"Halibut Capital of the World" Top 5 Page for this destination Homer by karenincalifornia

Homer Travel Guide: 148 reviews and 367 photos

You haven't seen funky until you've seen this town

Homer is one of the funkiest towns I've ever visited. The Homer Spit is a string of quirky beach shops, cafes, campgrounds, tent communities, trailer parks, marinas, halibut and salmon fishing operations, and water taxi stands. Head over to the "downtown" area, and you aren't certain where the downtown is. You'll notice the urban sprawl with California-type strip malls - the product of a town that grew up without any planning. But underneath this funky, quirky, hippy exterior, you'll find delightful galleries displaying work of local artists, fun cafes specializing in local cuisine, excellent museums, fascinating book shops loaded with books by Alaskan authors, and an artistic, highly-educated and cultured community.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Fun shops and restaurants, great location for halibut fishing and other Alaskan adventures
Cons:Not really a "walking" town. Everything is spread out - you really need a car to get around
In a nutshell:Homer's gotta have more trailers per capita than any other place in the US. Home of Jewel, the pop singer.

Last visit to Homer: Jul 2005
Intro Updated Aug 10, 2005
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Reviews (11)

Tutka Bay Wilderness Lodge, Alaska - Homer

Get away from it all Hotels (2)

We didn't stay in Homer, but we stayed near Homer. Our lodge, the Tutka Bay Wilderness Lodge, was a 30 minute water taxi... more travel advice

Typical funky Homer eatery Restaurants (1)

The owners of Tutka Bay Wilderness Lodge recommended Cafe Cups to us as a great place for lunch in Homer. As soon as I... more travel advice

Typical street scene in Homer Favorites (2)

What Homer lacks in curb appeal, it certainly makes up for in originality. This is a typical street scene in downtown... more travel advice

Alaskan Wildberry Products, Homer, AK - Homer

A nice alternative to Harry & David Shopping (1)

Homer is the location of the only Alaskan Wildberry Products store outside of Anchorage. (Anchorage has two.) This store... more travel advice

Things to Do (1)
Pratt Museum
Transportation (3)
See All Era Aviation

Local Customs (1)
It's another world
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Comments (6)

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RickinDutch Jan 12, 2006 at 3:51 PM

Great pages on Homer - capture it well. Birthday greetings from Alaska! You share the same b-day as my bride!
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VdV Oct 5, 2005 at 11:27 PM

What a cool place! I'll have to visit...I especially love the giant teacups outside the restaurant...I collect funky teacups, so this immediately jumped out at me! Thanks for your great tips.
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sunsea Aug 29, 2005 at 4:55 AM

What a cool place... I wonder how it looks like in winter...
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Nemorino Aug 22, 2005 at 2:10 PM

From those classified ads, Homer really does sound like "another world". And quite a contrast to your description of Kachemak Bay State Park!
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ATXtraveler Aug 19, 2005 at 5:44 PM

Thanks for this look into the small town of Homer!
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mtncorg Aug 10, 2005 at 3:03 PM

For true 'funk' go to Gustavus. I also used one of those bush flights in the Panhandle and a short 20 min prop flight, they managed to 'lose' the 6 pack I was brought along - they found it on my return flight, missing a couple of bottles ;-\