Tickets To Board Mayflower Replica In Boston Now Available

BOSTON (CBS) -- Tickets to board the Mayflower II, a replica of the iconic Pilgrim ship, are now available for reservation. Boarding is free as part of a six-day maritime festival in Boston in May, but tours aboard the Mayflower II are ticketed.

The Mayflower II will sail into the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston escorted by the USS Constitution on May 14 and stay until May 19. The ship has been under restoration in Mystic, Connecticut for the past several years getting ready for the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims' voyage to what is now Massachusetts.

"As 2020 begins, we are gearing up to celebrate the return of Mayflower II home to Massachusetts, following a three-year, multi-million-dollar restoration," said Stephen Brodeur, Mayflower Sails 2020 Chair and Founding Sponsor in a news release. "The ship is Plimoth Plantation's full-scale reproduction of the original that sailed the Pilgrims to our shores 400 years ago. This is an incredible opportunity for the public to see this iconic ship which has been a vital part of our cultural and historic landscape for over 60 years."

The Mayflower II was built in the mid-1950s in Brixham, England, and was intended as a gift to the people of the United States from the people of England following World War II, according to the release. It arrived in Plymouth in 1957 and was greeted by over 25,000 people.

Since then, more than 25 million people have stepped aboard the ship, the release said. In 2014, the ship's owner, Plimoth Plantation, committed to an extensive restoration project at Mystic Seaport Museum over three years. With the majority of the project completed, she was re-christened and launched in a ceremony in September 2019.

The festival in May will also feature music, food and drink as well as educational, cultural and historical programs. For more information and to reserve tickets, visit the Mayflower Sails 2020 website.