3 Best Performing Arts Venues in The Kenai Peninsula and Southcentral Alaska, Alaska

The arrival of as many as 5 million birds in the Copper River Delta each May is cause for three to five days of festivities during the first week of the month that include workshops and guided field trips. The birds, mostly western sandpipers and dunlins, feed and rest here on their long migration to their northern nesting grounds. Alaska Airlines often offers discounted fares to festivalgoers—check the chamber website for details.

To shake off the winter blues, the residents of tiny Cordova gather for a weeklong celebration in early February. The festivities include a parade and numerous entertaining activities, including the Ice Worm Variety Show and the Miss Ice Worm Coronation.

Early-summer visitors to Homer join thousands of migrating shorebirds for the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival on the second weekend in May. Experts offer bird-watching trips and photography demonstrations, and the simultaneous Wooden Boat Festival provides a chance to meet some of Alaska's finest boatbuilders. Various kids' events add to the fun.