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Turn a rainy Ketchikan afternoon into a hands-on craft: spend two hours making a 17oz Jack-O'-Lantern candle in a copper vessel. This intimate class is family-friendly, practical for Alaskan power outages, and delivers a memorable, usable souvenir.
Turn a rainy Ketchikan afternoon into a hands-on craft: spend two hours making a 17oz Jack-O'-Lantern candle in a copper vessel. This intimate class is family-friendly, practical for Alaskan power outages, and delivers a memorable, usable souvenir.
Book with Ketchikan Candle Company
Verified experiences and guided adventures in the surrounding area.
Operated by Ketchikan Candle Company · Ketchikan, Alaska
Fall Jack -O'- Lantern Candles offers a low-key creative escape in downtown Ketchikan, Alaska. Located at 303 Bawden St, Ketchikan, AK 99901, USA, this two-hour workshop teaches participants to craft a custom 17oz Jack-O'-Lantern candle in a solid copper vessel. The class supplies wax, the copper container, and vinyl stencils so you cut and apply a face, then pour and set; candles are ready for pickup the next day. Guests can add dye for a color upgrade for an extra charge.
Ketchikan's weather can turn a boat day into a soggy shoreline stroll, and this shop provides a warm, hands-on alternative to the rain. The room itself is compact—one step into the shop is all that's needed—so classes are intimate and capped at 14 people, which makes it easy to get coaching from the instructor. The session moves deliberately: sketching a face, arranging vinyl, measuring wax, and pouring into the heavy copper vessel. Beginner-friendly and suitable for kids five and up, the process asks no prior skill, only a steady hand and a sense of design.
Why book this experience while visiting Ketchikan? It's practical and local. The copper vessel looks at home in coastal cabins and doubles as a reliable light source when storms knock out power—an ever-present concern in Southeast Alaska. The class gives you a functional souvenir that's more than a trinket: a handmade object tied to a moment of vacation weather, barroom stories, and the smell of hot wax. Compared with typical souvenir-shopping, making your own candle creates a memory that travels.
The shop sits a short walk from Ketchikan's waterfront and trailheads that thread into the coastal rainforest, so it's an easy stop between a morning fishing charter or an afternoon museum visit. Small groups, a two-hour window, and the next-day pick-up make it a straightforward addition to an itinerant travel day. Accessibility is simple—only one step into the space—and the age range expands this to families.
Practical details: classes last about two hours, materials for a 17oz candle are included, and guests should expect to pick up finished candles the following day. Wear something you don't mind getting wax on, and bring a camera—there's strange satisfaction in photographing a perfect jack-o'-lantern face before the candle meets flame. Whether you're escaping a downpour or hunting a creative keepsake, this is the kind of small, local class that leaves you with more than a photo—an object that carries the smell of Alaska home. Class sizes and next-day pickup make it ideal for cruise passengers or multi-day visitors who want a compact creative stop; check availability online via the booking link, arrive a few minutes early, and plan to leave with something both useful and striking today.
easy.
2 hours.
Minimal physical exertion; suitable for children five and older and adults of all fitness levels.
The workshop runs about two hours; candles are poured during class but require overnight curing and are available for pickup the next day.
Participants must be at least five years old; children should be supervised and can help design and apply vinyl faces.
Accessibility is simple with one step into the shop; please contact the operator in advance for additional accommodations.
Yes—dye is available for purchase as an optional extra during the class.
Groups are capped at 14 participants to keep sessions small and hands-on.
Cancellations are accepted with at least 24 hours' notice according to the booking terms provided.
Ketchikan is part of Southeast Alaska and sits within the larger Tongass coastal region, with a long plank-built waterfront and cultural ties to regional Native carving traditions.
Bring reusable containers and avoid single-use plastics; supporting local small businesses helps keep tourism benefits circulating in the community.
Ketchikan Candle Company is a small artisan shop located in Ketchikan, Alaska, featured on The Adventure Collective. The business specializes in guided, hands-on candle making workshops and a chandlery-style retail store offering unique home goods and souvenirs. During the signature Hands On! Signature Candle Making Experience, participants blend custom fragrances, choose from an assortment of vessels, and receive step-by-step instruction from the company's experienced crew. Each guest leaves with a personally crafted candle and practical knowledge of scent blending and candle finishing techniques. The team at Ketchikan Candle Company focuses on in-person, community-oriented experiences that appeal to visitors seeking meaningful souvenirs and creative activities. The chandlery store complements workshops with curated gifts, locally inspired items, and essential candle care products. Scheduling is managed on a per-session basis, and the workshop format supports small groups to keep sessions interactive and hands-on. Trust is built through transparent, workshop-led instruction, consistent safety practices for handling warm wax, and visible finished examples in the store. Ketchikan Candle Company attracts travelers, craft enthusiasts, and locals who value tangible mementos made during a guided experience. By combining a practical workshop with a retail chandlery, the business offers both an educational activity and a place to shop for distinctive home goods in downtown Ketchikan. Sessions welcome visitors of varying skill levels and are suitable for individuals, couples, and small groups seeking a memorable hands-on souvenir and a locally made keepsake that represents Ketchikan's artisan culture. The shop provides finished examples and take-home packaging materials for guest candles.
Book with Ketchikan Candle Company