Seward, Alaska

In winter, predictably, Seward is a veritable ghost town—and that's just how the 3,000 or so year-round locals like it. But come summer, tourists attack this end-of-the-road Alaskan fishing village at the tip of the Kenai Peninsula like an orca in a feeding frenzy. Those who don't arrive aboard hulking cruise ships descend in rental cars from Anchorage or by train via the Alaskan Railroad; most spend several days in the area. The population swells exponentially in the summer, and if you happen to be here over Fourth of July—when the town holds its annual Mt. Marathon foot race—you'll be among 30,000 others splashing around for space in Seward's colorful downtown.