Vikings... A Heritage Tourism fad that I can get behind

I have always been interested in Vikings. It may be because of my last name (Leifso --> Leif Eiriksson- see the connection?) or because over the years I have realized how complicated and often misunderstood Vikings are. In undergrad, as a Bioarchaeology and History Major, every opportunity I got, I wrote an essay about Vikings: their actions in Britian, evidence of Norse settlement in what is now Canada, and exploring the possibility of contact between Viking explorers and Natives in the Arctic. It is my dream to one day visit L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland.

In a recent Digital History class, I proclaimed that Vikings are destined to enter the realm of popular culture, much like pirates. Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism seems to agree with me and have created a new commercial promoting L'Anse aux Meadows. Or if that doesn't peak your interest, view the exciting Heritage Minute.

Upon further googling there are a lot of interesting Viking destinations.

For those willing to cross the pond, there is a cool museum/archaeological dig in York called the Jorvik Viking Centre. There is even a Viking toilet!

If visiting the UK isn't your thing, check out the Viking Ship Museum in Denmark, which features "five original 11th-century Viking ships.

If you want to see and learn more about Vikings (and why wouldn't you?) brush up on your Norwegian and head on over to Oslo, Norway to check out their Viking Ship Museum. (The website is predominately in Norwegian, the English site is under construction but temporary English links are available.)

There are still myths and misconceptions surrounding Viking adventures and activities that historians and archaeologists continue to unravel. As a result numerous archaeological sites and museums have been created to help dispel the sometimes [I'm not going to deny there wasn't some raping or pillaging] unwarranted negativity that surrounds these naval geniuses.