Item 62: Jorvik Viking Centre

Location: York, United Kingdom

York has a Viking museum! “That one has to be added to the list”, so my inner child screamed.

Reopening after a big refurbishment, I had high expectations for our visit to the Jorvik Viking Centre. Adding to the excitement was being able to ‘Gift-aid’ our £8.95 entrance fee which meant donating our ticket price to the centre instead of buying an actual ticket, giving us unlimited access to the centre for a whole year.

The discovery of the village of Jorvik (the Viking name for York), nine meters below where the current city stands, has allowed for the centre to recreate the historical experience to an amazing degree of accuracy. The artefacts collected from archaeological digs piece together Viking life, as visitors are transported in the centre’s ‘ride’ through the ancient village to meet the locals, into houses and to the local markets.

Animatronic Vikings are impressive enough, blinking and speaking as you pass by. But most confronting was the way the centre attempts to capture all your senses. There’s a distinct whiff in the air, right from the entrance at ticket desk which follows you through the exhibition and on the ride, varying only slightly when you pass the exhibit of meat and food. This was all a little overwhelming for one little boy the day of our visit. I assume it was the pure smell of it all that made the poor kid’s stomach churn. His tummy turned, blocking off entrance to the ride, holding up the rest of the queue in the stinky little Viking Village of Jorvik.

Item 62: Jorvik Viking Centre? CHECK!