The Niña Discovers the Bay

Columbus sailed the ocean blue aboard the Niña — more than 25,000 miles throughout his many explorations —  and now folks along the West Coast will get a chance to see what life was like onboard the famous (or infamous, depending on your viewpoint) caravel.

The new Niña, built by the Columbus Foundation in the early 1990s to commemorate the quincentennial of Columbus’ most famous journey, is claimed to be the "most historically accurate replica of a Columbus ship ever built." She sailed under the Gate Wednesday afternoon on a West Coast tour of sea ports and is open for public tours through Sunday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. at Pier 9 — $5 for adults, $3 for kids 5-16, and kids under 5 get in free. If you can’t make it to the City this weekend, you’ll have another chance at a tour as she’s scheduled to return in late July.

For more on the history of the original Niña and the details on the construction of the replica, visit www.thenina.com.