Take a guided tour of Viking ship replica Aug. 17 in Geneva

Geneva's Viking replica longship, called the Viking, will host guided and self-guided tours from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17.

The life-size Viking is housed at Good Templar Park, 528 East Side Drive in Geneva. The public is invited. Parking is free.

Visit days are 1 to 4 p.m. on the third Saturday of each month from April through October.

The season's remaining visit days are Sept. 21 and Oct. 19-20.

Special visit days Oct. 19-20 are in observance of Cottages in the Woods festival.

Guided group tours begin every 30 minutes with the last tour at 3:30 p.m. Self-guided viewing is also available. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for teens.

Group tours are available with two weeks advance notice. The fee is $50. Call (630) 674-7530 or email Viking1893@gmail.com.

For more information about visit days, call (630) 753-9412 or email Viking1893@gmail.com.

Built in 1892, the vessel is about 78 feet long, 17 feet wide, and 6.5 feet high from the bottom of the keel to the gunwale. Its black oak planks are fastened together with thousands of iron rivets.

At sea, the Viking averaged 10 knots and the hull was designed to flex with the waves. The boat is an exact copy of the Viking ship Gokstad, built about 850. A Gokstad replica, the Viking, was sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from Bergen, Norway, to Chicago for the 1893 Columbian Exposition World's Fair.

After being exhibited at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, the Viking was displayed in West Chicago before being moved to its current location in 1996.

For more information, visit www.vikingship.us or www.facebook.com/Viking1893/.