If your mouth drops open at the first sight of Kachemak Bay, Cook Inlet and the surrounding mountains, you aren't alone. Pull out your camera, but save room for the many sights that await.

Beckoning for attention is Homer's most famous attraction: the Spit, a curved finger of land left behind thousands of years ago by glaciers that once blanketed Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. Today, commercial, sport and charter fishing boats, water taxis, ferries, research ships and U.S. Coast Guard cutters tie up in the harbor located on the Spit. Small shops open their doors to Spit guests in the summer. Restaurants, ice cream stands and espresso shops provide points where thousands of guests from around the world converge for a taste of spectacular Alaska scenery.

The waters of Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay are home to salmon and "barn door" halibut, as well as orca and humpback whales. The pristine conditions support world-class oyster farms. Surrounding forests are claimed by black and brown bear, moose, wolves and other creatures.

A pulsing creative spirit energizes this community of 5,400 residents, the Kenai Peninsula's second largest city. Its spark is evidenced in area galleries, theaters, musical productions and brightly painted shops.

Must-see attractions include the award-winning Pratt Museum; the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, which provides in-town and across-the-bay opportunities for learning about the environment; and the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center, which opens the door to the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge that stretches along most of Alaska's 47,300 miles of coastline.