L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site
L'Anse aux Meadows
The only confirmed Viking site in North America, with turf longhouse remains from around 1000 CE and reconstructed buildings; a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
L'Anse aux Meadows lies at the northern tip of the Great Northern Peninsula. It was discovered in 1960 by the Norwegian explorers Helge and Anne Stine Ingstad, and archaeology has confirmed it as a Viking settlement dating to around 1000 CE, some 500 years before Columbus reached the Americas. It was inscribed as one of the first World Heritage Sites in 1978. The visitor centre displays artifacts unearthed here, including iron nails, spindle whorls and bronze pins. A boardwalk leads past the mounds of eight building sites, beside which stand reconstructed turf longhouses and workshops. Costumed interpreters demonstrate blacksmithing and weaving and recount the sagas. A silhouette sculpture of Vikings stands on the hillside. The site is about 45 km from St. Anthony, roughly 40 minutes by car. It is usually open from June to late September, roughly 9:00–17:00, and a Canadian national park pass is required.
Opening hours
Approx. Jun–Sep, 9:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- Norstead Viking Village
- Quirpon Island Lighthouse
- Pistolet Bay Provincial Park
- Burnt Cape Ecological Reserve
- St. Anthony Iceberg & Whale Tours
- Grenfell Historic Properties
- Fishing Point Municipal Park
- Tea House Hill Walking Trail