July 9, 2020 — Founded in the 1920s by first generation Scandinavian fisherman, Long Beach Island’s Viking Village is a place that will take you back to the days of quaint Jersey Shore fishing villages and salty sea captains.
Perched along the bay at the northernmost end of the island in scenic Barnegat Light, the seaside hamlet features a row of tiny fishing shacks that have been transformed into shops and commercial fishing vessels humming in and out of the harbor, which is a major hub for seafood in the state. Visitors can not only shop for treasures at assorted boutiques or grab a cup of coffee or casual meal, but they also have the opportunity to tour the busy docks in the summer and see firsthand where the sea scallops they order at a restaurant come from.
“Most people think seafood just ends up on your plate at a restaurant, they don’t realize what it takes to get it there,” said shop owner Pam Larson, whose husband’s family owns and runs Viking Village.
Almost a century after Norwegian brothers John and Ole Larson founded the Independent Fish Company, which was renamed Viking Village in the 1970s, the commercial docks, shops and eateries remain a family affair. Larson owns The Seawife, an antique store filled with an assortment of collectibles, and is married to Kirk Larson, whose father took over the operation when his own father retired and renamed it Viking Village.