa to warm you up. There is a refrigerator available for you to bring your own snacks. You have access to a microwave, but no stove.

While the decor was rustic and in many cases “original” the lodge is clean and neat and the bathrooms sparkle. The lodge rooms are small but very functional and quite clean. Ours had a double bed and a single bed. I believe they have other configurations as well. The common area downstairs is large and friendly with board games, comfortable seating, tables and chairs. WiFi is available and fast (for Alaska).

Each two bedrooms shared a connecting bathroom. There is a latch on the outside of the bathroom door to give you privacy and a lock on the inside of the door to give the person in the bathroom privacy. For those of you from the “lower 48” (and we are from Georgia) this may seem strange, but I can assure you it works in Alaska and was not the most unusual thing we saw while traveling there.

We arrived in early September and were in luck and got to see the aurora on two of our four nights. Bring a camera and tripod for the 8-15 sec exposures required - the colors in the pictures are far more vivid than you can see with your eyes. You really have to stay outside of the city to see them on many nights because the city lights will wash them out.

Peak aurora season occurs during the winter, but be aware that many of the typical tourist activities and some restaurants, particularly out of the main cities, shut down in mid September until May.

The owners are friendly, the rooms were great. I love the rustic decor. The Lodge has a real feel for Alaska. Only 23 miles north of Fairbanks and the gateway to north Alaska. The swallows come and entertain us in July. The winter has a perfect spot to watch the Aurora Borealus and there is a ski place . It's a beautiful area and not over run with tourism. We both had a great time.