The historic Tall Ship Elissa returns to Galveston after a three-month, 2,500-mile voyage commemorating America’s 250th anniversary.

Galveston's Tall Ship Elissa participated in the Sail4th 250 Parade of Sail in New York Harbor, marking its first visit to the city since 1986 as part of the United States' 250th anniversary celebrations.

On an Island jam-packed with artifacts and treasures of the days long past, one particularly large and beloved relic is a must-see -- The Elissa, the Official Tall Ship of Texas. Now, sailing novices, history buffs and gutsy landlubbers enamored by the sea have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sail history.

The Official Tall Ship of Texas, the Elissa is celebrating its 143rd trip around the sun. The Galveston Historical Foundation is commemorating the occasion with a seaport celebration on Saturday, Oct. 24. Through the years, the ship changed hands and names multiple times, sometimes going by Fjeld, Gustaf, Christophoros and Achaios, according to the Texas State Historical Association. In 1978, the Galveston Historical Foundation brought the ship from Greece to Galveston, restored the vessel and converted it into a floating museum. Fun fact: In 1978 the ship became the first item outside the United States to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places, according to the Texas State Historical Association.

Sail away (figuratively, and in some instances literally) when you visit these nautical Houston area attractions as informative as they are entertaining.