Homer Spit

This long needle of land - a 4½-mile sand bar stretching into Kachemak Bay - is viewed by some folks as the most fun place in Alaska. Others wish another earthquake would come along and sink the thing. The Spit throbs all summer with tourist masses in unimaginable density, gobbling fish-and-chips, quaffing specialty coffees, getting chair massages, buying alpaca sweaters, arranging bear-watching trips, watching theatrical performances, and - oh yeah - going fishing in search of 300lb halibut.

The hub of all this activity is the small-boat harbor, one of the best facilities in Southcentral Alaska and home to more than 700 boats. Close by is the Seafarer's Memorial, which, amid all the Spit's hubbub, is a solemn monument to residents lost at sea.

Beach combing, bald-eagle watching (they seem as common here as pigeons in New York City) and watching recently docked fishermen angling for cute tourist chicks at the Salty Dawg Saloon are all favorite activities. You can also go clamming at Mud Bay, on the east side of the Spit. Blue mussels, an excellent shellfish overlooked by many people, are the most abundant.

If you'd rather catch your dinner than shovel or buy it, try your luck at the Fishing Hole, just before the Pier One Theatre. The small lagoon is the site of a 'terminal fishery,' in which salmon are planted by the state and return three or four years later to a place where they can't spawn. Kings can be caught here from mid-May to the end of June, while silvers run in August. Contact Sportsman's Supply & Rental (907 235 2617) for clamming gear.