Take the chance to step back into 1492! Replicas of the Niña and her sister ship Pinta, two of the three ships that carried Christopher Columbus and his crew across the Atlantic more than 500 years ago, will make stops to selected places.
The two replicas are real-life reflections of two of the most famous ships in history. Though there are no drawings or design plans of the original ships that exist, the modern-day Niña is said to be a near-mirror reflection of the self-proclaimed favorite of Columbus.
Launched in 1991, the Niña is made up of ironwood from the Brazilian forest using traditional tools and employing 15th-century methods by eighth-generation shipwrights in Valenca, Bahia, Brazil, the USA Today notes. It was also initially built for the quincentenary celebration of Columbus' New World arrival.
Mallory DeLapp, a first mate, says, "I tink if Columbus were walking on the dock and saw her he'd recognize her as the Niña,"
Both ships are fully functional floating museums. One month or so was spent at a Mobile, Ala., shipyard for dry dock inspection, maintenance and any necessary repairs.
WHNT said that the Niña and Pinta stopped at the Decatur Harbor by Hard Dock Restaurant, 3755 U.S. 31 North, on September 27.
The ships are also scheduled to make stops at Ditto Landing in Huntsville from September 29 to October 9, and the old marina site in Guntersville on October 11 to 16.
Annually, the Niña and Pinta normally make 30 to 40 tour stops. The said tours are popular but the public is not permitted to travel with the ships between ports of call.
The exhibit opens from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. Adults need to pay $8, seniors (60 and older) are $7, children between the ages of 5 to 16 are $6, and age 4 and below are free. There are also group rates available.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
