Excursions: Whale Watching; Puffins; Peary’s Eagle Island

Your Maine vacation would not be complete without a boating tour that allows you to get out on the beautiful Atlantic Ocean.  There are a number of ways to accomplish this.

We are often asked about the best time of the year for whale watching.  Peak whale watching season starts off the Maine coast in about mid-June and goes through early-to-mid August.  (This June viewing offers an ideal time when the crowds have not yet arrived and there is a bit more space to yourself).  Tours where you are almost assured of seeing whales leave several times a day, only 45 minutes from Freeport.  These excursions leave from Boothbay Harbor and can make a full day when combined with such sites as the Botanical Gardens and a stop by the most famous lobster shack in Maine, Red’s Eats.  All of this can be accomplished using Freeport as your home base.

Puffin watching tours are another great way to take to the water.  These cute little birds breed in four different off-shore islands off the coast of Maine.  Viewing is best in early June to mid-August and also invite the chance to view terns and other sea birds.  They are all incredible, the puffins being my favorite with those colorful beaks and fluttering wings.  These tours depart from a number of places close to Freeort, just 35-45 minutes away, again making Freeport a great home base for your vacation.

Eagle Island State Park hosts the museum of Admiral Peary, founder of the North Pole.  This excursion takes you through Casco Bay and to the tranquil island, and home, of Admiral Peary.  The island is now a Maine State Historic Site.  A fun way to see this historic and fascinating site is with Atlantic Seal Cruises and Captain Ring.  He will take you to the island via a lobster boat, narrate all of the sites you will see to and from the island, and even pull a lobster trap for you along the way.  This is truly a Maine experience, leaving from South Freeport, less than ten minutes away.

Whether you want to see whales, are into birding and puffins, or want to learn some local history, Freeport has it all within reach.  Make Freeport your home base for your Maine vacation and let the locals be your guide.