2025 Immigration Tour to New York City
Known as the city of immigrants, New York has welcomed people seeking economic prosperity and cultural freedoms for the past 400 years. For Norwegians, too, New York has held a central place in their immigration history. Norwegian sailors had a presence in the city since the 1600s and the first organized group of Norwegian immigrants to enter the United States, nicknamed the Sloopers, sailed into New York Harbor on their ship Restauration on October 9, 1825. Over time, New York has been an entry point for Norwegians as they embark on new adventures in the United States, and for some, New York itself became home.
Join us to experience this history first-hand as we explore the rich topic of immigration in New York City. Presentations on the city’s immigration past and present, the larger history of Norwegian immigration to the United States, and the local story of Norwegians who made lives for themselves in New York from the 1600s to today will prepare us to walk in those immigrants’ footsteps as we tour important sites.
Tour visits include the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, and the Tenement Museum, where we will learn what everyday life was like for the city’s working-class migrants. We will spend time at Scandinavia House in Manhattan and Norwegian-American sites in Brooklyn as well as meet local Norwegian Americans living in the area today.
The tour will culminate on October 9, when we will welcome the arrival of the replica of the Sloopers’ ship, Restauration, to New York. We will also enjoy events and exhibits in conjunction with this commemoration of Restauration’s arrival exactly 200 years prior.
This tour is a collaboration between the Norwegian-American Historical Association (NAHA) based in Northfield, Minnesota, and Vesterheim, the National Norwegian-American Museum and Folk Art School, located in Decorah, Iowa, as part of Crossings, the bicentennial of Norwegian migration to North America (crossings.norwegianamerican.com). The guides will be Anna Peterson, associate professor of history at Luther College and editor for NAHA, and local expert, Victoria Hofmo, president of the Scandinavian East Coast Museum in Brooklyn. The tour can easily be expanded to include your own interests in New York.
Day 1 Sunday – October 5 (D)
Our hotel for this entire tour is the NH Collection New York Madison Avenue, 22 E 38th St. Guests can check in to the hotel at 3:00 p.m. At 6:00 p.m. we gather at the Scandinavia House. The Scandinavia House is located at 38 Park Ave., which is on the same block and just around the corner from the hotel. There will be time to meet and greet one another, followed by a catered dinner and presentation by NAHA historian Dr. Anna Peterson. Anna will give us a broad historical picture of immigration to the U.S.
Day 2 Monday – October 6 (B)
After breakfast at the hotel, we meet the coach bus at 9:00 a.m. to visit the Norwegian War Veterans Monument at Battery Park. From there we catch the ferry to visit the Statue of Liberty. The copper for the statue was mined in Norway and then shipped to France where the statue was made. A short ferry ride takes us to Ellis Island. After lunch on your own, we will gather for a brief tour of Ellis Island and then have some free time for people to do their own family research. At 3:00 p.m. we return to our hotel and have a free evening.
Day 3 Tuesday – October 7 (B, D)
After breakfast at the hotel, our coach takes us to catch a ferry to Brooklyn. Victoria Hofmo, director of the Scandinavian East Coast Museum, will give us a guided bus/walking tour through Brooklyn where we will visit places there important to the Norwegian-American community. Lunch will be on your own in area restaurants. Our coach will return us to the hotel for a free afternoon. In the evening at 6:00 p.m., we gather again at the Scandinavia House for a catered meal, which will be open to other area Norwegian Americans who would like to join us for the evening. Dr. Anna Peterson will give us a second presentation specifically focusing on the history of Norwegian emigration to the U.S.
Day 4 Wednesday – October 8 (B, D)
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. Today we have a free morning. In the afternoon our coach meets us at the hotel at 1:00 p.m. to drive us to New York City’s Tenement Museum at 103 Orchard St. The Tenement Museum is a nonprofit cultural institution that welcomes you into the historically recreated homes of immigrants, migrants, and refugees. They share stories to inspire connections between the past and present and to build a more inclusive and expansive American society. We will break into small groups for one of five apartment tours listed here:
· 100 Years Apart: 1880 / 1980 The struggles of two immigrant women
· Meet Victoria: 1916 a Greek Sephardic Jewish teenager story
· After the Famine: 1869 Irish Catholic experience
· Under One Roof: Early 20th century story of a Jewish family and an Italian family
· A Union of Hope-1869: A black couple building community in SOHO
At 3:30 p.m. our bus will pick us up at the museum and take us to the home and studio of Valborg Fletre Linn. Valborg is both a Vesterheim and NAHA member and lives in the NoHo neighborhood in lower Manhattan. Valborg and her family emigrated to New York in 1954. She is an artist, and her father Lars Fletre was an artist whose work will be on exhibit at Vesterheim in 2026. There will be finger food, drinks, and limited seating as we get to know Valborg and her art.
At 6:00 p.m. our bus returns us to the hotel where the rest of the evening is free.
Day 5 Thursday – October 9 (B)
This is the day we have been waiting for! At 9:00 a.m. our bus takes us from the hotel and drops us at the dock by the South Street Seaport Museum to welcome the Restauration sloop after its trip across the Atlantic Ocean. Specific activities this day are still to be determined. Our bus will return us to the hotel in the early afternoon. The rest of the day is free.
Day 6 Friday – October 10
Breakfast can be purchased at the hotel restaurant. Hotel checkout is by 11:00 am.
Tour cost: $2295 per person based on double occupancy
Single supplement: $960
If you desire to make an extension (early or late) at the same hotel, you can make arrangements yourself directly with the hotel at 1-212-219-7607 Hotel NH Collection New York Madison Avenue | nh-hotels.com.
Reserve Your Spot on Tour
For more information about upcoming tours:
Rolf Svanoe
563-382-9681, ext. 240
Vesterheim is aware of concern about the impact travel has on the environment. We are committed to encouraging travel and cultural exploration, while taking responsibility for a fair share of the environmental cost tours incur. Starting in 2025, for each tour to Norway, Vesterheim will invest in the National Philanthropic Trust: Rick Steves’ Europe Climate Smart Fund. Read more here.
Tour Guides
GUIDE: Victoria Hofmo
Victoria Hofmo was born, raised, and still lives in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, the historical heart of Norwegian New York. She is three-quarters Scandinavian: Half Norwegian and one-quarter Danish/Swedish. Self-employed, she runs an out-of-school-time program that articulates learning through the arts and a local program for seniors. Hofmo is an advocate for arts and culture, education, and the preservation of the built and natural environment of her hometown, with a deep love for most things Scandinavian.
She founded the Scandinavian East Coast Museum in the early 1990s to document, educate, share, and celebrate Scandinavian history and Scandinavian contributions to the East Coast of the U.S. with a focus on the New York area. She was a writer for the Nordisk Tidende and its many iterations for several decades.
GUIDE: Anna Peterson
Anna Peterson is editor for the NAHA and associate professor of history at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. She researches and teaches in the fields of Norwegian migration, Native American, women’s and gender, and welfare state history. Anna is excited to share her knowledge of Norwegian-American history with you!
Tour Leaders
LEADER: Amy Boxrud
Amy Boxrud is executive director for the Norwegian American Historical Association, where she is responsible for leading the organization’s membership, communications, and development efforts. With a special interest in the field of public history, Amy enjoys creating unforgettable experiences for her fellow travelers.
LEADER: Rolf Svanoe
As Vesterheim Coordinator of Tours to Norway, Rolf has many connections to Norway and experiences leading tour groups. Find out more about him here.