DESTINATIONS

Vail » Lake Placid » Hawaii

Young and old compete, reconnect and celebrate all things lacrosse before some of the most breathtaking backdrops. The 37th Lake Placid Summit Classic that features elementary school players to octogenarians opens in late July. “Lake Placid lacrosse has evolved into a community of lacrosse families doing what they love to do in a place they love to be,” founder George Leveille said.

JMA Wireless Dome

Coined the Carrier Dome for 42 years, Syracuse’s home is college lacrosse’s mecca. Generations of legends have heard cheers reverberating for them inside the indoor atmosphere. There’s no place like Dome, where 11,268 fans witnessed a Notre Dame-Syracuse men’s lacrosse game this year.

Homewood Field

As big, loud and fervent as the cavernous indoor Dome environment is, Johns Hopkins’ home turf counters with intimate, tangible history and crowds that often exceed its capacity of 8,500. “To sit in the stands at Homewood Field is to feel the magic of lacrosse at its very core,” said Janine Tucker, who coached the Johns Hopkins women’s lacrosse for 29 years. “It’s where passion meets tradition and where every fan becomes part of the story.”

Shove Park and Sherwood Forest

Legendary pick-up spots, Shove Park in Central New York and Sherwood Forest in Maryland are where thousands of youth have honed BTB shots, split dodges and can openers in fun, informal games.

EXPERIENCES

Haudenosaunee Nation

Check when sites are open to visit the heart of the sport’s start, but events like the Haudenosaunee Wooden Stick Festival held annually in Onondaga, N.Y., connect to the game at its spiritual and cultural roots, celebrate the origins, feature wooden stick makers and can even offer a chance to witness a stickball game. “An event like this gives everyone an opportunity to see and hear of lacrosse as it was intended to be, as more than a sport,” wooden stick craftsman Travis Gabriel said. “A true medicine of the soul.”

National Lacrosse Hall of Fame & Museum

Housed at USA Lacrosse headquarters in Sparks, Md., trace the history of lacrosse from its Indigenous roots to its rise as a global sport and recognize the best of the game.  “If you want to know the game,” said USA Lacrosse archivist Joe Finn, “know its history.”

First Time a Child Picks Up a Stick

Feed the curiosity and watch the joy as your child takes up the game. Searching for that opportunity? Look for Pick Up & Play clinics during National Celebrate Lacrosse Week Nov. 1-9.