If you can sing every word of Disney's Frozen, you're basically a Norway fan. Animators based the fictional kingdom of Arendelle on Akershus Fortress, Bryggen town, and the Norsk Folkemuseum in Oslo. You may have sung "Let It Go" in the shower, imagining yourself wailing away from an ice castle overlooking a fjord. Trouble is, the closest most of us will get to the real thing is Epcot. Round-trip air fare to Oslo runs over $900, and that's in winter when prices are lower. Luckily, there's a cheaper alternative 45 minutes north of Tacoma Narrows Bridge. There you'll find a bayside town with street names like Bjermeland, Lindvig and Fjord Drive. Poulsbo bills itself as Little Norway, maintaining sister-city relationships with Norway's Halden and Namsos.

Two centuries ago, and 5,000 years before that, Poulsbo was Suquamish country. Locals called it TcuTcu Lats, "Maple Place." Most Suquamish moved to Port Madison after the Treaty of Point Elliott in 1855, and a decade later Scandinavian immigrants rowed in. Poulsbo was "founded" by Jorgen Eliason - a proud son of Fordefjord, Norway - and incorporated in 1907. It's home now to about 3,000 families.

In an area as beautiful as Liberty Bay, figuring out where to start can be daunting. Poulsbo solved that problem by putting it all out on Front Street - literally. Most of the city's appealing sites for tourists are condensed along a mile-long stretch of Front Street, which overlooks the bay to the west. Between Front Street and the water is a convenient expanse of free public parking. From there it's a short walk to a great lunch destination, Tizley's EuroPub, upstairs at 18928 Front St. NE. Their Swedish meatballs taste more like bratwurst than the familiar Ikea version, and pair well with rotkohl (red cabbage salad) and an Erdinger hefeweizen. Tizley's menu hails from all over northern Europe, so if you want to stick to true Norwegian fare, look for the flag of Norway on the menu: a blue cross, outlined in white on a red field. It's a familiar sight on this proudly Scandinavian thoroughfare.

Now it's time to browse Front Street's inviting storefronts. Liberty Bay Books is a block south. It's the perfect place to catch up on Norwegian crime novelist Jo Nesbø. (If you can pronounce his name correctly, you're one up on us.) Stroll north past The Nordic Maid gift shop, Thor's Hammer and Needle tattooists, Fat Apple Bakery, and the Sons of Norway social hall. Poulsbohemian Coffeehouse (19003 Front St. NE) is probably the best in town, though Cups Espresso and Hot Shots Java have devoted fans as well. Enjoy your book and a Mexican mocha. That'll give you strength to head south, with leisurely browsing stops at The Quilt Shoppe, Raevyn Blue Antiques & Collectibles, Bluewater Artworks Gallery and Framing, and the bead store Imagine That!

You now have an important choice to make. You can either have pastry or ice cream. (No one can do both after a hearty lunch with beer.) Most tourists make a beeline for Sluys' Bakery, home of justly famous Poulsbo Bread and killer cinnamon rolls. For this writer, though, nothing beats the flavorful delights at Mora Iced Creamery, recognized by Food & Wine as one of the "Best Ice Cream Spots in the U.S." Resist the urge to collapse into a food coma. Instead, check out Poulsbo's small but diversely populated Marine Science Center. If you still somehow have room for dinner, there's The Loft, Slippery Pig Brewery, Casa Luna, or the beautiful Sogno di Vino, all a short walk away. Bet you're sorry you didn't save room for Boehm's Chocolates!

You missed the Sons of Norway Annual Lutefisk Feed in January - drat - but shouldn't make the same mistake with Viking Fest, the third weekend each May. It includes bike tours and road runs. Summer brings the St. Hans solstice folk festival and concerts in Willian Waterfront Park. There's a street dance and art festival in August. First Lutheran Church offers another lutefisk dinner in October - lucky you! - plus sherbet and Norwegian cookies to wash it down. The Christmas season heralds Julefest, with its arrival of Santa Lucia and her attendant Vikings. God Jul, everybody!