Homer AK

Homer sits at the end of the Sterling Highway on the Kenai Peninsula, looking across Kachemak Bay to the glaciers of the Kenai Mountains. Ships tie up at the Deep Water Dock on the Homer Spit, a strip of land about 7 kilometres long that runs out into the bay. The Spit is lined with charter offices, seafood stands and gift shops, and the Salty Dawg Saloon, a log cabin from 1897 with thousands of signed dollar bills on its walls, stands near the end. Downtown Homer is 10 to 15 minutes away by road. Homer calls itself the halibut fishing capital of the world, and half-day charters leave from the Spit. Water taxis cross the bay to Halibut Cove, a small settlement built on pilings, and to Kachemak Bay State Park for hiking. In town, the Pratt Museum covers local natural history, and the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center covers the seabird colonies of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Order halibut and chips or Kachemak Bay oysters. The US dollar is the currency.