Homer bills itself as the “Halibut Capital of the World” and is known for having some of the best fishing on the Kenai Peninsula. Set on a hillside overlooking Kachemak Bay and Cook Inlet, it plays host to an enormous number of visitors each year, including hundreds who spend the whole summer camped out on the Homer Spit, a 5-mile-long sliver of land that juts out into the waters of the bay, providing unrestricted access to great halibut and salmon fishing. Homer offers a wide range of other diversions for those uninterested in hooks, bait, and flies. In May, the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival takes place, celebrating the tens of thousands of shorebirds that stop over on the local mudflats during their annual migration north. Throughout the summer, boats are available to shuttle passengers across the bay to the small fishing villages and artist communities that dot the rugged coastline. For more athletic types, a network of hiking and biking trails throughout the area provides spectacular views of the mountains, waters, and wildlife that make up this region.