Celebrate 450: El Galeón Tall Ship

The tall ship El Galeón, a replica of a Spanish galleon from the colonial period, returns to St. Augustine on September 2, 2015, and will remain here for two weeks as part of the 450th celebration in the nation's oldest city.

El Galeón will be open for tours from Thursday, September 3, through Sunday, September 20, 2015, from 10 a.m. through 7 p.m. each day. Guests are free to roam above and below decks (there are five in total), talk to the Spanish crew who live and work on the ship, and learn from a variety of interactive exhibits, videos and historical documents on display.

During this two-week period, El Galeón will host some special activities aboard ship. Every Saturday and Sunday, the crew will open one of the tall ship's sails at 12:30 p.m. There will be special nighttime activities on board as well.

Celebrate 450! Special Nighttime Schedule for El Galeón

On Friday, September 4, and Sunday, September 6, 2015, El Galeón will host a special event with drinks on board from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m. This event is open to the public, as space allows. Tickets are $25 per person, and include a glass of wine.

On Saturday, September 5, El Galeón will be closed for a private event in the evening (after 7:00 p.m.)

From Monday, September 7, to Sunday, September 20, El Galeón will offer night tours of the ship after 7:00 p.m.

Visit here or call (954) 608-2128 for more information.

Admission: In honor of the City of St. Augustine's 450th Anniversary, El Galeón offers discounted rates to tour the ship September 3 - 20, 2015: $10 for adults and $5 for for kids ages 5 - 12, while children under 5 remain free.

When? Thursday, September 3, through Sunday, September 20, 2015. Open for tours each day 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Where? El Galeón is docked at St. Augustine's municipal marina next to the Bridge of Lions, at 111 Avenida Menendez.

More about El Galeón

Ships such as this one sailed Florida's coastal waters during the 16th and 17th centuries, crossing the ocean from the Old World to the New for trade and exploration purposes. The Nao Victoria Foundation of Seville, Spain, began building this authentic replica tall ship in 2006. Since her completion, El Galeón has sailed the world and now calls St. Augustine her homeport.

The 170-foot, 495-ton El Galeón requires a crew of 28 to operate the seven sails (more than 9.600 square feet in area) on three masts in the same method used by sailors in the 16th century. The ship was used in the making of the television series "Crossbones" on location in Puerto Rico.

The first historical ship like El Galeón to arrive in St. Augustine was the San Pelayo, the flagship of city founder Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. It was one of the most powerful ships of its day, weighing some 650 tons and carrying 800 colonists and supplies. Menéndez and his colonists established St. Augustine, the first permanent European settlement in the United States, in 1565.