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Nina, Pinta replicas coming to Marietta, Parkersburg

Ships docking in September, October

File Photo A replica of Christopher Columbus’ ship, the Nina, is shown docked at the Ohio River Levee in Marietta in 2005. The Nina will be returning to Parkersburg and Marietta, along with a replica of the Pinta, in September and October.

PARKERSBURG — Replicas of Christopher Columbus’ ships, the Nina and the Pinta, will visit Parkersburg and Marietta this fall.

Built and owned by the British Virgin Islands-based Columbus Foundation, the vessels will be docked at Point Park in downtown Parkersburg from Sept. 20-25. After stops in Wheeling and Pittsburgh, they’ll head back down the Ohio River and be at the Marietta Harbor from Oct. 19-23.

“I think it’s going to be a great draw to people,” said Mark Lewis, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau. “It’s a great opportunity to get kids out and adults that are interested in history.”

According to a release from the CVB, the Nina is a replica of the ship on which Columbus sailed more than 25,000 miles to explore the world, starting in 1492, and which delivered him to what is now North America.

An example of the “caravel,” a Portugese vessel used by Columbus and many early explorers, it serves as an educational tool and floating museum, visiting ports around the Western Hemisphere.

The Pinta was built in 2005 to accompany the Nina on her travels. It is a larger version of the caravel and offers expanded deck space for walk-aboard tours, as well as being available for private parties and charters.

Both guided and self-guided tours will be offered in Parkersburg and Marietta. Self-guided tours are for individuals, while guided tours are for paying guests in groups of 15 or more.

Admission is $8.50 for adults, $7.50 for seniors, $5 for children ages 5-16 and free for children 4 and younger. Groups of 15 or more will be charged $5 per person.

The ships’ visit will fit well with the area’s appeal as a destination for history buffs, Lewis said.

“History and heritage is our strongest suit in terms of what we promote,” he said.

“I have so much respect for those early explorers,” Lewis added. “That whole concept of just sailing west until you found something (is) just amazing.”

The Nina visited Marietta in 2005 and returned, with the Pinta, in 2012.

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