Saxman is a Tlingit community about three miles south of downtown Ketchikan, home to one of the largest collections of standing totem poles in the world — more than two dozen poles line the park beside the village. The community operates guided tours that explain the crests, clans, and stories represented in the carvings; the guides are often tribal members, and the experience is considerably richer than reading a sign.
The Cape Fox Corporation, owned by Saxman's residents, has invested substantially in cultural programming. The tribal house is an active gathering place, and carvers often work in the adjacent carving shed, where visitors can watch and ask questions. The park itself is free to walk through; guided tours charge a fee. Combined with Totem Bight to the north, Saxman makes a case for Ketchikan as the best place in the world to encounter Northwest Coast indigenous art in context.