Stavanger, Norway With the Family: See, Do, Discuss

Stavanger, Norway, is a small town with a big, colorful personality, from centuries’ old traditions and folklore to its modern showcases for the visual arts and sciences. Furthermore, there are plenty of surprises and treasures found in the nearby mountains and along the waterways. Even with the region’s small scale, it has much to offer families with young kids and the young at heart.

Sunday in Stavanger, Norway © Elyse Glickman

Byrkjedalstunet, roughly an hour outside Stavanger, enchants as a both a time capsule for Norway’s pre-industrialized country life as well as a year-round celebration of the Christmas season. The roadside resort and restaurant has preserved farmhouses and old tractors to explore, traditional Norwegian meatballs with the fixings, a working bakery and sparking retails areas dedicated to handcrafted candles and Yuletide decor. The candle area includes a workshop where kids can dye their own candles for 25 kroner ($3) each. Between towns and villages, there are numerous must-stop vista points at Strandhuset at Ølberg with spectacular views overlooking the mountains and the North Sea.

Fishing Boat, Stavanger © Elyse Glickman

Fishing Stavanger offers a three-hour, high seas adventure with prime storytelling and fishing how-tos aboard the MS RAPP​, a lovingly restored 1913 fishing boat steered by the charismatic Captain Ulf and a first mate quick on the draw to correct novice fishermen’s grasps on the fishing rods. The Norwegian Petroleum Museum, meanwhile, takes visitors on a compelling and interactive journey through the area’s oil boom over the past 50 years. Kids will love the museum’s oil rig design and the opportunity to climb into various vehicles used in the oil excavation process. The rest of the space, meanwhile, is filled with conversation-starting films, dioramas, photographs and equipment that weigh scientific progress against the impact of on the environment.

Stavanger’s city center (Gamle Stavanger), meanwhile, is not just an area of beautifully preserved buildings. It is also a dynamic and constantly evolving museum thanks to its commissioned street art. The NuArt Street Art Walk in Stavanger puts the array of statement-making murals from a global array of artists into an interesting perspective, whether the pieces are timeless expressions of human nature or timely political commentaries. The tour passes by Ovre Holmegate, the city’s “Colorful Street,” lined with crayon-bright houses occupied by quirky shops and cafés.

Canned sardines, one of Norway’s best known contributions to global cuisine, may have a humble reputation and may not fall into the category of kid-friendly foods. However, a visit to the Norwegian Canning Museum may change their attitude about what began as a cottage industry more than 100 years ago. From closet-sized ovens to machines and tools helping workers smoke and package the fish, one will be surprised sardines were prepped with as much care as the dishes coming out of Norway’s new wave of chef-driven restaurants.

Canning Museum © Elyse Glickman

The Canning Museum is part of the Stavanger City Museum, the perfect go-to place for additional exploration on rainy or colder days, given the complex is actually many museums within a single building, including the department of zoology, the Norwegian Children’s Museum, Norwegian Printing Museum, Stavanger School Museum and the Stavanger Art Museum. They provide a fascinating glimpse into what it was like and what it is like to be a kid growing up in Norway.

If you’re planning a trip to Norway and Stavanger next spring or summer, take note of special warm weather offerings, including the Archaeology Museum’s Viking-themed activities in summer; Geoparken, a playground fashioned from oil-exploration equipment outside the Petroleum museum; and picturesque beaches like Sola along Stavanger’s outskirts. Splurge-worthy provisions for the perfect seaside picnic can be purchased at Fisketorget, one of the city’s top seafood bistros and markets, offering a number of wonderful to-go items. Finicky kids not yet into seafood will like the surprisingly high-quality items from 7-11, including the hot dogs and Hennig-Olsen’s custard-y, soft serve ice cream.