Emigration Anniversary Tour to Norway
Emigration Jubilee Tours
Celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the first organized emigration of Norwegians to the United States with Vesterheim! The year 2025 marks the 200th anniversary of this occasion. Plans are underway to celebrate this anniversary both in Norway and in the United States. Vesterheim will mark this anniversary with a number of activities including two tours, one in Norway in June and one in New York in October.
The single masted sloop, Restauration, left Stavanger on July 4, 1825, with 52 people on board. Often referred to as the “Sloopers,” they arrived in New York City harbor on October 9. Two hundred years later, a replica of that ship is going to recreate their journey. Vesterheim tours will be a part of that momentous celebration on both sides of the ocean.
Emigration Anniversary Tour to Norway
Join us for this tour though the fascinating history of Norway during the 1800s as we enjoy the incredible landscape of this beautiful country.
Join us for this tour though the fascinating history of Norway during the 1800s. We’ll begin in Oslo with a brief city tour and a visit to the Norsk Folkemuseum. We will also visit the Amerikalinjen Hotel, which was once the headquarters of the Amerikalinjen shipping company where many Norwegian emigrants began their trip to America with hopes for a better life.
Next, we visit the Norwegian Emigration Museum in Ottestad, the only museum and research center in Norway fully dedicated to Norwegian emigration history.
Then we travel south to the Herregården in Larvik, the former home to one of Decorah’s most famous historical people, Elisabeth Koren. Her father was headmaster of the school in Larvik when she and her husband, Rev. U. V. Koren, emigrated.
After an overnight in Kristiansand, we drive to Norway’s southernmost point for a tour of the Lindesnes Lighthouse. Then it’s on to Lista with its strong connection to the United States. We will attend the American Festival Parade held every year in Vanse, and make a brief visit to the American Emigration Museum in Kvinesdal.
Our tour takes us along Norway’s west coast to the Utstein Monastery Hotel and home of the replica of the Restauration ship. We will meet with the Friends of the Restauration Association and also the Tysvær and Avaldsnes History Association.
On July 4, we will join the celebrations in Stavanger as we watch the replica of the Restauration sail away on its recreation of the journey 200 years ago. The tour ends the following day with our hearts full of wonderful memories from our travels in Norway.
Check back for a complete itinerary.
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 Guide
LEADER: Siv Ringdal
Siv Ringdal is an ethnologist, researcher, and author with a PhD in cultural history. She is employed as first conservator at the Norwegian Folk Museum in Oslo. Siv was behind the dissemination project Amerikakoffert and the exhibitions Home from Junaiten and Elvis’ Great-Grandmother. She is the author of The American List: With 110 Volts in the House and On High Heels in American: Young Agder Women in Post-war New York, among others.
Tour Leader
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.