Maine’s whale watching season runs through early October and a handful of tour operators offer day trips to see the earth’s largest living creatures a mere 20 miles off the Maine coast.  This is an opportunity to spot humpback whales, pilot whales, minke whales and finback whales. Less commonly seen but still possible to glimpse are sei whales, sperm whales, orcas and right whale.  Head out with Bar Harbor Whale Watch, which has taken visitors out to the Gulf of Maine for more than 25 years.

In Boothbay, Cap’n Fish’s Whale Watch has offered trips for more than 80 years while First Chance Whale Watch in Kennebunkport  and Odyssey Whale Watch in Portland offer trips in the southern end of the state. Downeast, there’s Robertson Sea Tours and Adventures in Millbridge and Tarquin Whale Watch in Lubec. Find out more at Visit Maine.