Unfortunately, time does not allow us to see both places. If we are going to see wildlife/enjoy beautiful scenery and are already planning to take an 8 hour glacier/wildlife cruise through Kenai Fjords, which place should we go? I realize they are both incredibly different places, but...I really have no idea about either. For your first trip to Alaska, is Whittier or Homer a must-see?

HOMER!!! Whittier is a former secret military base accessed by a tunnel thru a mountain. The "downtown" is dominated by the high rise buildings which formerly held all the military personnel, offices, etc. One building is empty and a true eye sore. We visited a few years ago and would not return. The new hotel was still under construction so maybe things have improved since Whitter is now used more frequently by cruise boats. Homer is a wonderful town at the end of the road. The Homer Spit is legendary for fishing charters, etc. There's a small active airport for flight seeing trips. The town has some artsy shops. The Pratt Museum is a must do. We didn't spend enough time there. My husband loved the tunnel to Whittier but after spending the night we were first in line the next morning to leave.
My apologies to people who like Whittier. We did not fish or go on a boat trip, only did a little hiking and had plenty of time. (We also visited Seldovia and Hope.)

Agree with what dfnh said ... now if it was between Seward and Homer you'd have a more evenly matched comparison, but Homer is pretty cool.

Bill