Spenard's Neon Palm Tree

A 33-foot steel palm tree — neon-originally, now LED-lit — stands on a gravel corner in Spenard, the last artifact of the Paradise Inn, a 1960s tiki-styled hotel whose final owner sold a pound of meth to an FBI informant in the basement and forfeited the property to the U.S. Marshals. The inn was bulldozed in 2019; the sign was nearly discarded during the federal cleanup before a legal battle returned it to government custody and eventually to private owner Cindy Berger, who spent $48,000 restoring it and re-electrified it on October 2, 2025. It doesn't appear on any Anchorage visitor list — no top-tens, no travel guides — just a softly glowing tropical anachronism at Spenard Road and 30th Avenue, surrounded by subarctic sky and "The Eyes of Spenard" mural on the wall behind it.

The move: Drive Spenard Road after dark so the palm's LED fronds glow properly against the Alaska night, then grab a drink at one of the neighborhood's dive bars within walking distance — it's the kind of corner that rewards showing up without a plan.

• 📍 Spenard
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: 3001 Spenard Road, Anchorage, AK 99503

Hours: Added 2026-06-09 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4

Verified 2026-06-09.