Like clockwork, Hawaii’s most famous visitors arrive every winter.
The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary promotes ocean stewardship and raises awareness about the endangered humpback and other creatures that live in island waters.
At its oceanfront visitor center, you can touch baleen plates, a humpback vertebrate and the shells of green sea and hawksbill turtles (two other endangered species), thanks to a special permit from the National Marine Fisheries Service.
If time permits, take the tour and get details about the twice-weekly 45 Ton Talks, monthly lectures and whale watching from December through April (borrow binoculars free of charge).