Sights in Kenai Peninsula
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Bear Creek Winery
Wineries are scarcer than vineyards in Alaska, but this impressive family-run operation bottles some fine berry-based wines, plus fireweed mead and rhubarb vino. It conducts tours and tastings daily in the summer and sells its product on-site.
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Homer Spit
- Homer, USA
- Sights › Waterfront
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…
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Exit Glacier
The marquee attraction of Kenai Fjords National Park and one of Alaska's most accessible glaciers, Exit Glacier was named by explorers crossing the Harding Ice Field who found the glacier a suitable way to 'exit' the ice and mountains. Now 3 miles long, it's believed the river of ice once extended all the way to Seward.
From the Exit Glacier Nature Center, the Outwash Plain Trail is an easy half-mile walk to the glacier's alluvial plain - a flat expanse of pulverized silt and gravel, cut through by braids of grey meltwater. The Overlook Loop Trail departs the first loop and climbs steeply to an overlook at the side of the glacier before returning; don't skip the short spu…
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Halibut Cove
Halibut Cove, an absurdly quaint village of 30 year-round residents, is the kind of place you'll wish you grew up in. In the early 1920s the cove supported 42 herring salteries and had a population of over 1000. Today it's home to the noted Saltry restaurant, a handful of art galleries, a warren of boardwalks - but no roads.
The Danny J travels to the cove twice daily. It departs Homer at 12:00, swings past Gull Island and arrives at 13:30. There, you have 2½ hours to explore and have lunch. The ferry returns to the Spit by 17:00 and then makes an evening run to the cove for dinner, returning to Homer at 22:00. The noon tour is dearer than the evening trip. Book through C…
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Homer Council of the Arts
The cold, dark season of unemployment has inspired a saying in these parts: 'If you're starving, you might as well be an artist.' Just browsing these great galleries is a treat, and on the first Friday of the month, many break out the wine and cheese, and stay open late for a series of openings all over town.
This is just the tip of the iceberg - grab a free Downtown Homer Art Galleries flyer at the visitors center with many more gallery listings, or stop by the Homer Council of the Arts, with its own awesome gallery and information on various tours.
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Harbormaster's Office
The interesting small-boat harbor, at the northern end of 4th Ave, hums during the summer with fishing boats, charter vessels, cruise ships and a number of sailboats. At its heart is the Harbormaster's Office. Look for the huge anchors outside. Radiating outward from the docks are seasonal restaurants, espresso bars, tourist offices, hotels and almost any other service the visitor might want. There are also picnic tables and a free sighting scope overlooking the harbor and the bay. A paved bike trail leads to the (other) city center.
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Benny Benson Memorial
This humble monument at the corner of the Seward Hwy and Dairy Hill Ln honors Seward's favorite son, Benny Benson. In 1926 the orphaned 13-year-old Alaska Native boy submitted his design for the Alaska state flag, arguably the loveliest in the Union. His stellar design (you can see one of his first at the library) includes the North Star, symbolizing the northernmost state, the Great Bear constellation for strength, and a blue background for both the sky and the forget-me-not, Alaska's state flower. Seward will never forget.
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St Nicholas Orthodox Church
Seldovia's most popular attraction by far is this onion-domed church, St Nicholas Orthodox Church, which overlooks the town from a hill just off Main St. Built in 1891 and restored in the 1970s, the church is open on weekday afternoons, when you can go inside to view the exquisite icons. Also notice the chandelier, made from old barrel staves. Although there's no resident clergyman, every so often the priest from Nanwalek travels here to conduct services.
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bore tide
Try to catch the bore tide, a neat trick of geography that concentrates the incoming tide into a wall of water up to 6ft tall, which rushes along Turnagain Arm at 15mph daily. Schedules are available at any Anchorage visitors center; note that the most intense waves occur around a new or full moon. Top spots for viewing this satisfyingly loud phenomenon include Beluga Point (Mile 110) and Bird Point (Mile 96).
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Beluga Point
Try to catch the bore tide, a neat trick of geography that concentrates the incoming tide into a wall of water up to 6ft tall, which rushes along Turnagain Arm at 15mph daily. Schedules are available at any Anchorage visitors center; note that the most intense waves occur around a new or full moon. Top spots for viewing this satisfyingly loud phenomenon include Beluga Point.
reviewed
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Bird Point
Try to catch the bore tide, a neat trick of geography that concentrates the incoming tide into a wall of water up to 6ft tall, which rushes along Turnagain Arm at 15mph daily. Schedules are available at any Anchorage visitors center; note that the most intense waves occur around a new or full moon. Top spots for viewing this satisfyingly loud phenomenon include Bird Point.
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Seward Museum
The eclectic Seward Museum has an excellent Iditarod exhibit, a rare 49-star US flag, and relics of Seward's Russian era, the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake and 1989 oil spill. There are also lots of amusing antiques, including an ancient electric hair-curling machine and a 'cow raincoat' designed for the oft-drenched cattle at the now-defunct Seward dairy.
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Alaska Sealife Center
Alaska SeaLife Center is the only cold-water marine-science facility in the western hemisphere. It's home to a thousand fish, nearly all from Alaskan waters, and is the top attraction on the Kenai Peninsula. Plan to spend an afternoon here watching puffins, otters and 2000lb Steller sea lions glide past the two-storey viewing windows.
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Indian Valley Mine
Indian Valley Mine, a lode mine originally blasted out in 1901, still produces gold. You can buy bags of ore (around US$3 to around US$50) and see for yourself. The wonderful proprietors are extremely knowledgeable on the history and science of Alaskan gold mining; ask about the potato retort.
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Caines Head State Recreation Area
Caines Head State Recreation Area was fortified during WWII to guard the entrance of Resurrection Bay after the Japanese bombed the island of Unalaska. Exploring the bunkers, gun emplacements and surrounding alpine country makes for an intriguing way to spend a day.
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Potter Marsh
Potter Marsh was created in 1916, when railroad construction dammed several streams; it's currently in the process of filling with eroded earth. You can stretch your legs along the 1500ft boardwalk while spying on ducks, songbirds, grebes and gulls.
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Fireweed Gallery
Has a more statewide representation than most of the other galleries. It's got photography, metalwork, oil paintings, jewelry, and is also home to the Kachemak Bay Watercolor Society.
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Pratt Museum
The recently renovated Pratt Museum is the best on the peninsula, with exhibits on the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the dangers fisherman face on Kachemak Bay.
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Ptarmigan Arts
An artist-owned and operated co-op featuring mostly works from the Kenai Peninsula, including jewelry, textiles, Alaska Native pieces, and Homer spruce ash-glaze pottery.
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Exit Glacier Nature Center
At the Exit Glacier trailhead; has interpretive displays, sells postcards and field guides, and is the starting point for ranger-guided hikes.
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Homer Brewing Company
Isn't a bar, but it does offer 'tours' with free samples of fresh (and some organic) beer - try the broken birch bitter ale.
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Alaska Islands & Ocean Visitor Center
Intriguing wildlife exhibits are found at the free Alaska Islands & Ocean Visitor Center.
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