If you are traveling in Scandinavia, and many other parts of Europe, you are spoiled for choice when it comes to discovering the Vikings through their ancient artifacts. But what if you are on the other side of the Atlantic?
It can be hard to find genuine Viking artifacts in the United States, but there are a few museums with interesting collections. There are also several excellent museums dedicated to Nordic culture and history in the US. Here are six museums that are worth a visit.
1. Solvang Viking Museum, California
The Solvang Viking Museum in California is located within the Danish-themed village of Solvang and is dedicated to the history, mythology, and material culture of the Vikings. It is also known as the Elverhøj museum, meaning “Elves’ Hill.”
Featured collections include Norse weapons, including authentic Viking swords, axes, and spearheads, Viking runestones, and a gallery dedicated to understanding Norse mythology and the transition to Christianity. The museum also has an authentic Viking ship built by the Roskilde Viking Ship Museum in Demark. It is within a reconstructed Danish village featuring reconstructed large farmhouses from 18th Jutland.
2. National Nordic Museum, Seattle
The National Nordic Museum in Seattle is a state-of-the-art facility that offers a comprehensive timeline of Nordic life from prehistory, through the Viking Age, and to the modern day.
The museum has five galleries, one for each of the Norse countries, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, and Finland. It also has the Dream of America gallery, that looks at Nordic immigration to the United States (something we have covered on the blog).
The museum also holds two big events each year. In July there is Nordic Sol, a festival featuring Scandinavian food and craft vendors, live music, and a Viking encampment. Around Thanksgiving there is a similar celebration to celebrate Norse Yule.
3. Vesterheim National Norwegian-American Museum, Iowa
The Vesterheim National Norwegian-American Museum in Iowa is a historical museum founded in 1877. It focuses principally on the experience of Norwegian immigrants to the United States, with a focus on folk arts. The collection includes 33,000 artifacts and a heritage park with 12 historic buildings.
4. Museum of Danish America, Iowa
The Museum of Danish America in Iowa tells the story of Danish immigrants in the United States. It is currently running a major exhibition Vikingmania! which will be open until April 23, 2027. The exhibition looks to explain why we still consider the Vikings so cool, and how mania for the Vikings has manifested in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.
This is something we’ve talked about before on the blog, with the active search for evidence of the Vikings traveling to the United States in the 19th century turning up (questionable) artifacts like the Kensington Runestone in Minnesota and the Heavener Runestone on Oklahoma, and finally the discovery of a true millennia old Viking settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows in Canada in 1960.
As well as genuine artifacts from the Viking age, you’ll find modern Viking-inspired media from Wagner’s Viking-inspired operas to Marvel’s Thor comics.
5. American Swedish Historical Museum, Philadelphia
The American Swedish Historical Museum in Philadelphia in land provided by Queen Christina of Sweden to the settlers of New Sweden in the 17th century. The museum was developed to preserve the New Sweden community in 1926. The building is based on Eicsbert Castle, a 17th-century manor house in Sweden.
The museum features 12 galleries that are primarily devoted to the New Sweden colony, casting light on an unfamiliar period of history.
6. American Swedish Institute, Minneapolis
The American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis is dedicated to the role of Sweden and Swedish Americans in building the United States. The museum hosts exhibits such as shows by Nordic artists, a deep dive into the Sami people, and an annual Yule exhibition.
More than a display space, it is a gathering space for the Nordic community, with workshops, meetings, and more. They also hold cocktail nights and jazz evenings to keep the community vibrant and make the best use of Swan Turnbald Mansion.
Historical Replicas in the VKNG Collection
Are you inspired by Nordic history? You might also love by some of our jewellery of the past, including many pieces inspired by genuine archaeological finds from the Viking world.
This handcrafted bronze ring is based on an Anglo-Saxon ring found in the Thames River. It reflects the coming together of Anglo-Saxon and Norse cultures in the 10th and 11th centuries, featuring Nordic-style zoomorphic patterns.
This pendant, available in bronze or silver, depicts a Viking shieldmaiden, probably one of the divine Valkyrie. It is based on a small silver figure found at Harby in Denmark.
These stunning bronze bracelets with Norse geometric designs are copies of pieces found in the Vulum Hoard, Norway, dating to the 10th or 11th century.
This bronze Thor’s hammer pendant is inspired by a Mjolnir amulet found at Odeshog in Sweden. Pendants like this were worn as a symbol of the protection of the Norse gods.
