Kim Kraemer with the Grand Rivers Chamber of Commerce said the Columbus Foundation is bringing both ships, which they call a "sailing museum," to the area. They are used to educate children and adults on these types of sailing vessels and how they were used by early explorers.
Originally, the ships were only going to be in town through Labor Day, but since they got lots of calls from schools wanting to bring their students, the foundation has extended their stay through Sunday, September 11.
Kraemer said there's a good reason the third ship used by Columbus isn't included by the foundation.
"The Santa Maria was a different kind of ship and she had a deeper draught, so she would not fit into some of the shallow waterways that the Nina and the Pinta are able to travel, so they haven't re-created the Santa Maria. The Nina and the Pinta were caravel ships - it was a Portuguese ship, and that's what Columbus and many of the early explorers used. It's a traveling museum of these two Columbus ships and a certain type of ship."
Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors (60 and over), $6 for kids age 5-16, and children age 4 and under get in free.
On the Net:
Columbus Foundation website
