Iceland in November at night shows another side of the island nation's personality - the arctic night owl part. Icelanders don't seem to retire to bed early. Maybe it's because in the summer in Iceland,  it's light all night long and the population becomes accustomed to staying up for long periods - like days at a time.  "In summer, I don't sleep," my guide Villi told me. "Nobody does. You sleep in winter." Then he added, with a smile, "Maybe you sleep then."

If you're not planning on sleeping (much!) in Iceland, here are some of your choices.

1. View the Northern Lights

Iceland is far enough North to make viewing the northern lights relatively easy, but these pale, beautiful displays can be washed out by even the mild lights of Reykjavik. Never fear - special Northern Lights tours are available and will chase down the best viewing spots on a given night. Many companies offer tours, but one choice is Icelandic Legends which combine a gourmet Icelandic buffet and costumed storytellers and musicians with a 4-wheel drive jeep trek to find the best viewing spots. No lights that night? You still get a great dinner and entertainment experience.

2. Visit the Vikings

The Viking Hotel in  Hafnarfjördur, about 20 minutes away from Reykjavik,  offers a Viking dining experience with an interactive cast. It won't be the calmest dinner you've had in your life, but it's corny fun. The area surrounding the village of Hafnarfjördur is also known as a hotspot for fairies, gnomes, trolls, Hidden People and other mystical Icelandic folk.

3. Go Clubbing in Reykjavik

Reykjavik has a lively bar scene that truly offers something for everyone, most of it radiating from the main street of Laugavegur. The GLBT crowd congregates at the Q Bar; rock n'rollers answer the call of "Lead Us into Temptation" a few steps away at the Bar 11; slightly more upscale but not much more subdued is the Rex.

4. Eat A Clinton-Related Hotdog

You can't avoid hearing the tale of President Bill Clinton traveling on a formal visit to Iceland when he spotted this iconic Icelandic hotdog stand and pulled his entourage over for a part-lamb sausage. No matter how cold it is, or how late it is, there is almost always a line at this brightly-painted hot dog shack, but the red-clad hotdog makers are experts and the assembly is fast and furious. There's a table or two nearby, but most just eat it out of hand. In Icelandic, it's called "Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur", roughly translated as "The best town's best hot dogs".  It's easy walking distance from the clubs, and right around the corner from the Radisson SAS 1919 hotel.

5. Drive the Keflavik Highway

Have you heard of the legendary Ventura Highway? How About Route 66? Add another one - the road to Keflavik. Formerly the site of the American base on Iceland, and now the site of Iceland's International Airport, for a past generation of Icelanders it was also the only place you could hear American rock and roll - on your car radio if you could drive close enough to pick up the local broadcast. Back then the road was treacherous and it is still a dark two-lane drive through the lava fields. But if you've found an Icelandic honey, get some good tunes on the radio and take a drive. You might even see some of the Northern Lights - or at least a plane landing at Keflavik Airport. Keflavik itself is considered the "musical capital" of Iceland - again, because of the influence of those airwaves - so the bars tend to offer live music. One possibility is Rain but there's also an Irish bar and many others. In the Keflavik area earlier in the day? Check out the Viking ship display at Reyjanesbaer.

6. Get Wet at the Blue Lagoon

The steaming-hot waters of the Blue Lagoon are open until 8pm during the winter;  guests can stay in the silica-rich, algae-blue waters for 45 minutes beyond that time.  But you won't want to wait for the last minute to enjoy these waters - combine it with a ride on the Keflavik Highway and go early and let it be just the start of an amazing evening.

7. Get All Cultured Up

Who knew? Iceland has a Dance Company, an Opera House, and a Symphony Orchestra, all conveniently based in Reykjavik.

Want to Go?

Iceland Air offers a number of packages for quick trips to Iceland, and with their new service from Seattle, it makes this small island nation accessible from the West coast as well as the East.  It's also easy to combine with a trip to Europe, since Iceland Air also offers the option of a free stopover in Iceland on your way to or from other European destinations.

I explored Iceland as part of a press trip provided by Iceland Air ; however, they unfortunately did not subsidize any of my pub crawling, my hotdogs, or my conspicuous consumption of artsy-crafty souvenirs.