34 Forgotten Ancient Ruins That Deserve More Attention

17. L’Anse aux Meadows, Canada: The Viking Footprint in North America

On the windswept shores of Newfoundland’s northern tip lies a site that rewrites the history of transatlantic exploration. L’Anse aux Meadows is the only confirmed Viking settlement in North America, dating to around 1000 CE—nearly 500 years before Columbus. Here, Norse explorers from Greenland and Iceland established a seasonal camp, complete with sod-walled longhouses, ironworking areas, and boat repair stations. Discovered in the 1960s, the site gave physical proof to the Norse sagas that spoke of a mysterious land called “Vinland.” Today, visitors can walk through reconstructions of Viking structures, view original excavation sites, and gain insight into the lives of the seafaring Norse who dared to cross the Atlantic in open boats. Surrounded by moorlands and icy waters, L’Anse aux Meadows is both stark and stunning—a place that whispers of bold journeys and vanished ambitions, offering a rare window into early global contact long before European empires redrew the world.