Hjemkomst Center

Truly extraordinary experience learning about Bob Asp's story. It is a cool little county museum that showcases the area's Norwegian heritage with the handmade boat on display that sailed in the early 80s across the Atlantic. The hand carved basilica next door is mind blowing and included in the general admission. Only a 10 minute walk from downtown Fargo.

We arrived at 4pm, they close at 5, and the staff still treated us very friendly. The exhibits were absolutely astounding. Since we'd arrived late we wished we had more time to soak up all the info posted around the ship. The stave church was astounding, and the guide was very good and courteous. It's one thing to see a picture of the stave church it's entirely another to experience its majesty. If you're curious I highly recommend you go, it's a very cool visit.

The Hjemkomst Center is a small but very nice museum with a tribute to the gentleman who built the replica of the Viking ship and whose family carried out his dream to sail the ship to Norway. We spent about 30 minutes in the museum, which includes a short film about the family and sailors of the ship. We joined in on a wonderful short tour of the wooden stave church behind the museum as well. We didn't visit the other museum gallery. The museum has a gift shop and separate parking. A side lot is large enough to handle small rvs or trailers.

This place is inspirational. The story behind the Viking boat build and trip and the creation of the Viking church leave you in awe of what a single person with determination can achieve. Both items are presented very well. Well worth a visit.

We came for the Hjemkomst Scandinavian Festival. We spent several hours immersing ourselves in Scandinavian music, crafts, food, stories, and spending way too much on souvenirs, books, crafts, and jewelry! I loved touring the church, learning about the ship and the local culture. My favorite part was the players they had come out to explain the culture, the myths, the legends, and the stories they told. My only complaint was parking. We got there, they gave us a not so great map to go park many blocks away and take a shuttle. Almost every street had construction, and not being from there made the not so great map even less great. That being said...I'd go again! I had a great time!

This place was So Cool! The Viking ship was quite a sight to see up close. The church was as well. We took the tour of the church and the guide was fun and very knowledgeable. It has a super cute gift shop.

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Very cool insight into the rich Scandinavian (especially Norwegian) culture and history in Fargo-Moorhead. I loved checking out the ship and learning about Bob Asp, the man who built it, his health struggles, and the voyage across the Atlantic. The Stave Church was also incredible to be inside and the quick tour was informative. The only downside to the Hjemkomst Center was that some of the interactive elements didn't work and the museum felt somewhat dated in terms of how information is displayed. Overall, definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

Gayle went to college at the nearby Moorhead State and has family in Fargo. And during our last visit here, she was happy to show me around. One Fargo highlight was the Hjemkomst Center. Inside the white, tent-like structure you'll find the Hjemkomst Viking Ship, a full-scale ship modeled after the Gokstad burial ship, built in nearby Hawley, MN. It actually sailed to Norway from the shores of Minnesota. Outside sits the Hopperstad Stave Church, an exact replica of the one that sits outside of Vik, Norway. This place is a great window into local Scandinavian culture, of which this part of the country has a deep history. They don't call Minnesota the land of 10,000 Andersen's for nothing.

The coolest thing in Fargo isn't in Fargo! That's what we learned about Hjemkomst. It's in Moorehead, MN! We spend about 2 hours at the center as soon as they opened up. We basically had the place to ourselves and we wandered around the viking ship area- learning. My 3 year old has told so many people about the big ship on vacation and how it lost it's 'horn.' My husband has said a few times how cool the ship was. We hopped on a tour with one couple to hear about the Viking church out back. Getting on the tour got us inside the church. As we learnt this was a replica- it was still pretty cool to take in as we don't have any of those in Rhode Island! That's where my boys got to hold swords and shields- another highlight of the HC. Suggestion: The gift shop missed the mark. I was looking for a piece of art about a Viking ship and my husband wanted a t-shirt. It's easy to declare this place left an impression on our family.

I stopped in here on a Thursday morning. It was a really cool museum with a ton of information. The Viking boat was pretty awesome. I feel like I missed a few things because I was the only one in there with a class of kids. I did learn a lot and the gift store had s ton of fun stuff. Definitely a must go if you're in the area.

This is a cool little museum and cultural events center. Didn't think we would spend much time there... then 2 1/2 hours passed while we absorbed all the info. Didn't anticipate seeing much... ended up learning a ton of new stuff. Highlights for us were the backstory of the Viking ship, the US & Dakota war history, and the Minnesota gay marriage exhibit.

This is a great stop in Fargo to learn about Viking culture and see a Viking church replica and ship. The town really came together to make this exhibit come to life. The ship actually crossed the Atlantic from Scandinavia to be here in Fargo. It stopped in New York first. Definitely worth stopping in if you're in the area.

We stopped here while touring North Dakota, and it was a recommendation while in the Fargo area. The staff was very friendly and the center very clean. The boat was beautiful and the storey behind it amazing. We only spent about 15 minutes looking around. We went out of church, but you needed a guide to get in, and it was 20 minutes before the next tour. The rest of the exhibits were just okay. It seemed rather pricey for a 15-20 minute stop.

I just toured the outdoor trails in the early morning. Really nice site. Too early for indoor museum, Nice Stave Church, cross and river walk, plus view of downtown Fargo.

This museum centers around 1) A guy who built a replica of a Viking longship for his kids to sail across the northern Atlantic and 2) A guy who built a replica of a stave church. Basically, this should be called the Museum of Obsessive Norwegians. That being said, totally worth the trip.

Really enjoyed my spontaneous visit to the Hjemkomst Center. Among other things it outlines the passion projects of two individuals. The Hjemkomst is impressive and they've done a great job to curate the story of its construction and sailing. After exploring the exhibits, I watch some of the video until the tour of the stave church started. The church was pretty awesome. The guide knowledgably pointed out details of the history of the churches like this in Norway as well as Christianity of the age. The tour is worth it to be able to get to go inside the church. I probably spent 50 minutes total here and was very satisfied with my experience. You could also tack on a quick walk along the river if you felt like it.

Really interesting and enjoyable historical center. I recommend having the guided tour of the Hopperstad Stave Church replica if you can to pick up some extra details and see the inside. It's beautiful and there are a lot of details to appreciate. The ship is also a marvel of details to appreciate and the displays detailing the many aspects of the story of its building and voyage to Norway were fascinating. I had never heard of the ship nor its travels previously and found it cool to read about.

The Hjemkomst (homecoming, in Norwegian) started building with a crew guided by Robert Asp, a high school guidance counselor, in 1972. Asp died in 1980, and his family carried his legacy by completing this replica Viking ship in 1982. It said from Minnesota to Norway, where a massive welcoming party welcomed the crew. What a beautiful story. The crew consisted of professional sailors from Norway, a truck driver, college students and four of Asp's children. The Hopperstad Stave Church replica was also incredible. This church is an exact replica of a church built in 1140 in the town of Vik, Norway. This is why travel is important. Sure you can see this online, or you can visit it in person and awe in real life.

Fun to see the stave church, interesting explanation of how it was built. The journey of the hjemkomst ship from North Dakota to Norway is epic.

I am not big into museums but I thought this was a cool place to check out. It was nice to see the giant viking ship and read about it's history. The highlight was getting the tour of the church. Joyce was an amazing tour guide. She was fun, engaging and friendly. The church is beautiful and amazing to see.

I was surprised at how amazing the museum was. I didn't really know what to expect until I went there for my. The welcoming staff were very knowledgeable and kind. Also learning about the journey of a crew from this area of Minnesota/Fargo all the way to Norway is incredible

While visiting the area we found this place listed on Roadtrippers and thought we would check it out. It's not just an inspiring story of a man building a boat, but embraces the camaraderie of a community to see the completion of his dream after he was unable to. The church is a unique replica and encompasses all the carved details from a Scandinavian church. Definitely a place to visit to learn history of people and the area.

Beautiful church and interesting ship. The guide gave a very good tour of the church but didn't provide insights on the ship. Location is close to downtown Fargo.

This is supposedly the big tourist spot in the Fargo-Moorhead area, which mostly reminds you that there aren't a bunch of great tourist spots in the Fargo-Moorhead area. The pluses: The large viking ship itself is cool to see, the entrance fee isn't expensive, the church out back is interesting if it's open when you visit. The gift shop is cute too. The minuses: The hodge-podge of exhibits seems random and without a theme. On my most recent visit, the building had both a WWII propaganda and artifact exhibit and a showing of watercolors from local artists.

We went to this center in early September. The video on the building and sailing of the Viking ship was very interesting. The ship itself is amazing!! The Scandinavian church was beautiful. The rest of the center was lacking in quality displays.

This was a very inspirational place to visit. I had a great time talking with the guides and if you do go, make sure you watch both documentaries. This entire story was just incredibly inspiring and I highly recommend it.

I made a special trip to this museum as I am old enough to remember the voyage in 1982 of this Viking ship from Lake Superior to New York harbor and then to Norway. It all started with a dream of building a Viking Ship for Robert Asp and sailing it to the home country of his ancestors in Norway. Unfortunately Mr. Asp passed away before this trip and his family continued his dream. This museum contains the ship hjempkof (spelling error) which means Homecoming. There is also a replica Norwegian chapel and other historical relics such as rationing during world war 2. The video we saw was 30 minutes long and informative. Was there an hour. Cost was $10 adult admission and $8 for kids. I probably won't need to return but the chapel would make a great wedding venue.

Hjemkomst Center is so amazing! My boyfriend and I were traveling from Cincinnati to Minneapolis to see Sir Paul McCartney perform at the Twins Stadium and we decided to drive the couple extra hours to visit this amazing museum and I am so glad we did! The Viking ship built by the Asp family is awe inspiring, not just for its size, but also for the story of undying love that this family had for one another and the convictions they felt to follow their dreams. I won't tell the whole story here because I believe it is best heard at the museum or in a documentary that can give the story true justice. The stave church was such a surprising addition to the tour because I hadn't done the best research and didn't realize there was one there. It is my greatest dream to visit Scandinavia and see stave churches built by the Vikings with my own eyes, but with so few left standing and so few dollars in my bank account I'm not sure when that will ever happen. This was a magnificent opportunity to see a stave replica here in the United States. The story behind the building of this church is also rather incredible and I would encourage anyone reading this to watch a documentary or read up on this story because it is truly awesome. The tour guide we had was very friendly and knowledgable, I really liked him! One of the coolest parts of the entire tour was when a group of elderly people approached him and began trying to formulate questions. Little did we know they were from Iceland here on a tour of the museum. Our tour guide actually began speaking back to them in Icelandic. While Icelandic is the closest modern language to olde Norse, what the Vikings mainly spoke, I thought that was really amazing that he could speak it. Talk about well qualified. I would so recommend visiting this museum if you are in any way interested in Viking or Scandinavian history or even just amazing human feats and familial love. Five stars all the way!

Adorable historical center, telling the tale of Robert Asp's dream to build a viking ship and sail it from Minnesota to Norway. Seems impossible right? Well he started the dream and his family fullfilled it in his honor. Watched a touching short movie about the adventure and then ventured around the museum to check out the massive ship thats inside (the actual one they sailed) and to walk through the WWII gallery and interactive set-up. Dorothy was a doll telling us about the place and we probably spent an hour learning some MN history. I enjoy being a dork and learning about stuff like this. Plus, looky here, the ship sailed down the Hudson River as well!!! It really is a small world afterall man

This is as Scandinavian as you can get in MN!!! A replica of the ship and historic Stave Church from Norway along the river - a truly beautiful setting. I may be biased because my wedding was here (a whopping $100 for the historical church and $500 for the reception) but it is amazing. Stop by for a history lesson and to admire the beautiful craftsmanship of the church or host an event. Highly recommended.

A cultural center for the Red River Alley. Come to look at the Hjemkomst Viking ship, stay for the history. Seasonal events include the Viking and Celtic festivals. Local and regional arts and textiles are on display in the galleries.

Hjemkomst (Home-Coming) Center is a must visit Place. The Scandinavian Heritage is very important to people who live in Minnesota. The Hjemkomst Center preserves this heritage through Robert Asp's dream and entertaining story. The video presentation in the Museum's Theater presentation is a must see that captures the drama of the construction and sailing adventure from Duluth, MN to Norway. I remember following the Hjemkomst Journey when I was in High School and had visited the ship several times before it had set sail in the 1980's.

Interesting local history museum with a Norwegian Viking church outside and a longship in the middle! Both are impressive recreations with lots of history covered from both Minnesota and Norway. Nice tour of the church and grounds from a local volunteer and lots to see around the museum, even if you're not into Nordic culture. Worth the drive from the Cities plus a stop in Fargo just over the border. Tip: If you're heading up from the Cities, make a stop in Alexandria for the Runestone Museum and Ole to make your Viking-themed trip complete.

Complete with a full replica Viking ship that used to sail inside, this used to be one of the few places for additional cultural learning; it is still the place for local Scandinavian culture. They have had exhibits like animatronic dinosaurs (I still smell the plastic and remember my enthusiasm!), local and regional art, and other exhibits dedicated to the surrounding area. Their mission is appropriate: Heritage Hjemkomst Interpretive Center's mission is to enlighten and inspire the public by interpreting the life, culture, and heritage of the Red River Valley. And it's still a place I love to visit. Apparently, and I didn't know this, it's up for weddings and such, too, so certainly a bonus there!

This is a nice museum in Fargo that housed a recreated Viking ship and a recreated Norwegian Stave church. The tour guide did a nice job quickly explaining the church (in the frigid air) and answering questions. The Viking ship is awesome - too bad you can't get on it to really get the feel for it. The other exhibits were about prohibition and the King James Bible - these exhibits had a lot of reading not as many artifacts; the ship and the church are the real highlights. If you're a tourist, this is a good way to spend 1-2 hours.

The bartender at my hotel in Fargo said this place was cool so I walked across the border in the January cold to check it out. Unfortunately, I only had limited amount of time but I got to wander through two exhibits, including a particularly inspiring photography exhibit by late 19th/early 20th century Clay County photographers Wange and Flaten. I also got to see the Hjemkomst ship exhibit, a project which was beautifully contextualized in the 30 minute documentary they screen in the Center's theater. It's a very human, moving tale. Strong recommend. Easily worth the 7.50 admission I paid.

The best part was the staff! All of them were so friendly and knowledgeable! To me, it wasn't a "must see" attraction, but definitely a nice way to spend a couple hours.

I can't believe how expensive it was just to see a boat that wasn't even an authentic viking ship, as we were led to believe. I feel tricked! The only other exhibit was about the prohabition and had absolutely nothing entertaining or interesting for the kids to see or do. The boat was pretty cool but I wish I had saved my hard earned money for a different museum, as admission was pricey. My whole family left feeling disappointed, and I felt ripped off.

Absolutely amazing museum dedicated to Scandinavian/Norwegian culture. Very insightful and informative, plus lots to see and do for the relatively affordable admission cost. Staff knew a ton and were fun to talk to and learn from! Check it out!

Nice place find out about history and see the ship he built. Good place for kids to learn that you can do what is in your heart.

Definitely the most unique small museum I have ever visited. As of this writing there are two components to this unusual spot. 1. A replica full sized Viking ship which was used to "return" to Norway. (Hjemkomst mean homecoming.) There is a 28 minute really well made DVD about this massive display and well worth watching. I had two thoughts after seeing it all - people are awesome, people are crazy! 2. A replica full sized Medieval Norwegian church and a volunteer guide dying to tell you all about it. We got the rushed version (what is Norwegian for thank you) because of an upcoming wedding. Like nothing you have ever seen before! There is also a gift shop you will adore if you happen to be Norwegian. The whole thing was quirky and different!

Lame. Wouldn't have felt so ripped off if admission was only $3.00. The tour was weird. Expected to learn more about the architecture and history of this type of building. It was a rather disjointed 10-minute tour where we were told to 'go ahead and walk around the building'.

I'm not really the tour type. But this place was suggested as a must see. The grounds are gorgeous. If my church looked like this I might go more often. It reminds me of some of the ancient Orthodox churches in Russia, all that's missing is the dome. Such beauty, and in that style with no pews, just surrounding benches. Geneva was our guide, and she was amazed that traditionally women wouldn't be allowed in the altar. They do have weddings here. I couldn't imagine being married anywhere else. The viking ship is phenomenal, and I can't believe they used to burn these.

Cute museum. I went there on a whim and spent a few hours watching the videos and reading the placards with information about WWII. There weren't many people when I went, but the church was locked up. There's a discount for students.

The Hjemkomst was a nice little museum to visit while I was in town. I found it extremely interesting the story of the ship. I understand that they need to preserve it, but it would be neat to be able to go on the ship and look around. They also had a large WWII section at the museum. The sequence it's set up was a little out of order, but it was still nice to see. They also had a local photographer that had beautiful images of the area. We went through the whole thing in an hour.

Having been one that grew up hearing, knowing and watching about Bob Asp and what he was building in that old potato house in Hawley when I young then reading & watching the bits and pieces of the entire epic journey are memories that are brought back every time I visit the Hjemkomst Heritage Center. One of my favorite activities is VIKING VILLAGE Festival usually held in Mid July. They have various and ever changing exhibits, local and regional art, and other exhibits dedicated to the surrounding area and is always a very enjoyable and unique experience every time. So very proud and honored to have this beautiful place in our neck of the country.

If you haven't visited this center yet, you need to. Free for Military, discounts for AAA an seniors. A lot of history here and nicely laid out.

This was an awesome place to visit. Very clean, peaceful and easily navigated. informative and educational. I recommend stopping off here for a visit when you are in the area. Employees were extremely friendly and knowledgeable.

An unexpected joy. Even though I am not of Scandinavian heritage, I found this museum very interesting. The short film on Robert Asp and his dream of building and sailing a replica Viking ship across the Atlantic is especially moving. The ship itself is on display as well. A fascinating museum, well worth the time.

Our daughter had her reception at the Hjemkomst Heritage Center for 250 people. Our other daughter had her reception there as well for about the same number last year. Both of the events were great for a very reasonable price! The venue and grounds are so pretty and spacious. And, the staff was very professional and accommodating. They were organized and helpful throughout the entire planning process and throughout both of the evenings. I can't imagine it going any better than it did and would highly recommend them for hosting any of your special events.

A Viking ship and a stave church, plus local art. Also, the gift shop was one of the few places I could find art by local artists.