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Top 20 Lacrosse Destinations – Where You Have To Go

Lacrosse events across the world were cancelled in 2020 in the wake of the pandemic, marking the first summer that many of us “lifetime players” went lacrosse-less for years, if not decades. There’s no time like the present to add these top 20 lacrosse destinations for adult lacrosse to your bucket list!

Folks like PrimeTime Lacrosse are prepared to take care of us in 2021 as we plan to get back on the field or in the box, so we greatly appreciate their support in helping us make the following list. We factored in each destination’s great histories, incredible locations and competition levels when creating it.

Top 20 Lacrosse Destinations in the World

Prague

Radotin, a suburb of Prague, is home to the biggest and most revered international box lacrosse events in the world: the Ales Hrebesky Memorial and Frank Menschner Cup.

Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and these tournaments are held just outside of the center of the city. During the events, the box turns into a constant party of joyous laxers enjoying their company, food and drinks. The trip back into the city is as easy as hopping on a train located a minute’s walk from the box, and the opportunities for adventure in Prague are endless.

AHM 2018 Jagged Mountain Photo: Marek Stor / ShutterLax.com
Photo: Marek Stor / ShutterLax.com

Lake Placid

Lake Placid is nestled comfortably among the Adirondack Mountains and is one of the most scenic places in the United States. No matter what event you’re going for, the breathtaking views and opportunities for outdoor activities only add to the necessity for a trip to one of the top 20 lacrosse destinations there is.

Carrier Dome

This is one of the best-known venues in all of college sports, let alone in lacrosse. But it’s importance in lax cannot be overstated. Syracuse is one of the most storied programs there is, and the Carrier Dome has hosted countless classic moments as a result. It’s proximity to Onondaga is not to be ignored, either.

Australia

It’s tough to narrow this down to just one city in Australia, with Perth, Melbourne and Adelaide all offering so much for a laxer. The experience will be different in the various cities, but they’re still all great, and we can’t choose just one. The lacrosse communities in Australia are fantastic and will surprise you if you’re not familiar with the sport in the country. A worldwide lacrosse tour would need a stop in at least one of those three Australian cities.

Lake Tahoe

Located in the Sierra Nevada along the Nevada-California border, Lake Tahoe is a quiet town sitting next to the lake that shares its name. More than 75 percent of the lake’s watershed is national forest land, and its physical beauty is internationally renowned. In the winter, skiing and snowboarding are massive in the area, and while those activities aren’t available in the summer, the same feeling and culture are there. And if you’re ever sick of what there is to do outside, you can head inside to enjoy some of the many casinos that line the lakeside.

New Orleans

New Orleans is one of the top destinations cities in America and internationally renowned for fun. Mardi Gras is that on a whole different level. The Mardi Gras Tournament could give you a viable excuse to make the trip down to the Bayou at what some would call the most perfect time of year, not to mention you’ll get some lacrosse action in there. It’s not all about the party, though. Lax gets time, too.

Nantucket

One of the most relaxing spots along the eastern seaboard, Nantucket, Massachusetts, is home to the Nantucket Lacrosse Festival, courtesy of PrimeTime Lacrosse. The single-day event for men and women hosts two divisions of 18+ and 30+ for both styles of play and couples competition with festivity, giving you a full day of lacrosse while celebrating the sport with fellow laxers.

nantucket

Nantucket offers the unique experience of ferrying in and out of the island and a wonderful opportunity to get away. Hang out at the beach, relax on the deck, explore some incredible history, enjoy the world class seafood, or do it all! That’s why this must make our top 20 lacrosse destinations docket.

Six Nations

You’ve got MSL with the Chiefs, OLA Jr A with the Arrows, with both playing at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena (ILA), and more great lacrosse players than you can shake a stick at.

When it comes to lacrosse at Six Nations, it’s not about any one singular event, game or team. It’s not about any particular player, either. It’s a massive hub for the game, and the amount of unbelievable lacrosse that exists there all the time is something to behold. You owe it to yourself to check it out, trust us.

Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium

Located in Annapolis, Maryland, Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium has played host to some awesome sports moments, from an outdoor NHL game in 2018 to a handful of soccer matches for the 1984 Summer Olympics to tons of Army-Navy football contests. In lacrosse, though, it has been the home of the Chesapeake Bayhawks since 2009 and includes a robust NCAA Tournament history, from the 2005 Women’s Lacrosse Championship to five NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Quarterfinals.

It also held the 2020 MLL season, which was forced into one location by the pandemic.

Honolulu

You won’t find many more beautiful places to play lacrosse than in the foothills of Diamond Head of the edge of Waikiki. Hawaii is one of the biggest tourist destinations in America, and Honolulu is its largest city – is it any surprise that it would land in the top 20 lacrosse destinations?

If you have the opportunity to play lax on the Hawaiian beach, how are you going to say no?

Cattaraugus Community Center

The CCC is located on the Seneca Nation in Irving, New York, and is home to a couple of the best Seneca Nation teams, not to mention the incredible amount of talent that has come through its doors. Additionally, the CCC sports purple turf, further proving its uniqueness, and is an incredible sports complex overall. If you’re ever in the neighborhood, check it out.

Lake George

Lake George, New York, is a small, quaint town locates at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains. The actual lake is situated between the Hudson River and Lake Champlain, one of the many physically incredible spots in the region.

lake george
Photo courtesy LakeGeorge.com

PrimeTime Lacrosse’s Lake George National Invitational gives you a great excuse to enjoy the great outdoors while also enjoying some lacrosse. Divisions are open to boys down to 2030 grad years, up to men 45+, and with a women’s 18+ division. College coaches are always in attendance, and some of the top programs from the Northeast and around the country show up to battle it out in the Adirondacks.

Queens Park Arena

This is a true gem and can’t be left off a list of the top 20 lacrosse destinations. This 3,500-seat arena in New Westminster, British Columbia, was built in 1930 and has hosted loads of hockey and lacrosse. Currently, the New Westminster Salmonbellies of the WLA play there, and hockey is still a constant in the venue.

A wooden floor, a small arena with an ancient feel, all in a huge, old lacrosse town. This must be on any lacrosse bucket list.

Toronto Rock Athletic Centre

If Queens Park Arena represents the old school, the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre represents the modern day. It’s the most luxurious lacrosse facility on earth, making it an easy choice to crack the top 20 lacrosse destinations. The 80,000 square foot climate-controlled arena has two rinks – one concrete, one turf – and many more amenities that put this venue over the top. Both of those are regulation sized, as is the outdoor field that fits NCAA lacrosse and FIFA Level 1 Certification requirements, which hosts lacrosse, soccer, football and ultimate frisbee.

Oh, and it’s where the NLL’s Toronto Rock play their home contests.

Vail

One of the premier places to ski and snowboard in the entire world is also one of the top 20 lacrosse destinations.

Vail is home to some of the most picturesque and unbelievable views in North America, and any trip out at any time of the year will yield you incredible outdoor opportunities. Whether it’s winter sports during that time of the year, hiking, fishing and camping in the summer or anything in between in spring or fall, it’s a nature lover’s dream, especially if you’re one for resorts.

Berlin

This is a true hub for German lacrosse, which has been growing steadily over the last 10 years. The Berlin Open, a great field lacrosse tournament, is held here, and there is a ton of men’s and women’s club ball in the area all year round, too.

Outside of lacrosse, Berlin is also an incredible city with an incredible history and wealth of experiences. If you’re a history buff, you won’t want to leave. If you enjoy the party, Berlin has that for you, too. Berlin is truly an international city that you should angle a trip to regardless of lacrosse, but the lax makes it that much better.

Homewood Field

Johns Hopkins is lacrosse royalty. The number of legends who have passed through that program are endless, and its importance in the greater zeitgeist of lacrosse is massive. It would only be natural for Homewood Field, the home for Hopkins, to be one of the top 20 lacrosse destinations in the world, especially if you add in the NCAA Tournament games and MLL contests it has hosted over the years.

Las Vegas

There isn’t much I need to tell you about Las Vegas that you don’t already know. You are fully aware of what Las Vegas is and what is there. You’re also well informed on what it’s like on the weekend. What you might not know, though, is that the Sin City Box Classic exists. Yes, lacrosse is in Vegas, so it automatically has to be on this list, right?

Manchester

Manchester is the center of lacrosse in England, and there’s always a ton of lacrosse going on there. The city’s greater arena has hosted the World Lacrosse Championships three times (1978, 1994, 2010), making it one of the most common host sites for the sport’s international tournament. That includes Canada’s 17-16 overtime victory over the United States in 1978, giving the Canadians their first world title and one of three the nation has ever claimed.

If you want to check out one of Europe’s most prominent lacrosse cities, Manchester has to be on that list.

Ocean City

Ocean City is a beach town for college kids to party, serving as a popular destination for Maryland high school seniors and their rowdy Beach Week. Roll that into a lacrosse tournament, and that’s the sort of atmosphere you’ll find yourself in.

The muscles will be off the charts, and you can expect plenty of push-up competitions, some friendlier than others. Feel free to join in, but at your own risk. Don’t humiliate yourself too much.