Best Places in North America to Get Your Olympics Fix

Modern-day visitors can learn to ski and snowboard in winter and even tackle jumps and half-pipes in the terrain park. In summer, the former Olympic ski jump tower serves as the starting point for a zipline course that’s said to be one of the fastest in North America, reaching speeds up to 75 mph.Near Olympic Park is Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, where you can see torches from the Olympic and Paralympic Games, an interactive ski jump exhibit, a 1964 bobsled and all sorts of memorabilia and medals from celebrated Canadian athletes.

Lake Placid, New York

What to see: The Olympic Center in Lake Placid Village is the starting point for all things Olympics in Lake Placid. Originally built for the ice events of the ’32 Games, the center is home to a speed skating oval and the Herb Brooks Arena, where the underdogs of the 1980 U.S. hockey team defeated the Soviet Union in the “Miracle On Ice” medal-round game. The center also includes the Lake Placid Winter Olympic Museum, with photos, videos and memorabilia from athletes.To see the impressive ski jump towers from the ’80 Olympics, head to the Olympic Jumping Complex, a year-round training and event facility. Visitors can watch ski jumpers from a base lodge or from the top of a 120-meter jump tower, accessible via a gondola and elevator ride.Bobsled, luge and skeleton competitions continue to take place at the Olympic Sports Complex, where you’ll also find a biathlon course and more than 50 miles of groomed trails for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Want to try bobsledding yourself? Visitors over 48 inches tall can take a trip down the bobsled track and reach speeds up to 60 mph.

Los Angeles, California

What to see: In an effort to keep costs down, Los Angeles chose to use many existing venues rather than construct new ones for the ’84 Games. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is an example of this thriftiness—built for the ’32 Olympics as a memorial to those who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War I, it is now said to be the only venue to have hosted two Olympic Games. (The Memorial Coliseum will soon host a third when the Summer Olympics return to Los Angeles in 2028.) The opening and closing ceremonies as well as many track and field events took place at the Memorial Coliseum during the 1984 Games; visitors today can see the Olympic rings hanging above the entrance.

Montréal, Quebec

What to see: The ’76 Olympics brought the Games to Canada for the first time in history, and the event marks the first time that the Summer Olympics were hosted in Canada. Many venues are located in the appropriately named Olympic Park. Guided tours of Olympic Stadium will let you see where the opening and closing ceremonies were held as well as explore Since 1976, an exhibit about the construction and history of the park. The Olympic Park Sports Centre is open to the public and houses the competition pool where swimmers and divers continue to train.On the southwest corner of the park, a podium under the Olympic rings makes for a good photo op. Other buildings have been converted since the games; the velodrome used for track cycling events is now the futuristic-looking Montréal Biodôme, with various ecosystems inside.

Olympic Valley, California

What to see: When the Olympic bid was awarded in 1955, the Squaw Valley ski resort (now called Palisades Tahoe) seemed an unlikely choice for the location of the ’60 Games. At the time, the ski resort had just one chairlift and one lodge. But the success of the games transformed the resort and the surrounding Olympic Valley into a well-known ski destination.Today you’ll find 29 lifts and plenty of family-friendly (and beginner-friendly) ski terrain at Palisades Tahoe, the new name for the resort area. The Aerial Tram provides beautiful aerial views of Lake Tahoe and beyond as it ascends to the 8,200-foot High Camp, where an Olympic Museum displays memorabilia from the 1960 Games. Ski passes include access to the slopes in both the Olympic Valley and Alpine Meadows.