AUXL MEADOWS HOW TO
AUXL MEADOWS FREE

More than 150 14C dates have been obtained, of which 55 relate to the Norse occupation 19. Most previous estimates have been based on stylistic analysis of the architectural remains and a handful of artefacts, as well as interpretations of the Icelandic sagas, oral histories that were only written down centuries later 2, 16 (Supplementary Note 2). Radiocarbon ( 14C) analysis has been attempted at the site, but has not proved especially informative 3, 17, 18. The received paradigm is that the Norse settlement dates to the close of the first millennium 9 however, the precise age of the site has never been scientifically established.

Evidence has also revealed that L’Anse aux Meadows was a base camp from which other locations, including regions further south, were explored 15. Extensive field campaigns have been conducted at this UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Site, and much knowledge has been gained about the settlement and its contemporary environment 2, 13, 14, 15 (Supplementary Note 1). However, the only confirmed Norse site in the Americas is L’Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland 9, 10, 11, 12 (Extended Data Figs. What to Read Before You Go: The New Land With the Green Meadowsby Anne Stine Ingstad (2013) explores excerpts from the diary of the author's mother, the Norwegian archaeologist in charge of L'Anse aux Meadows' excavation in the 1960s, with personal stories about the people and life there.The Vikings (or Norse) were the first Europeans to cross the Atlantic 9. For keepsakes with a Nordic twist, the Heritage Shop of L'Anse aux Meadows stocks historical books, knitwear, pottery, and music during the summer months. What to Buy: The Gaia Art Gallery carries moose antler carvings, silver jewelry, and Innu tea dolls woven from smoke-tanned caribou hide, beads, and cotton. Save room for a slice of tangy partridgeberry pie topped with fresh whipped cream. Or walk down to the adjacent wharf with the chef to pick your own lobster from a floating pen. Where to Eat or Drink: To watch icebergs and whales pass by, request a window seat at the Norseman Restaurant, where the locally sourced menu includes elk tenderloin, freshly caught Atlantic cod, and seasonal vegetables like sweet potatoes, beets, and asparagus. There's also on-site laundry facilities and complementary continental breakfast.

AUXL MEADOWS FREE

Forty-five minutes south of L'Anse aux Meadows, it offers a choice of suites featuring fully equipped kitchens, balconies, and free Wi-Fi. Anthony Harbor at Grenfell Heritage Hotel and Suites. Where to Stay: Fall asleep to the soothing sounds of the St. Alternatively, the NorPen Bus Service runs along the Viking Trail and can do the driving for you. A free iPhone/iPad app for Newfoundland and Labrador can help travelers find their way.

The five-hour drive north along the Viking Trail toward L'Anse aux Meadows provides travelers with a front-row seat to the province's green valleys, imposing mountains, and resilient coastline.

AUXL MEADOWS HOW TO

How to Get Around: Car rentals are available at Newfoundland's Deer Lake Regional Airport. The ancient settlement, a UNESCO World Heritage site, opens for the season on June 1. 'The whole mystique of these Vikings, who were here hundreds of years before Christopher Columbus, has never, ever, gotten the recognition that he did-until now,' says Tom Kennedy, retail operations manager for the Historic Sites Association of Newfoundland & Labrador. The main house, first excavated in the '60s, has been redone, with a new sod roof and rebuilt wooden interior, along with new exhibits and a film detailing the settlement's history. New improvements to this historic spit of open land at the edge of Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula help bring the stories and struggles of these early settlers to life. Today you can step back a thousand years-but with a 21st-century view. Here, the grassy, low-slung roofs of the Vikings' simple homes and work huts undulate like Nordic echo waves on the open, seaside landscape. This windswept coastal outpost is the very spot where Norse sailors first settled in North America, the only authenticated Viking site on the continent.

Auxl meadows